Over the past three months, LuxeCO has observed multiple sportswear and outdoor brands accelerating their penetration into regional markets including Southwest, South, Northeast China and Hong Kong:
KAILAS and Saucony, whose mainland store networks are already quite mature, are both using their first Hong Kong stores to test their international operating capabilities and pave the way for the next step of Asia-Pacific expansion;
Domestic brands such as MAIA ACTIVE and Bosideng VERTEX are filling retail gaps in Northeast and East China;
International brands such as Brooks and CRAFT are rapidly replicating from benchmark stores in first-tier cities to Southwest cities, raising brand awareness in new markets.
Overseas brands and domestic brands, inland depth and Hong Kong expansion—sportswear and outdoor brands are drawing an increasingly diverse and expansive map.
KAILAS and Saucony Enter Hong Kong
—— KAILAS
In July, KAILAS opened its first mountaineering concept store in the region at K11 MUSEA in Hong Kong.
The store covers more than 300 square meters and takes "mountain exploration" as its core design concept, recreating visual elements such as mountain forms, rock strata, ice and snow inside the store. Products span multiple mountain sports categories including high-altitude mountaineering, hiking, trail running and professional equipment.
Hong Kong's K11 MUSEA is home to a range of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier and Rolex. In March this year, KAILAS FUGA opened a new store at Beijing Daxing Airport next to Louis Vuitton. The move into K11 MUSEA is seen by the outside world as a continuation of the brand's premiumization strategy.
Chen Xiaolong, Senior Director of International Business at KAILAS, said Hong Kong, as an international metropolis, is a core hub for the brand to expand its Asia-Pacific retail network and connect with global mountain culture.
As of December 2025, KAILAS had 390 directly operated stores in mainland China.
—— Saucony
In June, Saucony, the century-old American running shoe brand under Xtep International, unveiled its first Hong Kong flagship store at K11 Art Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The store draws design inspiration from Saucony's classic river logo, blending Hong Kong's urban landscape with its running culture. The store features a dedicated foot measurement experience zone equipped with professional foot analysis equipment.
Tian Zhong, President of Xtep Group, said Hong Kong is an international metropolis and a market of important strategic significance to the brand, and is expected to directly reach Hong Kong consumers as well as domestic and overseas travelers.
Saucony currently has 170 stores in mainland China and expects to open 20 to 30 new stores in total this year, with more image stores to open in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in the second half of the year; it will also continue to seek locations in core business districts in Hong Kong.
MAIA ACTIVE and Bosideng VERTEX Fill Market Gaps
—— MAIA ACTIVE
In July, MAIA ACTIVE, the women's sportswear brand under Anta Group, opened its first Northeast China store at Shenyang MixC.
The new store adopts a new quiet-luxury design, using natural wood and fabric textures paired with Eastern elements such as handpans and singing bowls, and is divided into three functional zones: product display, fitting and relaxation.
Anta Group acquired a controlling stake in MAIA ACTIVE in October 2023. Over the past three years, MAIA ACTIVE's number of offline stores has increased from 36 in October 2023 to 57 currently (including outlet stores).
MAIA ACTIVE is now targeting the underserved Northeast market. According to the brand, it will also expand into core Northeast cities such as Harbin and Changchun within the year.
—— Bosideng VERTEX
In July, VERTEX, the high-end outdoor line under Bosideng, opened its first East China store at HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai. Shortly afterward, the first VERTEX store in Hangzhou opened at Hangzhou Hubin Yintai IN77.
The VERTEX concept store brings together Bosideng's most "top-of-the-pyramid" product matrix, systematically covering segmented needs in the high-end down jacket market, such as outdoor, polar and urban warmth scenarios.
The store design draws inspiration from the polar "vertex" concept, integrating futuristic aesthetics and urban avant-garde technology into the spatial design.
In November 2025, the VERTEX concept store made its debut at Shenyang MixC and later expanded to cities such as Changchun and Dalian.
Brooks and CRAFT Open First Southwest China Stores
—— Brooks
In August, Brooks, the century-old American running brand, opened its first Southwest China store at Taikoo Li Chengdu.
The store's design theme is "Endless Alleys, Endless Heights," with a flowing path paved in grey bricks simulating the varying widths of alleys, while the undulating forms of western Sichuan rooftops are translated into the store's ceiling structure. Outside the store, Brooks created a week-long "Wind Alley Station" pop-up space at Taikoo Li East Plaza.
Since opening its first China store at Kerry Parkside in Pudong, Shanghai in 2024, Brooks has opened 11 stores in China, covering Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan.
—— CRAFT
In July, CRAFT, the Swedish all-round endurance sports brand, opened its first Southwest China store at Kunming Tongde Plaza.
The store uses a Nordic Scandinavian design language paired with technological lines to create an exploration space.
CRAFT unveiled its first China flagship store at HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai in February this year and quickly expanded to cities such as Xuzhou, Wuxi and Hangzhou. The brand plans to open 10 stores nationwide within the year.
| Image source: Official Xiaohongshu accounts of the respective brands and commercial properties
| Editor: LuxeCO
