Germany''s clothing industry is pushing forward on China''s retail front by opening a series of stores. The coming autumn/winter season will see new stores open, among others, in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wenzhou and Macao, revealed Werner Kuenstle, managing director of the German Fashion Trading Centre (GFTC) in Hong Kong. The GFTC was established in 1996 and looks after Asian markets on behalf of its customers.

The first outlets which will cover 80 square metres will be opened by Lucia, Jobis, Delmod, Tuzzi Fashion and Oui in the La Perle department store located in Guangzhou. Other tenants will include Hermes, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Tuzzi and Oui are set to open 50 square metres franchise stores in Shenzhen this autumn. Jobis will install a shop at Seibu department store in Shenzhen in October with another to follow in Macao. Whenzou will welcome outlets from Lucia, Jobis, Tuzzi and Oui each with a sales area of around 60 square metres. Further projects are in the pipeline for spring/summer 2004 in the capital Beijing, Hangzhou and Chengdu. The Munich-based Oui Group alone is planning to set up ten additional stores in the course of next year.