ulture Kings appoints new US president, ahead of Las Vegas flagship Australian streetwear retailer Culture Kings has appointed a US president as the company counts down to the opening of a Las Vegas flagship at the end of this year. Jonathan Yuska will take over the brand’s US division and report to Simon Beard, CEO and co-founder of Culture Kings. He has more than 20 years of creative leadership experience across a number of sports retailers including Adidas, Reebok and Fila. “Culture Kings is a leading streetwear lifestyle brand that uniquely blends sports, music and fashion unlike anyone else. I am confident that the brand has a tremendous runway of growth ahead in the US market,” said Yuska. The label’s first US store will be located in Forum Shops at Caesars, Las Vegas. The business blends in-store gamification with a nightclub vibe and promotes events. At the moment, it operates eight experiential stores in Australia and New Zealand. On its website, Culture Kings says the upcoming store will “set an entirely new level of the world famous Culture Kings streetwear experience”. “Setting the peak for retail spaces worldwide with a mind-blowing futuristic aesthetic and filled with the most sought-after and exclusive streetwear pieces, Culture Kings [will be] a ‘must visit’ for streetwear fans, retail shoppers, tourists, celebrities, artists and athletes from around the world.” Meanwhile, Beard welcomed Yuska and added that he will be “instrumental” in scaling the business into a formidable streetwear lifestyle brand globally. Levi Strauss appoints new South Asia leader Amisha Jain has been named as Levi Strauss’ new senior VP and MD of South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA).  Jain replaces previous VP Sanjeev Mohanty, who is now Levi Strauss & Co’s senior VP and MD of the US and Canada. Jain will be in charge of the company’s operations in SAMEA, as well as its growth and success in Asia and around the world. The new VP has more than 20 years of experience in physical, digital, consumer goods, and technology retail. She was previously the CEO of Zivame, an Indian intimate-wear brand and platform, where she was known as a transformational leader and turnaround specialist. She also held roles across multiple functions including sales, operations and strategy at organisations like McKinsey & Company, Nike and Arvind Group at the starting stage of her career.  “Amisha’s years leading digital and physical retail businesses, her track record of delivering results while connecting with consumers and her passion for innovation is a combination that will set our SAMEA cluster up for accelerated growth,” said Seth Ellison, executive VP and chief commercial officer at Levi Strauss & Co. Shopee culls staff across SE Asia, Europe Sea Group-owned e-commerce giant, Shopee, is laying off staff across several markets, including downsizing ShopeeFood and ShopeePay teams in Southeast Asia. It is not evident which countries will be most impacted by the decision, however, staff cuts have been confirmed in Vietnam and Indonesia. Two sources told DealStreetAsia that nearly half the number of staff of Shopee Thailand’s payment and food delivery arms have been affected. The company is reported to have emailed staff impacted by downsizing, suspending its recruiting process and several job offers for regional positions have been rescinded.  The layoffs are reported to result from the increasing inflation and high interest rates, which have forced the company to “rationalise its e-commerce business”.  The Southeast Asian firm also plans to shutter its early-stage operations in Spain, after exiting France and India last March. The Indian withdrawal came after the government imposed a ban on Sea Group’s ‘Garena Free Fire’ game together with 53 Chinese apps. However, the company said the shutdown was due to “global market uncertainties”.