If you haven’t heard of Heilan Home or Anta Sports, now might be the time to start remembering their names. These two Chinese retail giants now rank among the world’s highest earning fashion companies, topping names such as H&M, Lululemon and Burberry, according to a joint report by McKinsey and BoF.
Both HLA and Anta Sports are multi-million dollar companies that have been outfitting China for years. Founded in 2002 by Zhou Jianping, now China’s richest man, HLA dominates mens’ fast fashion in China with a 11 billion RMB net worth and 5,000 brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
Sportswear giant Anta Sports has provided threads for NBA players such as Kevin Garnett and Klay Thompson over the years, and also own the rights to Italian sportswear brand Fila within China. Their kids’ line, Anta Kids, made a debut appearance at New York Fashion Week this year, following in the sneaker steps of fellow sportswear company Li-Ning.
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Interestingly, the same industry-facing report urges fashion brands to consider moving “beyond China,” saying that the market is proving itself “hard to crack.” Against the backdrop of a rising tide of nationalism, and as international brands alienate Chinese buyers with high-profile scandals and advertising flubs, many consumers are turning their spending power towards domestic fashion brands.
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Header image: Anta Sports
