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Liz Claiborne Sees Juicy Market In China

Juicy Couture, Liz Claiborne's hottest label, has announced that it will open 24 retail stores and 23 shops within other retail stores over the next four years in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the Greater China region. Sales at a Juicy store that opened in May in Japan have exceeded expectations, the company says. China's casual-wear sector is projected to increase an estimated 10 percent each year and reach $58 billion by 2010, according to Kurt Salmon Associates. But so far, KSA analysts say, none of the mid-tier clothing brands that have entered the market have performed exceptionally well. Nina King, Harper's Bazaar China's fashion editor, is also skeptical about Juicy's prospects, saying they are coming late to the market. But Juicy--which is edgy, colorful and expensive--will appeal to Chinese consumers for its "bling appeal," says Tony Bednall, program director at the Raffles Design Institute in Beijing. "It's a young, fashionable kind of market that's very much related to street style--probably the biggest youth style that's around at the moment for people under 30."

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