Anita Davis
Jul 23, 2009

Li Ning opens first flagship store outside China

SINGAPORE - Chinese sportswear brand Li Ning will bank on badminton as its vehicle for expansion outside the mainland, announcing its plan to launch 70 to 100 retail stores in Southeast Asia, including a themed flagship shop in Singapore's ION Orchard mall.

Li Ning opens first flagship store outside China
Li Ning’s CFO Nicholas Chong said the expansion “laid a solid foundation for the group's expansion into the overseas market”.

According to the company, Li Ning’s Singapore store, which opened on Tuesday, is a “badminton paradise” that focuses on the sport’s equipment and its maintenance.

It is the first flagship store to be opened outside China and precedes dozens of other new stores expected to be launched in Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia by the end of the year.

The news comes at the same time as Li Ning unveiled a sponsorship deal with Singapore’s national badminton team, giving Li Ning the right to clothe the professional players.

According to local reports, the initiative is part of Li Ning’s S$1 million (US$693,866) endorsement plan in the market for 2009, which includes the sponsorship of tournaments later in the year and the possibility of sponsoring the Singaporean table tennis team.

Reports add that additional pending deals would amount to a S$9 million ($6.24 million) investment over the next four years.

“The decision to launch our first Li Ning flagship store out of China, in cosmopolitan Singapore, is an important step of the group's strategy in sports category differentiation and brand internationalisation,” said Chong in a release. “Badminton is a popular, prevalent and influential sport in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Expansion into this market not only shows our determination to become the sports brand synonymous with badminton, it also lays a solid foundation for the group's expansion into overseas markets.”

Li Ning currently sponsors China’s national badminton team and several tournaments in the country.

For more on Asia’s sportswear market, see the current MediaTV series ‘The Olympic effect’, including interviews with Reebok  and adidas.

Related Articles

Just Published

35 minutes ago

X partners with Magnite to boost programmatic ad sales

Magnite joins Google and PubMatic as official third-party sellers of X’s ad inventory which can help fill unsold inventory and attract more advertisers.

3 hours ago

Novartis’ chief marketing officer on the drugmaker’s...

The Swiss pharma giant is set to air a 60-second ad during Super Bowl LIX, featuring Wanda Sykes, Hailee Steinfeld, and a surprise guest, aiming to encourage early breast cancer screenings and drive awareness among women under 40.

3 hours ago

Watch: The most patriotic Super Bowl LIX ads

A roundup of Super Bowl LIX ads that just scream ‘American patriotism.’

4 hours ago

Nicky Bullard departs MullenLowe as group chief ...

She has been at the IPG agency for almost three years.