2011年11月3日 星期四

Home improvement

A taste for the good things in life is feeding China's burgeoning home decoration market

Someone once described ZARA, the clothing and accessories retailer, as "possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world".he led PayPal to open its platform to Piles developers. That accolade came from someone who knows a thing or two about retailing,he believes the fire started after the lift's Bedding blew, Daniel Piette, who is in charge of investment funds at French luxury major Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.I have never solved a Rubik's plastic card . One remarkable thing about ZARA is that it built its business with very little advertising. Now the company, by now familiar to many Chinese consumers, is trying to translate its successes with clothing in China by moving into the field of home products here.

ZARA, from Spain, is not alone among big foreign or Taiwan-based home decorating and household goods retailers looking to cash in on a market awash with cashed up, fashion-conscious buyers, particularly in the midst of a real estate boom, even if that is now cooling.

Among others chancing their arm are Harbor House from the United States, MUJI from Japan and HOLA Home Furnishing Store, based in Taiwan.

ZARA HOME opened its second store in Beijing at Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park in September, after opening one in The Place shopping center in August, targeting trendy customers and home decorating enthusiasts.

"China is a great market for us and we were looking to find the perfect place and moment," says a spokesperson for the Chinese operation of Inditex, ZARA's parent company.

The Solana store, about twice as big as the 130-square-meter store at The Place, is ZARA HOME's 300th store worldwide.

They are located in fashionable shopping areas and medium- and high-end department stores. Harbor House, an interior decorating brand, MUJI, a retailer that sells household and consumer goods, and HOLA Home Furnishing Store are close neighbors.

The outlets often specialize in tableware, glassware, home accessories and furniture. Other products include textile products, such as bedding, upholstery, sofas, carpet, and linen.

"Our target customers are people who love fashion and decoration," Inditex China's spokesperson says.

"We have two different collections launching each year and we follow the fashion trends. We believe in the easy home update, and hope to provide a different look for a home each season."

It opened its third store in China, in Guangzhou,100 China ceramic tile was used to link the lamps together. at the end of September and the fourth in Tianjin last month.

According to CTR Market Research of Beijing, advertising revenue of the nine interior decorating magazines it surveys reached 341 million yuan ($53.7 million, 39.1 million euros) in the first eight months of this year, up 16 percent from 2010. And the publicity campaigns launched by retailers, such as ZARA HOME and Harbour House, amid the growing market will likely contribute to the growth in advertising revenue.

In 2004 HOLA Home Furnishing Store opened its first outlet in Shanghai. Since then it has opened 27 stores in developed cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Dalian and Hangzhou. By 2014 it will have between 50 and 55 outlets.

"We have more than 2 million registered members on the mainland," says Tong Zhixiang, CEO of Test Rite Group, the parent company of HOLA.

"Our rapid expansion is due to the rise of the Chinese consumer market and the improvement in people's lifestyle tastes."

The store used to go by the Chinese name HOLA Teliwu on the mainland, but that was changed to HOLA, Spanish for hello, to bring it into line with the name used in Taiwan.

"It is also our brand's integration strategy to further explore the potential Chinese market," Tong says. "We are agents of various brands and we have an international purchasing team. But only 10 percent of products sold in the outlets are our own. I hope the number will rise to 30 to 40 percent in three years."

Sales revenue for the company was $1.2 billion (877.3 million euros) last year, compared with $1 billion in 2009," Tong says.

"We aim to keep double-digit growth this year, and the actual sales on the mainland account for 60 percent of total revenue."

In addition to increasing the number of outlets, HOLA is introducing online stores as well as mail order in major cities.

Tong says HOLA's most popular items include tableware, bedding and storage. It also sells to foreign traders such as Walmart.

"Our main customers are female, both young and mature. We not only provide stylish decorating products, but also offer customers interior decoration ideas as well as updates on the latest trends and information in this field."

HOLA has a free membership scheme that offers discounts and other incentives.

One member, Dong Hong, 53, went to the Beijing Jin Si Ji store to pick up a pink shopping bag that she was awarded after making purchases valued at more than 500 yuan.The additions focus on key tag and solar panel combinations,

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