Alberto Lusana, CEO of Tod's Korea, visited Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch in Seoul on the 13th to review the Italian luxury brand's strategy in the Korean market and gauge the mood on the ground. The visit comes as Tod's accelerates a broader overhaul by expanding its bag and apparel lineups, reaffirming Korea as a key hub for Asian trends and stepping up hands-on management.
Lusana toured the Tod's pop-up store "Autunno Italiano," set up on the first floor of the Gangnam branch, observing customer reactions and store layout. The pop-up showcases the brand's new fall/winter collection and main lineups and runs through the 23rd of this month.
Speaking to The Seoul Economic Daily, Lusana emphasized the diversification of Tod's product categories into bags and apparel and the growth in those segments amid recent changes to the brand's product strategy. "Sales of bags and apparel are now far larger than those of shoes," Lusana said, adding that "diversifying product categories is part of our global strategy." Tod's has built its competitiveness around signature items such as the "Gommino" driving shoe, and has recently strengthened its bag and ready-to-wear (RTW) lines, including the "Di Bag" and the "T Timeless" collection.
Lusana also expressed optimism about the Korean market. Naming Korea as one of Asia's major markets, the CEO stressed that "the power of K-culture, including K-pop, is extremely strong." Korea "is a market we cannot ignore because it sits at the center of global trends," Lusana said. Tod's has expanded its global marketing by naming Han, a member of the idol group Stray Kids, as a global ambassador in June.
Meanwhile, Tod's Korea posted revenue of 44.79 billion won last year, down 3.5% from 46.41 billion won a year earlier. Over the same period, operating profit rose 29.9% year-on-year to 149.93 million won, helped by a larger share of high-value-added products.
