Skechers USA Inc. said that it recently held its first national sales conference in China with its joint venture partner Luen Thai Enterprises, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with investments in various industries in Asia, North America and the Pacific Region. The three-day conference was held during the last week of March in Guangzhou, the nerve center of commercial and trade activities in the country's booming Southern region of Guangdong.
The conference also heralded the official entry of Skechers into the China market. Guangzhou is the headquarters of Skechers in China, and company-owned flagship stores are already being established in major fashion cities across the country — specifically Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
“Skechers was born out of the passion that we all have for the footwear business,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers and Chairman of SKECHERS China Limited, to an audience of more than 100 department store owners, mall operators and other franchisees. “It is this passion that will ensure the success of Skechers in China.”
Skechers said Willie Tan, CEO of the joint venture, led the management team in securing the trust of partners and vendors by emphasizing the solid and capable background of the joint venture companies Luen Thai Enterprises and Skechers.
Tan said: “Our experience in the China market and long business heritage in the country will propel Skechers to reach its target market. At Skechers, we have great products as well as the vision, passion and the commitment of the people. With Skechers, you can rely on strong infrastructure, systems support, world class marketing and positioning programs and highly experienced people to reach our target customers.”
At the close of the conference, Greenberg commented: “This is a first-class way to launch a brand in a country with so much opportunity, and it is exciting to see so many key accounts here and to have them hungry for a lifestyle brand such as Skechers. The success of the event is evident in the enthusiasm of all here, as well as in the number of orders and inquiries made on the spot.”
