Yoga Clothing Brand Lululemon Enters China'S Market

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The brand already has 7 "showrooms" in Asia, 4 in Hongkong, 2 in Singapore, and one in Shanghai, where employees communicate with customers, organize stage activities, and sell limited brands, including clothing and yoga mats.

Lee said that the repercussions of these showrooms were very strong, so the brand decided to open the first full store in Asia, and it will open in Hongkong or Singapore by the end of this year.

The company is also committed to launching the Chinese version website in mid 2015.

After the launch of the Chinese website, Lee hopes to be able to enter Tmall mall of Alibaba.

"International expansion is a relatively new idea for companies.

We are reinventing ourselves as a truly global company, "Lee said of the Canada Company's four year internationalization strategy.

"We have 300 stores in North America.

A store in North America is located in London. "

Lee also said that the feasibility study of Japan and South Korea is under way, but the company is focusing on opening its stores in China.

Although he declined to disclose sales, he said Lululemon's sales in China had potential to reach two times that of US sales.

He added that the typical customer base in China is a career woman aged 25 to 40.

Lee has worked on brands such as Fossil, Coach and Adidas and joined Lululemon in February.

He said Lululemon will open second commodity showrooms in Shanghai mall in Nanjing West Road, Shanghai this month.

The company is preparing to open a product exhibition hall in Beijing some time next year.

"Sales are not the main objective of the showroom. It is actually testing water for our products and culture," said Lee, a three athlete.

"This is not a rush for success.

I want to open 2000 stores in two years.

We want to make sure that what we do is right and beneficial to the company. "

Asian customers responded enthusiastically to Lululemon's actions. The company invited 100 people to participate in the event earlier this year at the city's shopping mall in Orchard Road, Singapore, but there were 1000 people there, Lee recalled.

The exhibition hall offers limited merchandise choices, including T-shirts, vests, shorts and yoga pants. Customers who visit the exhibition hall are disappointed because of the incomplete commodity category, Lee admitted.

However, customers can order a full range of products from the US brand or Hongkong website.

According to the unofficial estimates of Matthew Crabbe of Mintel Group Ltd., there are about 10 million people practicing yoga in China.

"Yoga has been resurgence in China recently. I think this is because many consumers are looking for a healthier lifestyle.

The middle class pursues the so-called "bourgeois + Bohemian" lifestyle, that is, the concept of BOBO is prevalent, and more and more people want to avoid fierce competition, "Crabbe said.

Yin Yan, founder of China's "Ji Yuga" club, said that the development of yoga industry in China is 3 times faster than that in the United States.

She is very optimistic about foreign brands like Lululemon, of course, if the marketing of these companies is well done.

"Before, I think there is no difference between Chinese yoga clothes and clothes of fitness clubs.

But now, two years later, yoga clothes have become very beautiful, "Yin Yan explained." when she opened her studio 10 years ago, people who came to practice often wore sportswear or traditional Chinese Tai chi clothing.

"Members of the age of 40 do not care about fashion. They only want to dress comfortably, while those who are 26 to 35 years old are very fashionable."

Lee believes that yoga is becoming a way for the middle class in China to find ways to satisfy their spiritual life outside material life, slow down the pace of life and balance the focus of life.

Lululemon in China is facing a large number of competition from international giants like Nike and didAs and Chinese local sports brands:

HOSA, the Chinese sports brand, considers itself one of the leading Chinese Yoga sportswear.

Lining, the Chinese sportswear giant, launched the Yoga Series in 2009, and joined the designer Vivienne Tam to create a special edition of the 2012 spring Yoga series.

Pure is one of the largest and oldest yoga studios in Hongkong. In October last year, it opened a branch in Shanghai and introduced its yoga products to mainland China.

Taiwan brand Easyoga also entered the mainland market as early as 2008.

But Lee believes that the combination of high-end fabrics, exquisite design and functional Lululemon products will stand out among the big tycoons.

He said the company is considering customizing products based on Asian tastes, using colorful fabrics and avant-garde designs.

The company has also strengthened quality control checks and measures to meet very picky Asian consumers.

"Competition in the market is becoming more and more intense, and other participants are getting smarter.

When we enter the market, we must make sure that we do not have any arrogance, "Lee said.

In terms of quality, Lululemon is facing a turbulent period, the most notable is a perspective of the yoga pants series recall, which led to a sharp decline in its share price, the replacement of senior personnel and the founder of Chip Wilson reputation damage.

Lee said that the company is dealing with past mistakes, but hopes that the new team formed in November last year, including CEO Laurent Potdevin, chief product officer Tara Poseley and herself, will be able to drive the development of the company.

"Every company I worked for, even when I was working at Coach, had some adjustment, because our development was so fast that if we made a mistake, we would reshape the company," Lee said.