Jack Wolfskin taking back control of the Chinese market

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Jan 14, 2015

Jack Wolfskin wants to consolidate its Chinese activities and see to its own distribution again. This change will take affect at the end of March. Until now, the German outdoor specialist had been working with Tristate Holdings, its distributor and license holder since 2008.

According to the local press, the contract, which was to last one year, was terminated early, with Jack Wolfskin getting the authorisation for its subsidiary to work alone.

In exchange, Tristate Holdings, a textile and distribution giant based in Hong Kong, retains a consulting and service contract.

Jack Wolfskin focused on development in China very early. Over the last 4 years the brand has seen the number of its stores jump from 100 to 700. But these numbers are hard to verify given the frequency of the stores' moves. Thus, in a release in 2011 announcing the extension of the contract with Tristate, Jack Wolfskin cited 220 stores.

Among its international markets, Melody Harris-Jensbach, CEO since a few months, mentions particularly positive development in China and the UK.