Once a crowd puller, Seek Singapore at ION Orchard has closed its doors amid growing competition.
The future of physical retail stores has been called into question again. Retail in Singapore is a tough game and homegrown sneaker stores face stiff competition with the entrance of international players like JD Sports and Foot Locker. It is in this climate that Seek Singapore has decided to bow out of ION Orchard.
In an Instagram announcement posted today, Seek wrote, “Seek Singapore would be closing our ION Orchard store in anticipation of a coming new chapter. It’s not Goodbye, rather a See you again soon! In the meanwhile, you may continue to shop with us online at www.seekofficial.com.”
While unfortunate, it comes as no surprise that Seek has decided to call it a day at ION Orchard. The fact that JD Sports opened a multi-unit store next door in August last year certainly did Seek no favors.
No word yet as to what Seek has planned for Singapore going forward, but you can continue to shop from the store online. Meanwhile, here’s a look at the five things we’ll miss about Seek.
Miss: good selection of brands
The beauty of Seek’s concept store comes from the small selection of brands that it carries. The store stocked brands such as Champion, Fila, Cozy, and Carhartt WIP, which seemed to go hand-in-hand with its street cool vibes.
Never forget: cool events
Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of noteworthy events at Seek – not least the most recent Chinatown Market collection launch in November 2018. The store brought CTM’s crew, including founder Mike Cherman, to Singapore for a custom session with the famous print gun. The best part? It was open to the public. The sneaker and streetwear community turned up in droves.
Miss: Sole Brother
That’s right, we’ll miss Seek’s sibling store stocking kicks and apparel at “bro prices”. Besides, what’s there not to love about a sneaker store that’s always on sale?
Never forget: Carhartt WIP’s comeback in Singapore
The news of a comeback for Carhartt WIP in Singapore was a much-celebrated affair after years of absence. Thanks to Seek, we saw the veteran streetwear brand and its quality garments return to a physical store here.
Miss: one less sneaker store to cop the latest kicks
For sneakerheads, there’s never too many stores to cop kicks. Other than the healthy selection of sneakers available ranging from lifestyle to sport, we’ll never forget the series of drops titled #SeekSaturjays; perhaps one of the most interesting series of Air Jordan releases we experienced last year.
What are your thoughts on Seek Singapore closing its store? Do you think there’s more to come? Leave a comment below.
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