Toronto-based Canada Goose is setting up shop in China. It’s going in big, opening flagship retail stores in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as e-commerce operations through Alibaba. The company is also opening a regional head office in Shanghai.
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Canada Goose has had a remarkable couple of years. The family-owned outerwear brand known for making coats for the coldest climates in the world suddenly became a hot brand, beloved by celebrities. Dani Reiss, president and CEO (and grandson of the man who founded the company in 1957), says that movie stars first came across the brand through camera crews who spent long hours in cold locations, and turned to Canada Goose for hardcore protection against the elements. Since then, Hollywood A-listers–from Emma Stone to Bradley Cooper to Daniel Craig–have been spotted in the coats, which cost upwards of $1,000. This has led to a wider spike in sales around the world.
The company has capitalized on this success by beefing up its direct-to-consumer offerings. Until four years ago, the brand sold products largely through top-tier department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Canada Goose now has an e-commerce website and has opened up stores in a handful of cities, from New York to Boston to Tokyo to London. China is already the world’s largest luxury market, and with this expansion, Canada Goose is betting that China will continue to see economic growth, particularly in the high-end market.
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