Fine points of fashion

The Hong Kong-based luxury department store Lane Crawford has two stores in Beijing and will open another store in Shanghai. It provides items not only from well-known brands, but also chic and independent labels.Photos provided to China Daily

There are two Lane Crawford stores on the mainland, but it is "changing rapidly”, Keith says.

Seeing that there are more sophisticated Chinese consumers like Wang, the company will open another store in Shanghai on Oct 23, and a fourth one in Chengdu, Sichuan province, early next year.

According to him, the new store in Shanghai will enhance the "exclusive experience"he has been stressing all the time.

A small detail can prove this. Traditional shopping malls are compartmentalized according to the product types, for example, men's wear, women's wear, or shoes. What Lane Crawford does in Shanghai, is to mix all the categories up, with professional stylists on hand to assist consumers.

This means that, when a man accompanies his wife for shopping, he does not have to get bored while waiting for her to finish trying on her selections. He can also find things that interest him such as leather wares, gadgets and alluring stationery.

The new Lane Crawford Shanghai store will feature the largest beauty section, including a hair salon, a nail bar, restaurants, a cafe, a bar and a flower shop.

Rutson says she has noticed a change in the behavior of Chinese consumers. Years ago, when she visited their Beijing store, most customers were seen looking at the price tag of each product before trying it on or deciding to buy it.

"But now, they gradually begin to know that they have to choose something suitable for themselves, their style, I should say,"she says.

She indicates, with more Chinese consumers becoming sophisticated and treasuring "exclusiveness"in terms of fashion, there will be room for the multi-brand stores to flourish in the Chinese mainland market.

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