Business

Austrian Skiwear Maker Eyes Potential Hotspot – China

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics can be an extreme accelerator to bring people to the snow, said Peter Schott, general manager of International Trade, HEAD International GmbH (HEAD), a leading global manufacturer and marketer of premium sports equipment and apparel.

In November, the General Administration of Sport of China released plans on constructing winter sports infrastructure and popularising winter sports, calling for at least 650 skating rinks and 800 ski resorts to be built across the country by 2022. About 300 million people are expected to participate in winter sports and the winter sports industry is projected to be worth one-trillion-yuan (US$ 144.5 billion) by 2025.

While it sees no exciting growth in the well-established winter sports market in Europe, the Austrian company said it is realistic to expect that China will catch up and become the biggest ski market in the world.

In addition, the company has witnessed China's winter sports market becoming more competitive as everyone is trying to tap the potential. To tap the market, Head has partnered with Nanjing B.C. Sports Products Co Ltd (B.C. Sports) in distribution and supported actions with the aim to popularise winter sports, Schott said.

Further outlining the company's strategy, Schott said, "Besides finding a distribution partner, we had to convince people in China that quality is the main issue to make the sports attractive. In terms of extra competitive advantages or extra features that HEAD can provide, we launched at Genting Resort Secret Garden last year our rental system, which enables the rental provider to bring the products very fast to the consumer. So it is no longer necessary to stand in line for one or two hour until you get your product. So we set an example there. We will try to spread this all over China and also provide products that help people to learn ski very quickly, because this is important as well." Besides the apparel and the equipment, HEAD is also supporting ski education in China, by supporting the Chinese ski foundation.

Moreover, China's Belt and Road Initiative is expected to bring its markets closer to the suppliers.