Yoga-inspired athletic apparel company Lululemon is setting its focus on Asia to recover momentum lost in North American markets.

Enthused by the success of its two showrooms in Hong Kong, Lululemon says it will soon open its first full store in the market and will test other markets in the continent by setting up showrooms over the next two years.

“We are actively looking to secure real estate for a store in that market,” said CEO Christine Day about the company’s Hong Kong plan.

“We are confident that this same approach in the international markets, along with the intelligence that we gain through our country and region-specific websites, will allow us to create the optimum mix of bricks-and-mortar and e-commerce for these markets,” added Day.

Lululemon, with 201 stores in North America, Australia and New Zealand, recently launched websites specific to Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain and European Union.

The Vancouver-based company reported a third quarter net income of $57.3 million or 39 cents per share, up 27 cents a share of $38.8 million a year earlier.

Net revenue grew 37 per cent to $316.5 million, up from analysts’ forecast of $305.3 million while gross profit margin declined 55.4 per cent from 55.8 a year ago.

The company, which is also targeting growth in Europe, expects net revenue to be in the range of $475 million to $480 million in the last quarter.

GB