Lining: Gymnastics Prince Successfully Pformed Into Entrepreneur

It can buy Chinese made in the United States, and now it can buy Chinese brand in the United States - Lining.

At the beginning of the new year, Lining's store opened in the United States.

After Lining's sales in China exceeded Nike, Lining, as a domestic brand, has begun to enter the United States in a low-key manner to the originator of sports brand.

Lining is no longer a simple name, it is becoming a sign of global expansion of Chinese sports brand.

It is not the boss Lining who can integrate the name and card into one.

I am an entrepreneur.

I am an entrepreneur with 14 years of business history. Please stop treating me as a star idol.

When the old prince of gymnastics stood back in front of the stage, he was not only the gymnast prince who had 106 gold medals, but also a lot of identity -- chairman of Hong Kong listed companies Lining sporting goods Co., Ltd.

In the past, Lining, an energetic athlete, had already pformed into a businessman with white faces and vicissitudes.

Born in 1963, Lining, a teacher's family in Liuzhou, Guangxi, began gymnastics exercises at the age of 7. When he was 17, he entered the national gymnastics team. Since 1981, Lining, 18 years old, has won the championship in three competitions of men's floor exercise, pommel horse and hoisting rings in the World University Games. The gymnastic circles entered the age of Lining. He began to be praised as the prince of gymnastics. From 1970, gymnastics began to retire in 1988. Lining's 18 year athletic career won 106 gold medals in major gymnastic competitions both at home and abroad. In 1999, he was chosen as the best athlete in the world in the name of boxing champion Ali, Bailey and flying guy Jordan, whose name has become a gold lettered sign with double value.

After leaving the arena, Lining, who was as confused as other athletes, had thought of running a sports school. But his coach Li Jingwei warned him that he must have the backing of the economy. This is a stable and long-term development idea and he must rely on the economy to develop sports.

Thus, under the guidance of coach Li Jingwei, Lining began to enter the business world.

In May 1989, Lining first joined the Jianlibao company, mainly in charge of public relations publicity, market planning and organizing campaign.

Li Jingwei once had such an evaluation of Lining: Lining is an athlete, he does not know the economy.

To Jianli Bao, I threw him in the swimming pool and let him learn it himself.

Lining is young, intelligent and good personality. He can learn to swim.

I'm just looking at the shore and being a lifeguard. When I can't do it, I'll stretch out my hand again.

Then I let go and look again.

Several times down, Lining would swim better than me, more than me.

Soon after, Lining, a self established businessman, went through a series of business experience, and gradually developed his company from a family oriented company to a more reasonable and scientific mass company.

In June 28, 2004, Lining shares were officially listed on the main board of Hongkong.

As the first domestic sporting goods brand listed in Hongkong, the opening price increased by 8% on the opening day. The number of public offering in Hongkong was 132.2 times the total number of tentatively issued shares, and the international placement also had an over subscription of about 11 times. Lining shares were sought after by the capital market.

It is estimated that its value has exceeded 1 billion 600 million.

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Anything is possible

"Everything is possible" can be said to be the loudest of Lining's brand.

In 1995, Li Ning Co became the leader of the sporting goods industry in China. In 2005, Li Ning Co continued to maintain its leading position in the industry and its sales reached a new high. In December 30, 2008, in the "2008 world brand value laboratory annual award" award held by the world's brand value research organization, the world brand value laboratory, "Lining" won the "China's most competitive brand list" by virtue of good brand impression and brand vitality, and won widespread praise from consumers.

In recent years, Lining, whose business is thriving, has not only focused on the US market, but also focused on the increasingly prosperous online shopping market.

In this regard, Li Ning Co director of e-commerce department, Lin Li said that the company's official online shopping channel's comprehensive operation is an effective support for the company's overall operation system. Cooperation with Taobao can best reflect the company's overall consumer oriented and market oriented service status, and will further consolidate the diversified brand service consumer's operation mode.

Zhang Yong, head of Taobao CFO and its mall, also said: "Li Ning Co is the first key partner. It can be said that the two sides are working hand in hand to develop together.

Based on the valuable experience gained by Li Ning Co in the field of electronic commerce and consistent good cooperation, I am confident that the new red double happiness brand and the official flagship store of the "Lotto" brand will have a bright future.

In the global market business, it is reported that in January 5th this year, Lining, the first store in the United States, started a low-key operation in Portland. The store mainly sells several kinds of products, such as basketball, badminton and Chinese Kung Fu series developed by Li Ning Co. Chinese Kung Fu series products are not sold in China, all of them are shipped from the domestic manufacture to the United States, and the employees of the stores are recruited locally.

Many industry sources said that this is Lining after the Chinese market sales exceeded Nike, began to extend the battlefield to Nike's "stronghold" American market.

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. At present, he has established dozens of stores, not only selling badminton clothes, shoes and accessories, but also selling badminton equipment.

Lining's ultimate goal is to make global brands, Li Ning Co chief executive Zhang Zhiyong said.

From imitation to originality

Nike has always been China and the world.

Is it possible? Anything is possible.

After successful imitation of Nike, Lining managed to find a breakthrough.

It has been said that Lining looked at the brand and marketing of Nike Institute in the early days, but it was beyond Nike because of localization and excellent creative planning.

In 1990, Lining founded his own company in Sanshui, Guangdong.

Although it is "follow the example", but at the beginning of its creation, Lining's strategy was different from other domestic sports brands. He paid great attention to brand marketing, and clearly positioned himself as a brand management company, and spent all his energy on brand management.

As a top athlete in the world, Lining's brand has been closely linked with Chinese gymnastics and Chinese sports from the very beginning, and he has made full use of his reputation.

The company has just started working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee, and has spared no efforts to sponsor various events and gradually set up a brand image on the athletic field.

The imitation of brand marketing is not sustainable, such as the marketing way of "celebrity endorsement" and the capital mode of "light asset operation" itself can easily be duplicated.

If we want to have long-term development power and advantage, we should not neglect the ability to plan creativity.

Some analysts pointed out that although the famous brand such as Nike or Adidas has better external resources than Lining, such as having the best sports resources in the world and the resources of marketing advertising companies, the planning creativity ability of Li Ning Co is not to be underestimated. Lining himself also stresses this ability very much.

It is one of the success to win the hearts of the people.