Forever 21 (Los Angeles) will soon open a physical store in China, its third attempt to enter the market, reports WWD. Opening under a partnership with Lasonic (Hong Kong), the store, which is currently under construction, will be located in a shopping mall in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, which is considered a third-tier city in China, meaning it has a large population with high spending power.
The fast-fashion apparel brand was founded by husband-and-wife team Do Won Chang and Jin Sook in 1994, and in recent years, Forever 21 struggled to keep up with its international expansion. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and was purchased by SPARC (New York) – the venture between Simon Property Group, Brookfield and Authentic Brands Group – which currently operates 540 stores.
The last time Forever 21 opened a location in China was in 2008 and the brand left the market within a year. In 2011, it opened locations in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing but left the market again in April 2019.
Currently, the brand is now present in China through e-commerce sites like Tmall, VIPshop and Pinduoduo.