Alo and NikeSkims muscle into China’s luxury malls

Alo plans to open eight standalone stores across seven cities in Greater China, the brand announced on September 16. The stores will be in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Macau. Hoardings have gone up at five mainland sites: HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, China World Mall in Beijing, Shenzhen Bay MixC, Hubin Yintai in77 in Hangzhou and Taikoo Li in Chengdu. The eight include Alo’s first store in Greater China, at K11 Musea in Hong Kong, which was scheduled to open in September. NikeSkims, the women's activewear brand created by Nike and Skims, announced its China launch on the same day, putting a second premium entrant into the same Shanghai mall. Built and run jointly by the two companies, the brand released its first collection in the US in September 2025. Nike and Skims said it pairs Nike’s sports science and athlete research with Skims’ expertise in fit and inclusive sizing, and targets the space between performance apparel and everyday wear. Its first physical space in China opens at HKRI Taikoo Hui on September 29 and will run as a pop-up until February 2027, in a unit formerly occupied by IWC next to Louis Vuitton’s ship-shaped store. Products also sell online through the Nike App and Nike’s China website. NikeSkims used a similar route into South Korea, entering through a pop-up in February before moving into Nike’s regular retail network. Why premium activewear brands are moving into China’s luxury malls Prime units in malls such as HKRI Taikoo Hui have long gone to luxury houses. Premium activewear brands are now taking the same space and using stores to build ties with shoppers. Expanding to eight stores will test whether Alo can keep its local marketing in line with its global image. A public relations executive with long experience in the sports industry, who spoke to Jing Daily on condition of anonymity, said some of Alo’s local initiatives in China were still being adjusted to fit its positioning as a premium lifestyle brand. “From the consumer perspective, there appears to be some distance between the high-end image the brand aims to convey and certain local events and marketing activities,” the executive said. “How to expand visibility while preserving its core brand value will be an important challenge for Alo going forward.” Before opening a single mainland store, Alo launched a Tmall flagship and a WeChat mini-program on August 12, with Tmall as its exclusive official e-commerce platform in China. By 8pm on launch day, its best-selling item on Tmall, a pair of straight-leg trousers priced at 1,150 RMB ($171), had sold more than 8,000 units, Yicai and China Business News reported. Since August 1, the brand has also run an eight-week community program in Shanghai that includes running clubs, city walks, yoga and Pilates. Converting that online demand into foot traffic is the next test. With eight standalone stores, Alo is committing to permanent retail across Greater China. NikeSkims has taken a more cautious route, with one Shanghai pop-up and online sales through Nike’s own channels. Both are entering a segment Lululemon has built since it opened its first mainland store in 2014. Hoka takes its China trail running festival to Mount Emei in Sichuan More than 2,000 runners took part in Hoka’s fourth annual trail festival in China, held September 11-12 at Gaoqiaoli, at the foot of Mount Emei in Sichuan. Runners chose between a 24.8km course with 1,137m of climbing and an 11.7km course. Southwest China was new ground for the event. The first three editions were held in East China: on the Shanghai riverfront in 2023, in Anji in 2024 and at Xuedoushan in Ningbo in 2025. Turnout has grown from several hundred runners at the first edition to nearly 1,000 in 2024 and 2,000 last year. Hoka co-founder Nicolas Mermoud, who attended the festival, said China’s trail running community was growing quickly. “The passion and youthful energy of runners here are truly inspiring,” he said. “We hope this culture continues to evolve, encouraging more people to step up to the starting line, enter the mountains and connect with nature.” The festival is the entry-level tier of Hoka’s race portfolio in China, which runs from title sponsorship of the UTMB World Series down to partnerships with domestic ultra-trail races. Anta and Hyatt prepare to open Fila House, Shanghai’s first Fila hotel Fila House Shanghai, billed as the world’s first Fila-branded hotel, has opened bookings ahead of a planned fourth-quarter opening. The hotel announced the date on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) on September 10. Hyatt and Anta Group are developing the hotel, which occupies Building 5 of the Anta Center, the group’s global retail headquarters in Shanghai’s West Hongqiao business district. Anta has operated Filain China since 2009, when it bought the brand’s Greater China business from Belle. Hyatt’s current listing shows 108 rooms and suites, down from the 120 planned when the partnership was announced in February 2022. Room types include golf-, tennis- and exploration-themed suites. A third-floor wellness space run by Pure will house a gym, two pools and yoga and Pilates studios. Opening was originally due in 2024, until Anta pushed the Anta Center’s start to 2026. Fila is also a smaller part of Anta than it was then. In the first half of 2026, Fila revenue rose 6.1%, while Anta’s “all other brands” segment, led by Descente and Kolon Sport, grew 44.2%. Lululemon brings its Tmall Super Brand Day campaign to Shenyang Shenyang hosted Lululemon’s Tmall Super Brand Day event on September 10, the eighth year in a row the brand has taken part in the promotion. The brand staged a “wunder puff Dynamic Theater” at the Shenyang Grain Warehouse Cultural and Creative Park, following a campaign film released on September 1. Brand ambassador Li Yuchun (李宇春), known internationally as Chris Lee, unveiled a product wall for the season’s wunder puff down collection. Tao Dance Theater performed a seven-minute piece developed from the campaign film, with dancers wearing the collection. Visitors could try on the jackets in zones built around the collection's three new shades: pink, yellow and blue. Each year since 2023, Lululemon has built its Tmall event around one product line in a different city: Align in Chengdu, wunder puff in Harbin in 2024 and Scuba in Hangzhou in 2025. This year’s edition returns to wunder puff, and the brand has also opened a winter pop-up at Shenyang MixC.

Alo and NikeSkims muscle into China’s luxury malls

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Alo and NikeSkims muscle into China’s luxury malls

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