Forever 21 will expand its presence in China with a physical store slated to open later in June 2022, according to a WeChat post seen by Reuters. The store is slated for the Jingjiang Impression City shopping center in Taizhou, a city located near Shanghai.
The fast fashion retailer initially re-entered China for the third time in August 2021 through online platforms Vipshop and Pinduoduo. Forever 21 then opened a store on Alibaba’s Tmall and has begun advertising its offerings for the 618 mid-year shopping festival.
Forever 21 first entered China in 2008 but left the country a year later. Its second effort began in 2011 and was successful enough to reach an 11-store footprint across the country, including a flagship location in Shanghai, but the retailer left China and several other countries in 2019 when it filed for bankruptcy. Authentic Brands Group, which acquired Forever 21 in early 2020, has since signed a licensing agreement with Hong Kong-based Lasonic Electric Xusheng Co. Ltd. to manage Forever 21’s China operations.
The Chinese ecommerce market is expected to be worth $3.3 trillion by 2025, and cross-border retailers like Forever 21 have an opportunity to reach a massive audience in the country. Cross-border commerce in general can be a tricky challenge to tackle, so check out Retail TouchPoints’ 3 Cross-Border Ecommerce Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them webinar on June 22 at 2 p.m. ET to learn more about how to navigate this space.
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