Solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the industry, Apex Footwear Limited recently earned three awards at the Retail Asia Awards 2026, marking its third consecutive year of recognition at the prestigious event. This year, the company won honors in the ‘AI Initiative of the Year’, ‘Footwear Retailer of the Year’, and ‘Sustainability Initiative of the Year’ categories.
The Retail Asia Awards is an annual event organized by Charlton Media Group that recognizes outstanding retail achievements, technological innovation, and industry leadership across the Asia-Pacific region. The 2026 awards ceremony was held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, bringing together leading retailers and brands from across the region.
Apex had previously secured the ‘Footwear Retailer of the Year’ and ‘Sustainability Initiative of the Year’ titles for two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025, underscoring its sustained excellence in these fields. In the 2026 edition of the awards, the company also received the ‘AI Initiative of the Year’ accolade, adding a new category to its list of honors.
This achievement places Apex among a distinguished group of internationally recognized brands that were also honored at the Retail Asia Awards 2026, including 7-Eleven Singapore, Birkenstock South East Asia Pte Ltd, IKEA Hong Kong, MR.DIY, and Watsons Singapore.
Apex was evaluated through a rigorous judging process by industry leaders from EY-Parthenon, Euromonitor International, KPMG, RSM Singapore, Kearney, and PwC Australia, among others.
Firoze Mohammad, Chief Executive Officer of Apex, received the awards on behalf of the brand at the ceremony in Singapore. Md. Raihan Kabir, Head of Marketing, and Arbabur Rahman, Head of Retail Business, were also present at the event.
Central to the recent win was the Eid launch of Apex AI Stylist, marking a milestone deployment of AI in Bangladesh's retail sector. The digital tool recorded over 83,000 sessions and generated nearly 390,000 recommendations for users. This ecosystem helped fulfill approximately 9,500 digital orders with a 90.4% Customer Satisfaction Score, generating approximately $19.1 million in sales and driving a 7.5% year-on-year growth.
“Proudly Bangladeshi, globally recognized. For three consecutive years, Retail Asia has honoured Apex – Footwear Retailer, Sustainability, and now AI Initiative of the Year. These awards belong to every Apexian and every customer who believed that Bangladeshi quality can stand tall on the global stage. Thank you for walking with us, year after year,” remarked Firoze Mohammad, CEO of Apex Footwear Ltd.
On the sustainability front, Apex pioneered eco-efficiency measures by saving 4.6 million liters of groundwater annually through rainwater harvesting and operating the country’s only full-phase LWG Gold-certified Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). By integrating solar energy and recycling 451 tons of waste via a PET-to-Product circular economy, Apex cut CO₂ emissions by 2,507.20 tons this past year.
Complementing these industrial and digital milestones is Apex’s unparalleled physical market presence. Headlined by a $5.45 million revenue milestone during the Founder’s Day 2025 event, Apex’s retail network now exceeds 500 stores nationwide.
Backed by a strategic marketing reach of 32 million people during Eid, this expansive retail ecosystem caters to over 7 million shoppers, with 5.8 million registered loyalty consumers maintaining a remarkable 57% repeat purchase rate, further solidifying Apex’s industry leadership.
