Ms. De Silva, chief executive of Canadian startup Retail China Ltd., says top-end labels have already made the shift from Hong Kong to mainland China and are well established in cities including Shanghai and Beijing, and in a host of megalopolises that are relatively unknown in the West.
Retail China’s aim is to also bring a range of Western brands in the mid-market category to the world’s fastest-growing consumer population.
“The luxury brands are already there, but by 2017, the mid-market in China should be the world’s biggest,” says Ms. De Silva, who previously ran Sun Life Financial Inc.’s business in China before founding Retail China in 2007 with three partners after “a year of discussions around my dining table in Beijing.”
The company’s business plan is to forge franchise agreements with western lifestyle brands — including several Canadian brands, such as Quebec-based bath care product company Fruits and Passions, which has already signed up — that will appeal to the 25-to 35-year-old demographic.
“Our business is to go from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Sold in China,’ ” Ms. De Silva says.
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