Ben Sherman to launch in China with MRH

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Jun 17, 2016

Ben Sherman, the English fashion label, is set to be distributed in the Greater China region - including mainland China, the Macau SAR, Taiwan and Hong Kong SAR - after owner Marquee Brands signed a deal with MRH SpaRotica Groupé.

The MRH partnership will cover offline and online distribution and manufacturing, and the company will also launch mono-branded Ben Sherman-stores, targeted at Chinese millennial consumers. Five stores will launch before the end of this year, to be followed by at least another 30 in the coming years.

The first Chinese Ben Sherman store will open this August in Shanghai and be followed by stores in Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan.

Richard Kisembo, President & Chief Executive of MRH, said: “Ben Sherman’s 50+ years of British style and culture demonstrate the brand’s ability to stand the test of time. Our partnership with Marquee Brands is inspired by Ben Sherman’s iconoclast status amongst heritage brands. Heritage and culture continue to be a motivating factor in brands that have the ability to move generations at retail, a key factor to success in China. We are keenly focused on shaping the landscape of fashion brands in Greater China and we are thrilled that Marquee Brands shares a unified vision of the inherent opportunity for Ben Sherman in this market.”

Ben Sherman was acquired by Marquee Brands in July 2015, and earlier this year it announced a strategic partnership between Marquee Brands BMB Clothing /The Baird Group, in a pre-pack administration deal that will allow it to keep the majority of its UK stores open.