Group Owns Three Luxury Brands: Tod’s, Hogan And Roger Vivier
Tod's has over 30 locations in mainland China
Owner of three luxury brands that have turned their attention to the China market in recent years — Tod’s, Hogan and Roger Vivier — Italy’s Tod’s Group S.p.a. is set to further intensify its China efforts for its flagship Tod’s leathergoods brand in particular. As Emilio Macellari, chief financial officer at Tod’s, said this week, the group plans to open 20 Tod’s stores in 2013 worldwide, yet China remains far and away the company’s main focus. Said Macellari, “The majority of [the new stores] will be in Asia. When I say Asia, I mean China. 80 percent of our store openings will be in China.”
Currently, Tod’s has 31 stores in first- and second-tier cities throughout China. Considering the brand wants to open a further 15 or 16 stores in China this year alone, this begs the question: where are they hoping to go next? Third- and fourth-tier cities? The brand’s nationwide network is already impressive, reaching from Harbin to Haikou, Wuxi to Xi’an, with cities like Wuhan already boasting more than one location. Yet Tod’s Group S.p.a. has already shown a willingness to be gutsy in China in terms of inland expansion.
Last October, the group chose to open its third Roger Vivier location in Shenyang, following Beijing and Shanghai, rather than Guangzhou or Shenzhen. As such, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see a new Tod’s store pop up this year in a lesser-known city like Anshan, Boutou, Jiangyin or Nantong.
Considering luxury e-commerce is the hot topic at the moment in China, it’s good to hear that Tod’s also has plans to launch Chinese e-commerce functionality in 2013 as part of its growth plan. According to FashionMag, the Tod’s online store is only operational in certain European countries, yet will be extended to the United States starting next month, and by the end of the year it’s expected to go live in China.