In recent years, the booming development of China's home furnishing industry and consumers' love for traditional British brands have driven the growth of British home furnishing brand Laura Ashley in the Chinese market. The brand parent company and Malaysian family business MUI Group also said that The Chinese market will be their main focus for the development of the brand in Asian business.

In 2016, Laura Ashley re-formally entered the Chinese market by opening a Tmall flagship store. The company said that as more and more consumers deepen their understanding of the brand, the brand's sales have improved greatly. At present, The monthly year-on-year sales growth of the brand in the Chinese market can exceed 10%, which proves the brand's development potential.

Andrew Khoo, the current chairman and CEO of Ma Lian Industry, stressed that in the past year, the brand will focus on online sales channels. In the future, when sales and market response reach the “critical stage”, they will choose the right partner to open a physical store.

Andrew Khoo said that the three profit warnings issued by the brand in the past two years have been affected by the UK's sluggish market environment. The decision to close 40 UK stores will help the brand to better enter the Asian market and focus on the brand's business development in the Chinese market. It is reported that Chinese consumers are one of the largest consumer groups in Laura Ashley's UK store, which greatly enhances their confidence in the brand's development in China.

（Source: JJgle.com）