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Global Business

After China and Japan, Musinsa Speeds Asia Expansion

Dong-A Ilbo | Updated 2026.08.12
 
Musinsa has partnered with the Philippines’ largest conglomerate, following Japan, China, and Taiwan, to secure an offline foothold in Southeast Asia. The company is accelerating its strategy in Asia by expanding its overseas business territory, previously centered on online channels, into the offline market.

According to Musinsa on the 12th, the company signed an exclusive distribution agreement on July 17 with ACX Holdings, a retail platform under the Ayala Group, the largest conglomerate in the Philippines. ACX Holdings is the distribution affiliate of the Ayala Group, which leads key Philippine industries such as real estate, finance, telecommunications, and energy, and is responsible for the entry and operation of global brands in the Philippine market.

Musinsa plans to expand its offline presence in major commercial districts in the Philippines with a focus on Musinsa Standard. In the second half of this year, it will open the first Musinsa Standard store at Glorietta, a popular shopping mall in Makati, Manila’s busiest commercial and shopping district.

Musinsa selected the Philippines as a key base for its expansion into Southeast Asia due to rising demand for K-fashion. With a population of more than 110 million and a high proportion of young people, the Philippines has strong consumption potential. In fact, transaction volume from the Philippines on the Musinsa Global Store has grown by an annual average of about 50% over the past three years (2023–2025).

Visitors shop at the “2026 Musinsa Tokyo Pop-up Store,” which opened on 10 August in Shibuya, Tokyo. Provided by Musinsa.
Musinsa has recently been expanding its overseas business, focusing on major Asian markets. In 2021, it took its first step into Japan by establishing Musinsa Japan, its first overseas subsidiary, and in November last year it opened “Musinsa ZOZOTOWN” on ZOZOTOWN, Japan’s leading fashion e-commerce platform. Approximately 75,000 people visited the pop-up store held in Tokyo this April. In the second half of the year, the company plans to open pop-up stores in Tokyo, Osaka, and other cities.

The company is also rapidly expanding in the Greater China region. Centered on Musinsa Standard, it currently operates four stores in major commercial districts such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, and it will open an additional store in Shenzhen in September. Last month, Musinsa established a local branch in Taiwan and set a target of opening around 15 offline stores there within the next five years.

This aggressive overseas expansion is underpinned by solid performance growth. According to Musinsa, transaction volume in Japan through the Musinsa Global Store in the first half of this year increased 155% year-on-year. In Taiwan, transaction volume during the same period rose 240%. In China, where Musinsa is present on Tmall, the country’s largest B2C platform, combined online and offline transaction volume in the second quarter roughly doubled compared with the previous quarter.

A Musinsa official said, “The Philippines is a strategic market with significant growth potential, as interest in Korean fashion brands is high among young consumers,” adding, “Based on close collaboration with ACX Holdings, which has extensive understanding of the local market and strong retail operation capabilities, Musinsa will strengthen the unique brand competitiveness of Musinsa Standard and offer Filipino consumers a new K-fashion experience.”

Kim Hye-rin

AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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