Furniture store Crate & Barrel to close flagship outlet at Orchard Gateway @ Emerald

SINGAPORE - American furniture and homeware brand Crate & Barrel has announced that it will be closing its flagship store in Singapore.

The outlet at Orchard Gateway @ Emerald, which opened its doors to the public five years ago, will remain in operation till Nov 10. The 25,000 sq ft retail space spans five storeys, from basement 2 to level 3.

With the closure, the American brand will have just one remaining store in Singapore, at Ion Orchard.

In a media statement on Tuesday (Oct 29), Crate & Barrel said consumers here can still head to its boutique store at Ion Orchard to view its collection of furniture, kitchenware and other home accessory options. It added that its e-commerce site, which was launched in July last year, will also remain in operation.

Crate & Barrel's announcement of closure comes after department store Metro shut down its flagship store at The Centrepoint in September, amid a retail slowdown.

However, Crate & Barrel maintains a positive outlook on the brand's future.

It said in the statement that it is considering overseas expansion into Malaysia, both on their e-commerce site and a brick-and-mortar store.

"(This) will help increase our brand visibility and representation in today's retail marketplace, specifically in the South-east Asia region," the store added.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.