Triumph International, the world's leading underwear-maker, said it will open up to 300 stores in the next three to five years on the mainland to meet the growing demand for stylish bras.

Triumph International launches sales promotion in the Xindong'an Shopping Mall, Wangfujing Street, Beijing's most bustling shopping block. The top underwear manufacturer enjoys a sound presence on the mainland. CNS

That will outpace its expansion in Hong Kong, where the firm's Asia Pacific head office is located. Some 15 new stores and three counters will be set up in Hong Kong this year.

The Switzerland-headquartered private company, which has currently over 10 stores and more than 1,400 counters on the mainland, recorded a double-digit growth in turnover in the region, making significant contribution to the group's revenue.

In future, rather than solely relying on distributions in department stores and shopping malls, the bra manufacturer will open individual stores to "access consumers in every possible way," Ralph Jansen, executive director for Asia Pacific at Triumph International, told China Daily in an interview.

"The company will work closely with trade partners to look for development opportunities in department stores and shopping malls. However, if no new department stores and shopping malls are available, we will try to open our own stores," said Jansen.

Having set up shops on the mainland for some three decades with a very girly Chinese name "dai an fen", Triumph International established a huge retail network in the country, and has become a household name. Many mainlanders think it as a domestic brand.

"We take that as a very good compliment. Triumph as a company is very much committed to Asia, and in particular to China, as China is one of the growing economies, and it has huge potential for the future," said Jansen.

"And our distribution network is Triumph's priceless assets, we want to make our products accessible all over the country," said Jansen.

Strong domestic demand will continue to boost the mainland's economy for years to come; and personal consumption will play a leading role, said Charles Huang, director of China Research at BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking.

Meanwhile, among all consumption players, those who come with strong brand name will overtake their rivals and become market leaders, said Huang.

Triumph is among the first overseas underwear groups to tap the mainland's market in the 1980s.

The company enhanced its image by launching underwear fashion shows in 30 cities across the mainland in 2001.

"We made the big promotion because it is a very interesting market for us, not only from a commercial point of view, but also from the culture, from the people, from what we can learn in the market," said Jansen.

The mainland's underwear market has been dominated by a dozen brands from home and abroad. Taiwan-based underwear retailer Ordifen invested 1 million yuan in Shanghai for brand promotion.

French bra group Chantelle woos customers with its exotic European design and a slogan "as comfortable as your own skin."

The firms are engaged in stiff competition to attract increasingly affluent consumers with a bewildering variety of styles.

New styles like T-shirt bra, sports bra, invisible bra, and silicone pad bra have flooded the stores and counters over the last decade.

(HK Edition 01/24/2008 page2)