EXCLUSIVE: Filipino perfume brand opens third Singapore store, eyes expansions beyond Asia

Ian Darcy builds on its 228 PH locations.

Filipino perfume brand Ian Darcy is using Singapore as a springboard for further international expansion, opening its third branch in the city-state just over a year after entering the market.

The company opened its first Singapore store at Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road in April 2025, followed by its second branch at Lot One Mall on March 25, 2026. Its third location opened at Junction 8 Mall in Bishan in June.

All three Singapore locations are inside malls, mirroring Ian Darcy’s retail strategy in the Philippines, where the brand has built a network of 228 locations. Unlike the first two, which are full stores, the latest addition uses a kiosk format, following a model that Ian Darcy commonly uses in the Philippines.

radar Business was exclusively at the launch of the Junction 8 location, which was a relatively simple affair focused on stocking up inventory and introducing the brand to customers in the area.

Filipinos who were already familiar with Ian Darcy came to the opening, but the company is also looking to attract Singapore customers who have never heard of the Filipino brand, widening its potential market beyond Filipinos living or working in the city-state.

But taking the business abroad has also forced Ian Darcy to rethink how it operates. The company said that the high cost of retail labor overseas is one of its biggest challenges, requiring it to run leaner than it does in the Philippines.

“In the Philippines, you can afford a slightly higher floor headcount to ensure high-touch service,” Ian Darcy told radar.

In Singapore, higher wages mean each employee has to contribute more directly to sales. Ian Darcy said every headcount must be optimized for maximum sales conversion per hour.

Overseas expansion is moving the brand beyond being a “successful local favorite” toward becoming a legitimate regional player with a scalable, multi-market growth engine, the company said.

With three mall locations now operating in Singapore, Ian Darcy is taking a retail model it has built at scale in the Philippines and testing how far it can travel beyond the domestic market.

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