The world's leading luxury brand, Louis Vuitton Malletier, will
open three new stores in China this year, company officials said in
Beijing recently.
The stores will be located in Chengdu, Wenzhou and Shenyang.
"Wenzhou and Shenyang are new cities for us," said Christopher
Zanardi-Landi, chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton China.
He told China Daily that the firm plans to expand to an
average of two new cities each year in the country.
The company has seen big increases both in the nation's buying
power and the number of people who can afford to buy its products.
Its Chinese customers have already become the firm's third-largest
consumer group in the world, after Japan and the United States,
Zanardi-Landi said during the re-opening ceremony of the company's
oldest store in China.
The store was first opened at Beijing's Peninsula Palace Hotel
in 1992. It has been refurbished twice over the past 14 years; the
store's new look aims to provide a more luxurious and spacious
shopping experience for customers, with a greater range of
products.
The company gave no sales figures, but Louis Vuitton executives
said its China operations have been profitable since 1992.
"We have never lost any money in any store in China,"
Zanardi-Landi said.
"We have been giving huge attention to the market, and more and
more Chinese customers are able to see and appreciate the detail of
Louis Vuitton products and services."
Zanardi-Landi added that the company aims to expand further in
the future.
"We want to make sure that the stores we have now are achieving
their best. On top of that, we will look for other investment
opportunities," he said.
Zanardi-Landi also said the firm has put major effort into
fighting counterfeits. "We have zero tolerance to it (fakes), just
like all other luxury brands. We are working closely with the
authorities to tackle the problem."
Late last month, the Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court
handed down a preliminary ruling ordering a Shanghai outlet of
French retailer Carrefour to pay 300,000 yuan (US$37,500) to Louis
Vuitton's parent company, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, for selling
fake Louis Vuitton bags.
In another case, the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court
ruled that Chaowai Men's Department Store had violated the Louis
Vuitton trademark. The court awarded the French firm 150,000 yuan
(US$18,500) in its suit against the store, which was selling fake
Louis Vuitton handbags.
(China Daily May 14, 2006)