Outdoor Industry Association joined the U.S. Commercial Service in hosting several outdoor industry companies at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for a trade mission that introduced American brands to China-based retailers, distributors and other representatives of the outdoor industry in China, OIA reported in its weekly newsletter.
During the four-hour-long meeting, executives from The North Face, Simms Fishing Products, L.L. Bean and REI met with representatives from Gome Sports Company, a division of the massive Gome Group, one of the largest retailers in China, and also with VANCL.com, the largest internet clothing retailer in China, whose sales are expected to triple in 2011, to learn more about their unique model of serving as both retailer and logistics provider all the way through “the last mile” of e-commerce.
OIA member brands also heard from experts from Realone-Sports, a distributor that specializes in bringing outdoor brands into the Chinese market and guiding them through the maze of regulations, permitting and bureaucracies that can be tricky for American businesses starting up in China. Representatives of the Secretariat of China Sporting Goods Federation also provided a presentation and detailed report that forecasts continued growth of 50 percent annually for the outdoor industry in China and analyzes the strength of various retail channels from department stores to specialty outdoor retail and other retail channels.
The presentations at the U.S. Embassy were followed by meetings at the ispo China tradeshow with Sanfo Outdoors, the largest specialty outdoor retailer in China who presented its well-developed network of two dozen stores across the Eastern provinces and spreading into China’s interior and Western provinces. The OIA group was also joined by the China Outdoor Retailer Association (CORA) and several of its members to discuss opportunities for American brands with Chinese specialty outdoor retailers and strategies for growing the outdoor market in China.
OIA also presented the Eco Index during two different sessions at ispo China and would like to thank ispo for its support of the Eco Index presentations. OIA staff also thanks Black Diamond, Keen, Treasure Will, Polartec, Toray, Sudwolle and REI for providing a close-up look at manufacturing operations during the China trip.
OIA is evaluating the potential for similar trade missions to China in the future and how best to match OIA members with distributors and retailers in China. Please contact Alex Boian for more information.
