Case Study: 3 New Market Expansion & 47 New Store Openings
Company: US-Based Luxury Fashion Brand
Timeline: 2013–2024
Role: Senior Regional IT Manager / Senior Program Manager
Regions: Spain, Australia, Macau, China, Hong Kong, Singapore
Overview
Supported the brand’s international expansion by managing IT readiness for new market entries and new store openings across Asia-Pacific and Europe. Coordinated system setup, infrastructure, and vendor delivery to ensure smooth and on-time launches in newly entered countries and new retail locations.
Key initiative areas included:
New Market Entry:
Spain: Opened 5 stores in 2024
Australia: Opened first store in 2018
Macau: Opened first store in 2015
Acted as IT Project Manager coordinating country setup with vendors, global teams, regional teams, and brand stakeholders
New store opening:
Opened 47 new stores across China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, and Singapore
Delivered POS configuration, network validation, payment terminal setup, infrastructure readiness and onsite go-live support
Scope & Responsibilities
Developed and managed project plans, schedules, reporting, and stakeholder communication
Coordinated delivery across vendors, logistics teams, global IT, regional IT, and support partners
Gathered business and operational requirements with retail and store leadership
Managed SIT, UAT, training, pilots and cutover
Provided go-live support and transitioned stores successfully to BAU support teams
Tools & Technologies
POS: Aptos
Payment Terminals: Adyen / Verifone
Devices: iPad, iPhone, iPod, POS Registers, Laptops
Platforms: Windows, Intune (MDM)
PM Tools: Microsoft Teams, Jira, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Key Challenges & Solutions
Late business confirmation on expansion timelines: Began pre-work early and identified tasks that could run in parallel to accelerate schedule
Language and communication barriers in non-English markets: Allowed additional cycles for clarification and arranged translation support where needed
Post-opening incidents: Closely monitored with support teams and stores to resolve issues rapidly and stabilise operations
Results & Business Impact
Enabled smooth entry into new international markets
Delivered on-time, structured and issue-free store openings
Strengthened global retail infrastructure for continued growth
Ensured operational readiness from Day 1 with POS, network and payment systems active and stable
