Frank Ha is glad to be out of the Portland cold, even if it’s just for a week. “It’s been crazy,” he remarks. As Oscar Wilde once said, conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative, but Portland has been experiencing a headline-worthy winter.
Ha, the vice-president of Nike Direct (Retail) for Asia Pacific and Latin America, is in Singapore to oversee the grand opening of Nike Orchard Road, a collaboration with Dubai-based retailer and distributor, GMG. Spanning three levels, it’s the largest store outside of China at 28,000 square feet.
We speak to Ha about Nike’s strategy in Singapore and the region, the magic and importance of retail, and what we can expect next from the Swoosh.
What’s your favourite feature of the Nike Orchard Road store?
My favorite part of the store is the commitment that we are showcasing to serve women. That is important to Nike and the story. The entire ground floor is aimed at serving Her and it shows up as the largest holistic assortment in South-east Asia for women. It also shows up as the Swoosh Studio at the back of the store. We can programme events ranging from one on one to group events that invite her to sport and have her engage in sport. Whether she does sport every day or someone taking her first step into a 5km walk. That’s very exciting.
And then, our women consumers will meet the best in-class team of store athletes who will guide her through that journey. You can also sit a Nike By You station and make it personal to you. All of those things show a massive commitment to showcase Nike as a brand for her and we are looking at this store to really showcase that to Singapore and the region.
Why is retail such an important part of Nike’s strategy?
Retail has always been important and will continue to be so. A brand’s ability to showcase product, service, and environment is very important, and retail allows you to do that. Consumers today have tremendous power and choices, and retail allows you to showcase your brand in a way that educates them, gives them information, and inspires them. In our case, that’s sports. For Nike, retail is more than just a transactional moment. It’s an experience.
What is the magic of Nike that draws people in?
I’ll use Nike Orchard Road as an example. It’s an incredible representation of the intersection between sports, creativity, self-expression, innovation, and game-changing products. We want to bring innovation and inspiration to every athlete.
If you have a body, you’re an athlete. It’s truly our core belief, and any time we interact with consumers, we want them to have that broad and incredible experience.
What are Nike’s plans for Singapore and the region?
This will surprise you. We didn’t build the store just to sell shoes. We built it to connect with consumers and invite them to sport in a bigger way. It will be an ignition point for activities and events, as well as a place to get people excited about sports.
As always, you’ll see us being fun, disruptive, and exciting outside of the store, too. We are paying close attention to South-east Asia, since it is an important region for us. If you live in Singapore, I highly recommend stopping by the store regularly because you never know what you’ll experience the next time you’re here.
You’ll also be excited about the Nike experiences that you’ll soon see in this region. It’s going to be great.
I must ask you about Tiger Woods.
[laughs] How’s your swing these days?
It’s still terrible.
You have the weather to golf all the time, so it’ll get better. I don’t know if I’m giving you the answer that you’re looking for because I oversee retail. But, as a vice president of retail, a 16-year veteran of Nike, and a lifelong fan of Tiger Woods, what I can tell you is that we had an incredible run. Yeah, we love Tiger. He still loves Nike. We still love him. Twenty-seven years is an incredible, incredible run. We are so proud of what he did for the brand and the community beyond golf. He’s a personal hero of mine. And I would say I speak for the brand when I say we all wish him and his family the best of luck in the future.
