Chinese customers not ready for Harvey Nichols
Dickson Poon, the flamboyant owner of Harvey Nichols, said China would not be ready for the upmarket British department store chain for another two or three years because the country's super-rich were not yet sophisticated luxury goods shoppers.
Although luxury brands have been opening stores in China in the last few years on the back of its growing income, Mr Poon said most Chinese consumers still bought major labels only.
"We encourage the consumers to express their individual taste through mixing and matching different designer products instead of just being a brand follower," said Mr Poon. "[Chinese consumers] are not yet sophisticated enough to have a full understanding of the fashion culture of the different countries which we offer."
Harvey Nichols, which opened its first overseas store in Riyadh in 2000, has been expanding outside the UK rapidly since it was taken private by Mr Poon in February 2003. On Monday, it opened its first Asian store in Hong Kong, Mr Poon's home town, and will launch an outlet in Dublin in two weeks.
The retailer is also opening a site in Dubai at the end of the year, and has just announced plans to open in Istanbul next September.
Harvey Nichols is also considering adding more stores in the UK, where it runs five outlets. Mr Poon said the group could have more stores outside the country in five years, although he expected the bulk of its revenue would still come from the UK. "The UK was doing very well until the terrorist attack. After which there has been some impact as people travel less. But on a long-term basis, I am confident about the UK as a major and a very successful market," he said.
In Asia, Mr Poon said the group would spend the next few years focusing on its Hong Kong store and then expand "prudently" into China and other parts of south-east Asia. Harvey Nichols is considering adding a food market to its Hong Kong branch, which is expected to turn profitable after two years of operation. "We plan to use the next couple of years to firmly establish the success and position of Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and we feel that after this has been achieved, the time will be correct for us to consider expanding Harvey Nichols in China."
While China, in which Mr Poon's Hong Kong-listed company Dickson Concepts has been operating for 13 years, offers huge potential for luxury retailers, he said it would take time for any brand to build a success in the country given its diverse consumer taste, complicated import system and distribution network.
中国富豪，你准备好了吗？
夏菲尼高(Harvey Nichols)百货穿着奢华的老板潘迪生(Dickson Poon)说，未来两到三年，中国还不会做好迎接高档英国百货连锁店的准备，因为中国的超级富豪还不是成熟的奢侈品买家。
虽然由于中国的收入日益增长，过去几年奢侈品牌一直在中国开店，但潘迪生先生表示，大多数中国消费者仍旧只购买主要品牌。
"我们鼓励消费者通过搭配不同设计师的产品，来表达个人品味，而不要一味追随品牌。"潘迪生先生说，"(中国消费者)还不够成熟，无法完整理解我们展示的不同国家的时尚文化。"
夏菲尼高2000年在利雅得开设了第一间海外商店，2003年2月公司被潘迪生先生私有化后，它迅速在英国以外地区扩张。本周一，公司的首间亚洲商店，在潘迪生先生的家乡香港开业。两周后，公司在都柏林的商店也将开业。
今年底，夏菲尼高还将在迪拜开店，它还刚宣布了明年9月在伊斯坦布尔开店的计划。
夏菲尼高还在考虑增加英国的店铺数量，目前它在英国有5间商店。潘迪生先生表示，5年后，集团会有更多海外店铺，但他预计大部分营收仍将来自英国。"恐怖袭击前，英国市场一直很好，袭击之后人们旅游少了，集团生意受到了一些影响。但长期看来，我确信英国是主要市场，而且会非常成功，"他说。
潘迪生先生表示，集团在亚洲未来几年的重点是香港店，然后会"谨慎"挺进中国大陆和东南亚其它地方。夏菲尼高正考虑在其香港店内增加食品部，预计两年后这块业务将实现盈利。"今后几年，我们打算稳固夏菲尼高在香港的成功和地位，我们觉得，达到这一目标后，才是考虑挺进中国大陆的正确时机。"
潘迪生先生旗下的香港上市公司迪生创建(Dickson Concepts)，已在中国大陆开展业务13年。潘迪生先生说，尽管中国为奢侈品零售商提供了巨大机会，但考虑到当地不同的消费品味、复杂的进口体系和配送网络，任何品牌要想在此获得成功都需要时间。
