After years of trying to target China, British fashion brand Laura Ashley is to launch a website via Alibaba’s Tmall.
Best known for its floral frocks, Laura Ashley will also sell clothing in the first Chinese House of Fraser store, opening in Nanjing soon.
The Laura Ashley Tmall store is part of a strategic move to expand the company’s sales in the world’s largest consumer market, targeting the cashed-up middle class.
Laura Ashley finance director Sean Anglim says the long-term aim is to find a Chinese franchise partner. “China is not easy, as evidenced by how many have got in and how many have come out,” he says. “It is all about finding the right partner and doing it at the right time.”
The brand already has franchise partners in 30 countries and sells online in six. Anglim says the company wants to expand that further.
* Nivindya Sharma reviews Laura Ashley’s latest results in Inside Retail Hong Kong’s international column today.