Lining's Ultimate Goal Is To Become A Global Brand.

　　 In 2009, sales volume is expected to exceed international sporting goods giant. Nike After becoming the first sporting goods brand in China, Lining (02331.HK) began to have more courage to enter Nike's stronghold. red flag "

A few days ago, Lining opened the first store in the United States in Portland (Portland) low-key business, analysts said that this means that Lining in the Chinese market sales over Nike, began to extend the battlefield to Nike's "stronghold" of the U.S. market.

A person familiar with the Li Ning Co told the first financial daily that Lining's first store in the United States was officially opened in January 5th this year. The store mainly sells several kinds of products, including basketball, badminton and Chinese Kung Fu series, which are newly developed by Li Ning Co. Chinese Kung Fu products are not sold in China, and they are all transported to the United States by domestic manufacturers, and the employees of the stores are recruited locally. Whether the sale price of American stores is in line with that in China and the latest week's sales performance remains unknown.

The source of the first store was selected in Portland, first of all because the Lining R & D center established in 2008 is also here. The number of employees in the R & D center has increased to 20~30 people, and is familiar with the local environment. The store and R & D center are similar to the "upstairs, downstairs" relationship. They can take care of each other. Besides, Portland footwear designers and marketing and creative companies are gathered. In the place where the latest fashion of international sporting goods is born, the Lining store can play a role of display.

In fact, Portland is also the location of Nike's R & D base, which is not far away from Nike headquarters BEAVERTON. With the research and development center set up by Lining, the war between Lining and Nike has been burned to the door of the latter one by one.

Insiders praised Lining's move to enter the US market. He thought that the annual sales volume of Lining in 2009 will increase by more than 25% compared with 2008, and it is expected to reach 8 billion 300 million yuan. In 2009, Nike's sales revenue in the Chinese market was about 1 billion 100 million dollars, that is, 7 billion ~80 billion yuan. Lining basically became the leader of the domestic sporting goods market, and the original boss Nike and second brother Adidas would rearrange the seating capacity.

Lining's sharp advance in the domestic market laid the foundation for its going to the international market. Insiders said that the battle between Lining and Nike turned out to be the opening of stores in the United States at the door of their own homes, which meant that "war" started on Nike's territory. People close to Li Ning Co said to reporters that the first store is a test shop. Once the test is successful, more stores will be opened in the United States.

The pace of Lining's internationalization is not limited to the United States. In 2009, when Lining spent 165 million yuan to buy the badminton brand Kaisheng, he began to enter the Southeast Asian market. The industry said that Lining has established dozens of stores, not only selling badminton clothing, footwear and accessories, but also selling badminton equipment, plus the previously acquired Double Happiness Table Tennis equipment.

Lining's profit source is more secure from sports products to sports equipment and international market.

Prior to that, Zhang Zhiyong, chief executive of Li Ning Co, once said that Lining's ultimate goal is to make global brands and enter the international market.