How do Chinese companies make their products stand out in an ultra competitive market? For at least two of them, the answer lies in other people’s brands.
Qiaodan is a sportswear maker based in southeastern China which has just received approval for an equity listing in Shanghai. The family-controlled company with sales of Rmb2.9bn ($460m) last year has become one of the country’s top 10 domestic sports apparel companies by revenue and number of outlets, despite its relatively short 11-year history.
Well, 11 years of trading under the Qiaodan brand, at least. It started life in the 1980s as Fujian Province Jinjiang Township Chendi Brookside General Supplies Factory Number Two. No wonder it changed its name.