Metro (Private) Limited wins double honours at Retail Asia Awards 2026

The retailer reimagined the department store experience through immersive concepts, strategic partnerships, and digital-first retail solutions.

Metro (Private) Limited has been recognised with two accolades at the Retail Asia Awards 2026, winning Department Store of the Year - Singapore and Brand Transformation of the Year - Singapore. The honours reflect Metro’s successful reinvention of the traditional department store model into an experience-led House-of-Concepts, anchored in retail storytelling, curated partnerships, and omnichannel innovation.

Amidst margin pressures and softer consumer sentiment, Metro embarked on a bold transformation strategy in 2025 to strengthen its relevance in Singapore’s evolving retail landscape. By combining experiential concepts with strategic global alliances, the retailer refreshed its market positioning and reinforced confidence in its retail strategy, with company shares increasing 6% following news of the retail strategy revamp.

At the centre of this transformation was a new generation of experiential retail concepts designed to deepen customer discovery and engagement. Metro introduced MINIMUSE, positioned as Singapore’s first paid beauty sampling concept, enabling shoppers to explore and trial products at accessible price points whilst offering return incentives that encourage long-term engagement. The retailer also launched SLEEPLAB, a holistic sleep experience that brings together bedding, scents, and technology within a multi-sensory environment featuring a 60.72-metre Samsung LED immersive display.

Metro further expanded product discovery through collaborations with international brands and agencies. A strategic partnership with Shinsegae International introduced exclusive Korean fashion and beauty experiences to Singapore, whilst pop-ups such as Metro x LAYER and Metro x Seoul Business Agency gave shoppers access to more than 30 new brands within curated retail spaces. These partnerships generated more than 500,000 social impressions and attracted over 200 distinguished guests, industry influencers, and media representatives across major launch events.

Beyond physical retail, Metro accelerated its omnichannel capabilities through a suite of digital innovations. The launch of Metro Online 3.0 strengthened integration across digital and physical touchpoints, with AI-enabled support and smoother navigation designed to create a more seamless customer journey.

In-store efficiency was also enhanced through the deployment of Mobile POS, empowering staff to provide personalised assistance and queue-free checkout anywhere on the shop floor. This reduced wait times, improved service responsiveness, and supported stronger sales engagement. Metro also partnered with dtcpay to offer stablecoin payment options, giving customers greater flexibility and security at checkout.

To strengthen customer loyalty, Metro reimagined its Treasured by Metro programme into a more holistic ecosystem that rewards both purchases and engagement behaviours. The refreshed programme supports deeper personalisation, encourages repeat visits, and complements the retailer’s modular House-of-Concepts model, providing a scalable foundation for future omnichannel growth across different store formats.

The Retail Asia Awards celebrates excellence, innovation, and leadership across the Asia Pacific retail industry. The programme serves as a benchmark for success, honouring companies and individuals that are shaping the future of retail through bold strategies, customer-centric innovation, and measurable business impact.

 The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Marni Marco at [email protected].