GU Co. Ltd., a Japanese discount casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer, is looking towards China for future growth and plans to use the platform to leapfrog into the big league and join the list of global fashion brands.
Keishi Ono, Division Director, GU, said, “GU aims to be a global fashion brand. We have developed typical Japanese fashion to cater to the Asian market. It is different from American and European brands. GU has 220 shops in Japan, the opening of its Shanghai shop is an expansion of its overseas market. We have nominated Yuki Furukawa as the brand ambassador for global promotion. He has many followers in China.”
Yuki Furukawa has a huge following in China and is looked up as someone who can lend a helping hand to GU Co to make its presence felt in the Chinese market.
However, the question being asked is whether it is the right time to hit the Chinese shores with the country reeling under slowdown. With bigger foreign brands experiencing the effects of falling sales, GU Co. is looking to target tier-II cities and is open to look beyond Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Growth in China has often been linked to global ascent of any brand. GU’s ability to appeal to consumers in the second tier cities will be as important to their growth in China as their growth in China has been to their overall earnings.
