This year will see Finnish textile and design clothing company Marimekko opening three stores in China.

The first Marimekko stores in mainland China will open in Beijing and Shanghai. The Beijing store will be located at Sanlitun Village in the Chaoyang district and the Shanghai store at APM Mall on the Huaihai shopping strip. Close to the year’s end, a second Marimekko store in Hong Kong will open at the Elements Mall, directly above the Kowloon MTR Station.

The new openings are part of the partnership contract with Hong Kong-based Sidefame with the objective of opening a total of 15 Marimekko stores in China by the end of 2016. The first of these was opened in Hong Kong in May 2012.

“Marimekko’s sales trend in the Asia-Pacific region has continued to be extremely strong. We began to make our way into the hearts of the Chinese people last year: the first Marimekko store was opened in Hong Kong in May and we were, to our knowledge, the first in the world to hold a fashion show in Shanghai’s People’s Park at the end of the autumn,” said Marimekko president and CEO Mika Ihamuotila.

“On the basis of the positive feedback we have received in Hong Kong and Shanghai, we believe that the new stores opening this year will be successful.”

Ihamuotila said that the company’s objective is to build the Marimekko brand and store network systematically on a solid foundation. He added that the Chinese market clearly has room for Nordic design brands.

In 2013, Marimekko will continue to expand its operations in all its main market areas, Northern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region, it says.

The intention is to open a total of 15 to 24 Marimekko stores and shops-in-shops this year. The main thrust in the expansion is on opening retailer-owned Marimekko stores and shops-in-shops. The company will also drive growth in sales in the stores it opened in 2012.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the main emphasis on expansion is in China and Japan.