- by admin
SINGAPORE – Shoe retailer Foot Locker has temporarily closed its Orchard Gateway @ Emerald outlet after large crowds gathered on Friday (Dec 4) evening, prompting an investigation by the authorities.
The crowds had gathered apparently for Saturday’s release of the limited-edition Adidas sneaker, an item that can fetch a tidy profit on the secondary market due to high demand. CopyAMP code
A Foot Locker spokesman told The Straits Times on Saturday that it will not be hosting any in-store events this weekend.
“We take the issues of crowding seriously and are continuing to work diligently and proactively to maintain safe distance for all of our shoppers and staff members.
“We will continue to enforce restrictions on maximum occupancy for all of our stores according to the guidelines set forth by local authorities,” said the spokesman.
When ST visited the footwear store at around 10am on Saturday, there were no crowds.
Security officers were seen advising some members of the public waiting outside the store that the sneaker launch had been cancelled.
On Friday, photos circulated on social media showed a crowd of around 100 people packed shoulder to shoulder outside the footwear store at about 8pm.
The crowds dispersed shortly after 8.30pm after safe distancing ambassadors and police officers arrived.
Adidas’ Yeezy sneaker line, the product of a collaboration between rapper Kanye West and the sports shoe brand, drew large crowds in Singapore and abroad during past launches.
Adidas Singapore had held an online ballot for Saturday’s limited release, but many sneaker aficionados who missed out appeared to have wanted to try their luck at Foot Locker, given the high resale value of the shoes.
Last June, the launch of the limited-edition Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V created a long queue lasting many hours before the release at Foot Locker’s Jewel Changi Airport outlet.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.