Today the British Fashion Council (BFC) is delighted to announce a new partnership between the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and JD.com, China’s largest retailer with 258.3 million customers.

With China being the world’s second largest consumer and luxury market and an increased interest from Chinese consumers for British designers, the partnership will allow the BFC to help talent engage with the Chinese market. Earlier this year JD.com launched JD Fashion with the goal of expanding its global fashion presence and bring more brands to China. This partnership will help enable the company to support Britain’s design talent and increase their footprint in China.

JD Fashion will help designers that are part of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund to enter an often difficult to navigate Chinese market. Known for their focus on providing a premium luxury shopping experience for its upwardly mobile customers, JD Fashion has made a significant push in the sector over the last year, bringing in dozens of world-class brands and rapidly growing its share of the Chinese luxury market. JD Fashion has made inroads with ever-more choosy Chinese consumers through its reputation for not tolerating counterfeits, and offering a variety of services to make the online experience every bit as luxurious as shopping offline. Earlier this year, JD.com created the world’s first luxury white glove service through which online luxury fashion purchases are hand-delivered in electric vehicles by couriers clad in distinctive suits.

The partnership will be effective from January 2018 and will benefit the 2018 Fund winners. To launch this partnership JD Fashion supported Mary Katrantzou, winner in 2015 and Huishan Zhang shortlisted in 2017 on their London Fashion Week September 2017 shows.

Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive British Fashion Council said: “The Chinese market is extremely important to our designers. This partnership with JD Fashion is very exciting as it will enable us to offer to the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund expertise on how to best penetrate the Chinese market. JD.com is a company that is known for protecting its brands against counterfeits, something very important as we need to make sure that the creativity and excellence of our designers is protected.”

Xia Ding, President JD Fashion commented: “We are delighted to partner with the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund to help support the world’s best up-and-coming designers. We believe strongly in partnering with designers throughout their careers, from helping them get their start in the industry, to entering the Chinese market and building their brands, to protecting their IP. This marks a starting point for what we expect to be a deep, long-term relationship with the British fashion community.”

Established in 2008, the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund aims to discover new talent and accelerate the development of the next leading British brand. In 2017 the Fund adjusted its format with a focus on bringing key expertise into designer businesses to assist with development and growth. The £200,000 fund was opened up to be shared between up to three recipients, enabling the fund to benefit multiple designers at a pivotal stage in the growth of their brand’s development. Mother of Pearl and palmer//harding, winners of the 2017 Fund received a full mentoring programme through the BFC’s Business Support team, including access to funders and industry experts.

JD.com joins existing funders including British Vogue, Burberry, Harrods, LABEL, Paul Smith and Topshop.

Previous winners of the Fund include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto and Sophia Webster.

The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund is part of the BFC’s business support initiatives aimed at supporting British designers and businesses from school level to emerging talent and future fashion start-ups through to new establishment and global brands.

For more information please visit: britishfashioncouncil.com/designerfashionfund

JD.com, China’s largest online retailer, today announced the expansion of its ongoing partnership with Italian high fashion brand Armani, with the arrival of official online stores for two more Armani product lines, Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange. The two labels join the Armani product lines EA7 Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, and Emporio Armani Underwear, which made their debut with separate stores on JD.com earlier this year.  As the demand for luxury goods in China continues to grow, these kinds of partnerships allow JD to provide Chinese shoppers with more opportunities than ever before to enjoy top global names in high fashion like Armani.

With the arrival of leisurewear brand Emporio Armani, and Armani’s most affordably priced, youth-oriented label, Armani Exchange, Chinese consumers will have more opportunities to engage with the Armani brand than ever before. The new stores come as part of JD.com’s push to continue bringing Chinese consumers the authentic, high-end products they love.

Armani established the Emporio Armani label in 1981, at which time it was hailed as an ahead-of-its-time concept and quickly gained popularity all over the world. Emporio Armani’s innovation was to bring the Armani brand and signature design to a vast selection of products, from men and women’s clothing to perfume and sunglasses. Armani Exchange, launched in 1991, is renowned for its cutting edge designs inspired by street culture and dance music. Largely marketed to young people at an accessible price point, Armani Exchange remains at the vanguard of ready-to-wear fashion today.

This year, JD.com has made great strides in bringing international high fashion to Chinese consumers. In June, JD.com launched a strategic partnership with Farfetch, the leading global e-commerce platform for the fashion industry, opening the gateway to China’s $80 billion luxury goods market. Under this partnership, Chinese consumers now have access to 700 brands and boutiques in the Farfetch community. In addition to the Farfetch partnership, in 2017 JD has embarked on partnerships with several top international luxury brands such as Swarovski, Zenith, Chopard, and Replay. Furthermore, luxury brands now have the option to have their high fashion purchases delivered through JD.com’s recently launched white-glove service, JD Luxury Express.

This week, JD.com launched its Super Hairy Crab Day sales event ahead of the highly-anticipated season for the coveted crustaceans. The event was a huge success, in only 24 hours selling nearly two million crabs and coupons for crabs that customers will give as gifts.

Over the past few years, online sales of Hairy Crabs have spiked – and with JD.com’s efficient logistics network, consumers in over 300 cities across China can now enjoy fresh crabs within 48 hours, and in less than 24 hours in 150 cities. Customers located in cities closer to the heart of crab production, such as Shanghai and Suzhou, are able to receive live crabs within six hours.

JD.com takes special precautions throughout the entire Hairy Crab delivery process so consumers can enjoy the freshest live crabs, including tailor-made packaging to ensure optimum temperature control and air flow. More importantly, by leveraging JD.com’s self-operated cold chain logistics network, the crabs are under 24-hour surveillance throughout the entire process including packaging, distribution, and cross-city and last-mile delivery.

Starting this year, customers will also be eligible for JD.com’s Fresh Crab Insurance. If any crabs purchased directly from JD.com die within six hours upon delivery, customers will be eligible for a refund.

Driven by JD.com’s reputation for quality, sales of Hairy Crabs on the site grew 500% in January to August compared to the same period a year earlier. Beijing and Guangzhou were the hottest markets for Hairy Crab purchases – with Beijing sales increasing a whopping 800% since last year. We anticipate an even bigger spike in sales for September 2017.

As JD’s logistics network reaches more and more people throughout China, the company expects Hairy Crab sales to grow even further. For example, in the southwestern province of Guangxi, Hairy Crab sales in the first half of this year saw an 860% increase from the same period in 2016.

Currently, JD.com offers high-quality crabs from a variety of sources, including from Lake Yangcheng, Lake Tai and Lake Hongze in Jiangsu – as well as emerging areas such as Lake Panjin in Liaoning and Lake Dazong in Jiangsu. Since increasing their exposure to consumers by selling on JD.com, fishermen from Lake Panjin and Lake Dazong have experienced more than a 350% increase in monthly sales.

To support the development of sustainable Hairy Crab production, JD.com has joined with local governments in 10 key crab production areas, including Lake Yangcheng, Lake Tai and Lake Hongze to form a strategic crab alliance. By working together, JD.com will be able to promote industry standardization, improve production sustainability and bring rapid “lake-to-table” delivery of fresh, high-quality Hairy Crabs to consumers throughout China.

“Super Hairy Crab Day” is the latest “Super Product Day” or “Super Brand Day” on JD.com, programs designed to promote specific brands or product categories. On July 7, JD.com’s Super American Cherry Product Day saw sales of more than 15.7 million cherries from Chelan, Washington.

At this season’s New York Fashion Week, JD.com, China’s largest retailer, kicked off a partnership with 3.1 Phillip Lim, as the title sponsor of the NY-based modern luxury designer brand’s Spring/Summer 2018 Runway Show. By working with JD, the e-commerce platform of choice for upwardly mobile Chinese consumers, 3.1 Phillip Lim effectively shortens the distance between Chinese fashionistas and global trends. The fast-growing Chinese market is incredibly important to 3.1 Phillip Lim and the brand is excited to share their Spring runway experience with JD’s more than 258 million customers.

“My Chinese heritage has always influenced who I am as a person and as a creative. The Chinese market is an important part of our future brand expansion and we want to connect with more Chinese consumers. JD is an incredible platform and we are very grateful for their partnership in bringing the runway show experience to their customers,” said Phillip Lim, Creative Director.

“As Chinese consumers demand a wider and more sophisticated range of high-end fashion brands, we have made it a priority to bring them the world’s best designers,” said Xia Ding, President of JD Fashion. “As one of the top American designers, Phillip’s modern aesthetic resonates globally and we hope to work together to grow his business throughout Asia.”

For Spring 2018, 3.1 Phillip Lim explored an eclectic mix of modern day classics reimagined with touches of madness. Keeping to his mantra of ‘cool, easy, chic,’ pinstripe tailoring, deconstructed utility, and flamenco ruffles were abundant, offering wardrobe staples that are both youthful and elegant.

While Chinese affection for baiju continues to grow unabated, imported alcohol is increasingly finding a place in the drinking glasses of Chinese consumers, according to data from JD.com, China’s largest retailer.

Western spirits still make up only a small portion of the total Chinese market for alcohol, which is dominated by baijiu—a clear, strong, grain liquor that is used to toast occasions large and small across all parts of Chinese society. But the category is growing at a fast clip as more choices become more broadly available and as “cocktail culture” begins to gain in popularity.

Bacardi rum, for example, which announced last year that JD would become its exclusive e-commerce partner for its portfolio of brands in China, saw GMV rise by some 400% in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2016.

In general, western spirits are growing at a faster clip than baijiu, JD data shows. The trend comes as curious drinkers in China’s cities find new western alcohol choices in restaurants, bars and clubs, and have difficulty finding the brands like Bacardi, Grey Goose vodka, Dewar’s or Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskeys or Remy Martin, in local shops. Those consumers have increasingly turned to their smart phones or computers to place their orders on JD.com, knowing they’ll find a wide range of only authentic brands, and that they’ll receive their purchases quickly and packed securely, handled every step of the way by a JD employee.

To address that growing demand from more than a quarter-billion customers, JD.com has launched marketing efforts to help educate them on available options.

Meanwhile, brands are working with JD.com to introduce new products to a receptive audience. Bacardi recently launched a new alcoholic drink exclusively on JD; distilled from Chinese tea leaves and produced in France, the new “Tang” drink combines multiple traditions and flavors in a way that is attracting consumer interest.

China continues to have a growing thirst for quality imported wine as well. JD’s customers bought some 20 million bottles of imported wine in the first half of 2017, with France leading the pack, followed closed by imports from Australia and Chile.

Bottoms up!

Leading International Brands Including Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, Remington, Rayovac, FURminator, Tetra, Armor All and Kwikset to Launch Flagship Stores Through JD.com

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., a global consumer products company offering an expanding portfolio of leading brands providing superior value to consumers and customers every day, today announced the launch of a substantial online sales effort in China on e-commerce giant JD.com, China’s largest retailer.

Spectrum Brands will offer a broad range of consumer goods via multiple flagship stores beginning this month, providing Chinese consumers with the opportunity to purchase high-quality products for many of its leading brands in categories including home appliances, personal care, pet supplies, hardware and home improvement, home and garden, batteries and auto care.

Flagship stores covering brands such as Remington, Rayovac, George Foreman, Armor All, STP, Tetra, Dingo, FURminator and Nature’s Miracle will be launched in the coming weeks as a phase one implementation.

“We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with JD.com as it will accelerate Spectrum Brands’ entrance into the world’s largest e-commerce market,” said Dave Albert, Managing Director of Asia-Pacific for Spectrum Brands. “Through JD.com’s high-quality, online shopping platform, we will offer our expanding portfolio of innovative and trusted products to hundreds of millions of emerging middle-class consumers in China.”

“We are delighted to be able to offer some of Spectrum Brands’ great range of products to our more than 258 million active customers in China,” said Carol Fung, President of JD Fast Moving Consumer Goods. “Spectrum Brands’ well-known, high-quality products will delight our customers who are looking to improve their lives and their homes.”

Products from Spectrum Brands’ new flagship stores, as well as hundreds of thousands of other items available on JD.com, will be delivered to the homes of customers via JD’s world-class logistics network and same- or next-day shipping guarantee.