Belle International

Belle International Holdings Limited is the number one women's shoe retailer in China, with 22% of the domestic market share.[2] It is engaged in the manufacturing, distribution and retail sales of footwear products.[3] It offers a number of brand names within its footwear business, including Belle, Staccato, Teenmix, Tata, Fato, JipiJapa, Joy & Peace and Bata. As of its IPO in May 2007, the company had a retail network comprising 3,828 retail outlets in 150 cities in China and a network of 35 retail outlets in Hong Kong, Macau and the US.[4] In September 2008, Belle was named No. 8 in the BusinessWeek Asia 50, Businessweek's annual ranking of top Asian companies.[5]

Belle International Holdings Limited
百丽国际控股有限公司
Public
Traded asSEHK: 1880
ISINKYG097021045 
IndustryFootwear
Founded1991
FounderMr. Yiu Tang
HeadquartersShenzhen, China[1]
Area served
People's Republic of China
Key people
Non-Executive Chairman: Mr. Deng Yao CEO: Mr. Baijiao Sheng
ProductsShoes
Revenue$1.5 billion (2009)
Number of employees
71,789 (2009)
WebsiteBelle International Holdings Limited

History

Belle's founder and chairman, Tang Yiu, started Lai Wah Footwear Trading Ltd. in 1981 in Hong Kong.[6] He started Belle International in 1991 as a shoe wholesale manufacturer, and the company expanded into retail in 2004.[2] It attracted private equity investors including Morgan Stanley and domestic Chinese private equity manager CDH. In May 2007 Belle raised $1.1 billion in an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The offering was priced at the top of the range, at 31 times its estimated 2007 earnings, after retail investors ordered more than 500 times the shares initially earmarked for them.[7] According to the IPO prospectus, an investment company linked to Groupe Arnault, parent of French luxury goods group LVMH, purchased $30 million worth of shares as a strategic corporate investor.[4] Belle raised an additional $775 million in two secondary listings in November 2007 and April 2008, which it used to buy several competing brands.[2]

In 2007, Belle reported profits of $291 million (up 102% over 2006) on sales of $1.7 billion (up 89% over 2006). Its three women's brands - Staccato, Millie's, and Joy&Peace - account for about a 50% share of the $90-$150 shoe segment in China. Non-sports shoes account for 67% of sales, and licensing agreements with global brands make up the remainder.[2] In 2006, Belle International won the contract to be the biggest distributor of Nike and Adidas in China. Belle International also operates other sports and leisure wear brands including Li Ning, Reebok, and Kappa (company).[6]

In 2009, Belle sold its shares in Fila China to ANTA Sports, which Fila China was its subsidiary (owned 85%).[8]

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-08-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Shoe Seller Belle Conquers China". BusinessWeek.com, September 5, 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  3. Belle International Holdings Limited
  4. "China's Belle Intl brings in France's LVMH as Hong Kong IPO corporate investor". Forbes.com, May 9, 2007. May 9, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  5. "BusinessWeek Asia 50 Interactive Scoreboard". BusinessWeek.com, September 4, 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  6. "Belle International Takes the Right Steps". China Business Feature, November 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  7. "Belle said to raise $1.1 billion in Hong Kong IPO". International Herald Tribune, May 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  8. "DISCLOSEABLE TRANSACTIONS PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF FULL PROSPECT LIMITED AND FILA MARKETING (HONG KONG) LIMITED" (PDF). ANTA. Published by Hong Kong Stock Exchange. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
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