Italian Shoe brand ' Rene Caovilla' to debut in China

Targeting well-to-do consumers in Taiwan and free independent travelers from China, Rene Caovilla, an Italian luxury shoe brand, will set up its first foothold at the upscale Bellavita mall in ritzy eastern Taipei this September.

Rene Caovilla will open a flagship store on the second floor of Bellavita, with insiders saying the Italian brand is well-known in the luxury footwear market and its chief designer once created high-heel shoes for the late Princess Diana. The top-end shoes generally retail for NT$20,000-100,000 (US$666-3,333) and some 50,000 pairs were sold globally last year to generate NT$2.5 billion (US$83.33 million) in sales.

Other upscale footwear brands as Bally, Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton are reportedly planning expansions in Taiwan. After three decades in Taiwan, Bally has 10 stores island-wide, but will set up three more stores next year to meet potential demand from Chinese FITs, with two in the north, one centrally and another in the south.

A senior Bally executive said, besides hand bags, the brand will promote also clothing as part of its line in Taiwan starting this fall, aiming for a 15% growth in revenues this year on the island.

Hermes has decided to double sales floorage at the Grand Formosa Regent hotel in Taipei, as well as launch Hermes-branded furniture soon. Likewise, LV also plans to double the size of its Taipei 101 store and Dior to establish its world`s largest cosmetics counter across some 21,600 square feet.