SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese market is full of possibilities given the improving quality of the country's economy and growing public focus on health, according to U.S.-based global sportswear brand Skechers.
China's economic growth has slowed down but the quality of development has improved thanks to the structural reform on the supply side, Willie Tan, CEO of Skechers China, South Korea and Southeast Asia, told Xinhua in an interview.
"We are still full of confidence in both the future opportunities in the Chinese market and our performance growth," he said.
Tan observed that the consumption structure of Chinese consumers is changing, with a growing trend in health investment.
National-level support for the sports sector has been greatly enhanced with a string of government policies, while sports have become part of the daily consumption of Chinese consumers. "With the increase in income and the concept of healthy living, the market scale has expanded dramatically," he said.
China's sports apparel consumption will enter another stage of rapid development, mainly driven by the integration of the sports industry platforms, customized consumer experience, the rise of outdoor sports consumption and the emerging female consumer market, said Tan.
The company's third-quarter earnings report showed that the Chinese market continued to post solid performance, registering a double-digit expansion in sales. The third and fourth-tier markets are posting huge growth potential.
Tan said they plan to open 100 super-stores and about 1,000 ordinary stores in China by 2020.
Skechers is one of the exhibitors at this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE), where Tan hopes potential high-quality cooperation opportunities could be found to support the company's expanding presence in China.
"The CIIE is also an excellent learning platform for us, as global high-quality brands bring their most innovative products and the most advanced technology," Tan said. "We hope to communicate with and learn from other brands and consumers from all over the world."
