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The economic fallout badly affected the firm as it had expanded into teen products such as a skating rink and pubs.

Domon had to shoulder a massive debt during the downturn and it was forced to shut down half its 60 branches.

To raise cash, it offered steep discounts on all its brand garments for five years, before it cleared all its debts.

 The firm decided to stay low for another five years as the industry faced fierce competition from many new brands.

It used this period to reorganise its business plan and formed a new strategy.

At its peak, the firm was able to sell Bt200 million a year.

With the relaunch, it expects to make a comeback with its brands and expand its customer base to include teen shoppers.

Domon's business development manager, Busaba Watanaharuetai expects 20 per cent sales growth by year-end from the Bt100-million income earned last year,

She said it was ready to start serious marketing again by bringing back its brands even though the market is experiencing a challenging period - spending Bt10 million on marketing and renovation of 30 outlets. It also wants to open seven new branches.

The firm also plans to rejuvenate its "Domon Man model search" competition.

In the first half of this year, Domon recorded a 5-per-cent drop in sales due to a sluggish business climate and a weak retail season.

Busaba said the company expects it can pull out of the downturn because it had gained much experience from the last crisis.

Foreign visitors spend between Bt10,000 and Bt15,000 per shopping trip while locals tend to spend between Bt2,000 and Bt3,000.