BOGNER drives international growth by expanding in the Greater China Area

• Significant market entry via joint venture with Bosideng – a Chinese leading apparel group
• Establishment of an extensive digital presence and around 80 retail stores planned in China within the next five years
• Important milestone reached in BOGNER's international growth strategy

Willy Bogner GmbH & Co. KGaA (BOGNER) and Bosideng International Fashion Limited, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Bosideng International Holdings Limited (Bosideng), have entered into a joint venture agreement as of December 1, 2021. Together, the Munich-based Athluxury Sports Fashion company and the Chinese apparel group want to establish the brands BOGNER and FIRE+ICE in the Greater China Area. In this context, the ambition is to build up an extensive online presence including strong social media activities as well as a store network with around 80 retail stores within the first five years in the Chinese market. From now on, BOGNER is represented in well-known luxury malls such as Plaza 66 in Shanghai as well as SKP and WF Central in Beijing. Further points of sale will follow.

With the joint venture, BOGNER is seizing the full potential of the fast-growing luxury market in the Greater China Area. BOGNER expects the number of fashion and winter sports enthusiasts to grow at an above-average rate, further driven by the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. BOGNER addresses both target groups equally with its Athluxury Sports Fashion under the brands BOGNER and FIRE+ICE. This provides ideal conditions for BOGNER’s successful market entry.

BOGNER benefits in the partnership from Bosideng’s many years of experience and track record in the Chinese fashion market. In addition to a deep understanding of its customers, Bosideng has strong omnichannel expertise and a first-class network in the region. In turn, Bosideng is bringing BOGNER, a traditional international brand with almost 90-years of history and leading in the luxury fashion and sports segment, to the Greater China Area.

Heinz Hackl, Co-CEO of BOGNER and responsible for Sales, Design, Marketing and Licensing, explains: “This step is a milestone in our global growth path and contributes perfectly to our internationalization strategy. Our goal as BOGNER is to become an established player in the Athluxury Sports Fashion sector in the Greater China Area, creating a new dimension to the combination of fashion and sports. We are pleased to have Bosideng as a strong partner with great market expertise at our side to seize the potential of the region with us.”

Konstantinos Balogiannis, Global Director Sales at BOGNER, who has been significantly involved in steering the project from the very beginning, adds: “In Bosideng, we have found the ideal partner for our large-scale market entry. The joint venture enables us to actively shape the market and operate very independently in China. At the same time, we can draw on Bosideng's local market expertise and network. For our market entry, we were able to win an experienced team with international know-how that is very familiar with the Chinese market.”

The joint venture between BOGNER and Bosideng is headed by William Yang, GM Greater China BOGNER. William has an international track record in building various brands in the Chinese market. Before joining Bogner, he was GM Greater China at AMER Sports. Tracy Han is responsible for the finance area, where she contributes her many years of experience in the luxury industry, including the LVMH Group. Flora Zhang complements the first-class team as Marketing Director Greater China BOGNER. She is an expert in brand community building and has already successfully led the entry and development of brands such as lululemon in China.

Gao Dekang, Chairman and CEO of Bosideng says: “As a down apparel brand with 45-year history, Bosideng has longstanding connections through sponsorship in winter sports. In the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games with approximately 300 million additional people participating in winter sports, we see a great opportunity, which we are seizing in cooperating with BOGNER to enter China's winter sports and luxury fashion market. We believe that the cooperation with BOGNER will provide the strong momentum for Bosideng’s medium-to-long term development. With our passion for winter sports apparel, we are definitely able to bring unique wearing experiences for Chinese customers.”