Weak start to 2013 for struggling Chinese sports brands

04/03/2013
Chinese sports footwear and apparel brand Xtep has said it will close between 100 and 200 retail stores in the course of 2013. This follows 100 closures in 2012.

According to the China Leather Industry Association, Xtep is also facing a decline in orders from its  stores of between 15% and 20% for the first six months of 2013.

It said that, collectively, China’s top six domestic sports brands were facing a shortfall in orders for the first half of this year of between 20% and 30% compared to the same period in 2012. During 2012, the six brands closed 3,000 retail outlets in different parts of China.