Latest News:  

English>>Business

Secondhand stores feed frenzy for top-end goods

(China Daily)

10:06, February 16, 2013

The owner of Milan Fashion, Julie Zhu, shows a secondhand Dior bag to customers. [Photo/China Daily]

Pass-me-downs are not so uncool after all, shops in China's big cities are discovering

Buying, let alone carrying around, a secondhand purse may be unpopular in China, but the nation's obsession with luxury goods is driving its young nouveaux riche into bargain basements looking for brand-name bags on the cheap.

In big cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, service shops that mend, exchange, buy back and sell secondhand luxury goods are emerging. Outlets of secondhand luxury chains from Hong Kong and Japan are expanding and feeding on China's luxury market.

Julie Zhu, 56, is among the earliest secondhand luxury store owners in Beijing. Zhu, inspired by Milan Station, a pre-owned luxury retailer in Hong Kong, opened her first store 10 years ago.

But Zhu, who named her store Milan Fashion and who has two shops in the capital, said it was not until recently that her business has grown. She said Chinese consumers used to shy away from secondhand bags.

"The first five years were a difficult period and we had to educate customers because they didn't get on board with our new business model," she said.

Business grew after 2008 when the recession hit. She said the global downturn "turned" wealthy customers into loyal ones, shifting their eyes from full-price shops to retail outlets that offer discounts or secondhand luxury products.

Recently, on a trip to Zhu's 40 square meter store, customers packed the shop looking for designer bags including Bottega Veneta, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermes. It was a clear sign that more consumers, at least in Beijing, are looking to the secondhand market for luxury goods.


【1】 【2】 【3】

We recommend:

Export woes need for change in trade structure

Sweet smell of profit if it's an Internet domain

Sina seeks new revenues while battling WeChat

China Mobile expands 4G trials to Zhejiang

Robot pavilion opens to public at Taipei

Ministry acts on dairy safety

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:HuangBeibei、Yao Chun)

Related Reading

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Chinese ships patrol Diaoyu Islands

  2. 40th Canadian Int'l Auto Show kicks off

  3. Carnival ends in Venezuala

  4. Heavy fog hits Jiangsu in E China

  5. Lantern show held to celebrate Spring Festival

  6. Florists prepare bouquets for Valentine's Day

  7. Get ready for ten-day stage of Hainan Opera

  8. Swans on wetland of Yellow River in Pinglu County

  9. Macao embraces peak tourist season

  10. Job hunting fairs held across China

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. US to withdraw from Middle East?
  2. Ensure fairness during festival travel rush
  3. Is the wolf really gone?
  4. K-pop on Spring Festival gala stirs controversy
  5. Some media don't get the message: no bootlicking
  6. US playing strategic arms game
  7. Aiming at fairer realty market
  8. Dark business environment breeds dark deeds
  9. Israel-Palestine peace talks dominate Obama's visit
  10. Cowardly officials behind thuggish pawns

What’s happening in China

The new generation of 'best paid' jobs

  1. Various job fairs are held among cities
  2. Fireworks sales down in Beijing during holiday
  3. Fires kill 36 people during China's Spring Festival
  4. New cold front to freeze China
  5. Lonely hearts forced to date on Valentine's Day