China-based designer-fashion brand JNBY launched its first Australian store in Melbourne Central last month, with the potential of more stores to come. After opening stores across China and the US, it was a natural progression for the brand to enter the Australian market, said JNBY spokesperson Lijie Fu. “With more than 1500 stores around the world, it made sense to be in Australia. There is a strong fan-base of Chinese nationals living in Australia who already know, love and are loyal t
l to the brand,” Fu told Inside Retail Weekly.
“We feel that JNBY will resonate well with fashion-led Australians, in particular Melbournians.”
While the brand’s seasonal styles will reflect what is being sold in its home market, JNBY is curating a collection that is specifically selected for Australia. According to Fu, the brand enjoys evolving with and for its customers, and as such, curated collections are something it reviews and adapts on an ongoing basis.
While the initial offering is limited to JNBY’s womenswear range, the brand is open to expand more of its range to the Australian market as demand necessitates.
“We think the things that make JNBY special will equally be appreciated by Australian customers,” Fu said.
The Melbourne Central store is the brand’s first in Australia, though there is potential for more across Australia and New Zealand in the future.
“We’re very excited to bring and make JNBY available to existing and loyal fans already based in Melbourne, and we’re thrilled with the uptake of new fans after our grand opening launch event,” Fu said.
“It’s a collection and brand that local stylists and fashion lovers are already connecting with.”
In a struggling Australian retail market, attracting Chinese consumers has become big business – both the over one million Australians with Chinese ancestry and the 1.4 million Chinese tourists each year.
Data from Tourism Australia found that Chinese tourists spent $11.5 billion in 2018 – or roughly a quarter of all inbound tourism expenditure. As a result, many local brands are adapting their offerings to appeal to this growing market.
