SHANGHAI, China (BRAIN)—Brompton opened its first concept store in Shanghai this week, marking the first time handmade British bikes will be available in China.
Brompton Junction Shanghai is a partnership between the London-based folding bike manufacturer and two partners: its Taiwanese distributor Lane & Trip and a Shanghai based PR company, Marui Space Creativity & Advertising. Brompton managing director Will Butler-Adams and partners Ben Yen and Thomas Lin cut the ribbon on the new store located at 634 Fuxing Middle Road in Shanghai’s Luwan district, one of the city’s most upscale and international neighborhoods.
The store is Brompton’s second in Asia. It opened its first in Kobe, Japan, followed by locations in Hamburg and Amsterdam. Those stores were quickly successful, but China is a different matter as Brompton has had little exposure in the market up to now.
“We have been looking to enter the Chinese market for a number of years as we were getting lots of requests from consumers here,” said Quinton Pullinger, Brompton’s marketing manager for Asia-Pacific said. “Having visited a number of times and researched various routes to market, we found that few retailers had the desire to present this unique product in the way we believe it should be. Brompton Junction gives us the perfect platform to showcase the bikes and accessories, while the local knowledge provided by our partners means that we can give the Shanghai consumer the full Brompton experience from point of purchase right through to after-sales service.”
Brompton hopes to take advantage of the growing leisure market in China, and, with an established presence and strong sales in a number of other Asian markets where British products are highly regarded, China is expected to become an important market for the company over the coming years, the company said.
The U.K. remains the company’s largest market, accounting for a quarter of sales in 2012, but the proportion of revenue from overseas rises every year. With production rising from an anticipated 35,000 units this year to a projected 45,000 in 2013, sales are growing strongly in all regions.
Brompton bicycles and accessories are available in 41 countries.
