Welcome to Jing Daily’s China Luxury Brief: the day’s top news on the business of luxury and culture in China, all in one place. Look below for the top stories for January 9, 2014.#
1. Interview: Elisabeth Koch Is China’s Milliner To The Stars#
"Not everyone can leave a career in banking to move to China and create designer hats, but that’s exactly what Beijing-based milliner Elisabeth Koch did six years ago—and she hasn’t looked back. She’s now the go-to hat designer for China’s top fashion magazines and celebrities, and you may have seen her work most recently on the cover of Vogue China’s December 2013 special-edition 100th issue with actress Shu Qi."
2. At 97M And Growing, China Has Most Outbound Tourists#
"The report released on Wednesday by the Tourist Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that China's tourists have had the world's strongest purchasing power since 2012. They overtook German and US tourists as the world's biggest-spending travelers in 2012, spending $102 billion overseas, a 40-percent increase from 2011."
[Xinhua]
3.#
Mercedes-Benz Sees 27% Sales Increase In China In December#
"The company sold 235,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in 2013, the company's China Chairman and Chief Executive Hubertus Troska said on Thursday. Excluding sales in Hong Kong, the figure was 228,700."
[WSJ]
4. Bloomingdale's Celebrating Chinese New Year#
“'As we approach the Year of the Horse, we have put together a number of events in the 59th Street flagship and other Bloomingdale’s stores. It’s a question of how do we at Bloomingdale’s create an easier shopping experience for someone wanting to come here.' As Gould notes, sometimes it’s as simple as extending the right greeting at the entrance."
[WWD]
5. 'I'm Good At Working With Jews,' Says Chinese Tycoon Chen Guangbiao Who Wants To Buy WSJ#
"'I am going to talk to the Wall Street Journal and find out if it's for sale,' he said in an interview with Sinovision, a New York-based Chinese television station on Wednesday, reaffirming his plan to 'buy an American newspaper.'"
[SCMP]
6. From Birds' Nest Farmers To Pop Stars—The Unexpected Casualties Of China’s Spending Crackdown#
"The Communist Party’s wide-ranging crackdown on luxury spending has already taken a very public toll on hotels, mooncake bakers and brewers of the powerfulliquor called baijiu. Ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations, a week gift-giving and family festivity that begins Jan. 30, here’s a look at some other less-noticed industries feeling the pinch from the government’s new-found austerity."
[Quartz]
7.#
Chicago Lures Chinese Tourists#
"Choose Chicago's offices in the Chinese metropolises Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou cover the important developed regions of China and offer convenient services to Chinese tourists. The Chengdu office is aimed at attracting the potential market in southwestern China."
8. Will Hong Kong Destroy Huge Ivory Stockpile Following China's Lead?#
"A survey of 900 middle and upper middle class Chinese, commissioned by National Geographic last year, found nearly 60% of respondents believed that strong government directives not to purchase ivory would be the most effective way to counter the trade. The survey also found that Chinese consumers associated ivory products with luxury and prestige."
[CNN]