Chic Young Blood and The Hub form partnership

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Oct 17, 2013

Just several days ahead of the start of Chic Young Blood in Beijing, organisers of the young, urban trade show have announced a partnership with rival show The Hub. The partnership is likely a move to compete with Novomania in Shanghai, which was recently acquired by Chinese trade fair giants UBM Asia.

Contrary to Novomania, which focuses on mono-brand retailing and franchising in Asia, Chic Young Blood and Hong Kong-based The Hub have come together to help develop the multi-brand retailing concept in China and bridge the gap in the fashion retail landscape.

At this edition of Chic Young Blood, which starts on October 25, The Hub will install a mock-up multi-label store to help promote and explain the idea to the show’s visitors.

Chic Young Blood will also hold a seminar alongside The Hub in Hong Kong in February, specifically on the subject of multi-brand retailing in Greater China. Mercedes Benz China Fashion Week has also gotten on board with the initiative and is sponsoring the event.

This is not the only change on the Chinese trade show landscape. Unlike Novomania or Chich Young Blood, The Hub takes place twice a year in order to respond to the needs of buyers. From 2014, Novomania will take a leaf from The Hub’s book and will hold two editions of the show.

The Hub is headed by Richard Hobbs and Peter Caplowe, two specialists in the Asian retail sector. Hobbs has been based in Hong Kong since 1989 and has helped Pepe launch into the market while Caplowe worked at Evisu International for 13 years.