What: Asia’s multi-brand boutiques are thriving thanks to local shoppers.

Why it is important: Relationship to locals is key in the absence of tourists.

Across global markets, the pandemic has proven a boon for leading e-commerce marketplaces and a fatal blow for many offline-reliant department stores. Between these two extremes sit smaller businesses like multi-brand boutiques, many of which are working hard to reach consumers in a post-pandemic world.

While e-commerce giants remain the big winners in the year of the pandemic, multi-brand boutiques like Seoul’s Addicted, Hong Kong’s Kapok and Tokyo’s Restir are putting the worst behind them thanks to local support — a necessity, given that the three cities have yet to welcome tourists back to their streets.

Where People Are Shopping Again