Bosideng Reopens London Flagship Store After Five-year Hiatus
SHANGHAI — Bosideng, a Chinese down apparel company, has reopened its London flagship store after a five-year hiatus.
The three-story, 6,292-square-foot store is located on the corner of South Molton and Oxford Streets.
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The first two floors of the shop feature products from Bosideng’s womenswear, menswear and childrenswear collections, some of which are exclusive to the U.K. market.
The third floor is home to the Bosideng brand archive and a display area of the brand’s latest high-tech products. The store’s basement hosts a “snow room” that simulates arctic environments and is equipped with a thermal camera to display shoppers’ body heat.
Bosideng ambassador Eileen Gu‘s latest campaign is featured prominently in the shop’s window display.
Bosideng’s parent company, Bosideng Holdings International, purchased the flagship building in 2011 in a push to break into the European market. The London flagship, a first for the brand outside of China, was opened a year later, just in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
“Following many years of work behind the scenes, we have chosen to launch in London, one of Europe’s most influential fashion hot spots, where we will showcase our expertise,” Gao Dekang, the company’s founder and owner, told WWD at the time.
Bosideng continued its global expansion by launching the “designed in Italy, Made in China” brand Bosideng Plus Zero in Rome the following year. In 2014, Bosideng launched a pop-up store in New York City.
But in the same year, the company halted its global expansion plan as retail overexpansion in the China market and an ambiguous product focus began to hurt its bottom line.
Revenue in the China market dropped close to 40 percent between 2014 and 2016. The Hong Kong-traded company’s share price nosedived from 4.5 Hong Kong dollars, or 57 cents, to around 60 Hong Kong cents, or 7 cents.
The London flagship was subsequently closed in early 2017.
In 2018, sales began to pick up again as the company refocused on its core item, the down jacket. According to the company’s latest financial report, for the 12 months ending March 31, sales increased 20 percent year-on-year to 16.2 billion renminbi, or $2.24 billion. Profit rose 20.6 percent year-over-year to 2.06 billion renminbi, or $285 million. Its down apparel business now accounts for more than 81 percent of total group revenue.
Riding the tailwind of the winter sports craze after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Bosideng formed a joint venture with snow sports and lifestyle brand Bogner in December 2021. The alliance will help Bogner expand its digital presence in China and open around 80 stores over the next five years.
