Week In Review: February 25-March 1, 2013

In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of February 25-March 1: Hugo Boss Launches China Online Store Coming off a tougher 2012 in China, this week Chow Yun Fat-fronted German fashion house Hugo Boss launched its official Chinese online store, following the lead of Coach and Zara in going it alone rather than partnering with a major international e-tailer. Stocking the brand’s full menswear, womenswear and accessories collections, the online store offers a range of customer service options, among them e-mail, telephone, and live chat, with next-day nationwide shipping to top-tier cities. 10 Minutes With...Classical Music Sensation Yundi Above all else, classical pianist Yundi (李云迪, aka Li Yundi) is a true global phenomenon. Over a decade ago, Yundi — then only a teenager — rose from obscurity to become the youngest winner of the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition award after 13 unclaimed years. Yet in addition to his reputation as a piano icon, Yundi is one of the more interesting figures in modern Chinese classical music, having most recently been smeared with titillating scandal. Beijing Now World's 10th Most Expensive Retail Property Market Though it lags far behind Hong Kong, which remains far and away the world’s most expensive retail market, Beijing has cracked the top ten in a new report on the global retail property market. According to the latest study by CBRE, rising prices in Beijing follow what’s being seen in other top ten markets, among them London, Paris and Sydney — historically low construction rates of top retail space, which leads to low availability levels and fierce competition. Dior Launches Beijing Pop-Up Shop Coming off its recent “Bar Jacket” exhibition at Seasons Place, this weekend Dior launched a monthlong pop-up shop at I.T Beijing Market in Sanlitun, part of a global campaign to promote Raf Simons’ first collection for the luxury house. One of a handful of multi-brand stores to host the pop-ups, among them Joyce in Hong Kong, 10 Corso Como in Milan, and Isetan in Tokyo, the temporary retail space stocks the S/S 2013 clothing and accessories line. Chinese Luxury Spending Reportedly Plummets At Home, Skyrockets Abroad As always, we take their numbers with a grain of salt, but a new report by the Beijing-based World Luxury Association holds that Chinese consumers spent a relatively spare US$830 million on luxury items domestically from January 20 – February 20, a 53 percent drop from last year’s spending spree, but a whopping $8.5 billion overseas, an 18 percent increase year-on-year. Price considerations remain the key driver of overseas luxury spending, with 93 percent of mainland Chinese consumers surveyed by the WLA saying they were motivated primarily by lower prices abroad.

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Week In Review: February 25-March 1, 2013