Magazines Archives - 2008 February

Coach to open flagship store in HK
Story 9

US-BASED luxury brand retailer Coach Inc has announced that it will be opening its
flagship store in Hong Kong by June this year, marking the group’s expansion into the Greater China region, where it intends to increase the number of outlets by up to 60%.

“We are delighted with our Hong Kong flagship location, which is expected to be one of the highest-volume Coach stores in the world,” said Ian Bickley, president of Coach International.

“We understand that along with its strong local consumer base, Hong Kong is also a gateway
for the tens of millions of mainland Chinese tourists who travel there each year. This store will significantly enhance the Coach brand and is consistent with our strategy of raising
awareness and aggressively growing market share with the Chinese luxury consumer,” he continued.

The store, located at the junction of Queens Road Central and D’Aguliar Street, will span 9,400sqf,
incorporating an impressive four-storey glass and stainless steel back-lit façade, designed by Reed Krakoff, president and executive director of Coach, and the Coach Architecture Group.

Said Balbina Wong, deputy chairman and CEO of Imaginex, the group’s distributor: “Coach is a brand which has already gained great acceptance within Greater China. This flagship opening, in such an important and visible location in Hong Kong, will be a great step forward in terms of enhancing the brand’s visibility and status among sophisticated Chinese luxury customers throughout the region.”

“The timing of this opening is ideal, as our business here is remarkably strong and reflects accelerated consumer demand for our product,” maintained Bickley. He added that Coach plans to open up to 80 stores in Greater China over the next few years, citing the region’s potential to
“quickly become the third major market for Coach”.