Two major foreign brands that have been deeply rooted in the Chinese market for decades are now pulling out of China. French fashion brand Etam recently announced the closure of its Tmall flagship store and all online channels, officially exiting the Chinese market. Germany’s renowned lingerie brand Triumph International previously declared that it will cease operations in mainland China by December 31, 2025.
On November 30, the official Tmall flagship store of Etam in China ceased operations. According to information from staff members cited by “21st Century Economic Report,” outlets on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and Douyin (TikTok) were also simultaneously shut down.
In its announcement, Etam stated that due to business adjustments, the online stores being closed were its last remaining lingerie business in the Chinese market.
Prior to the closure, Etam started clearance sales in October. Some consumers expressed on social media platforms, “Etam represents the youthful memories of women born in the 80s.”
Etam’s first retail store opened in Berlin, Germany in 1916. In 1994, Etam entered the Chinese market for the first time, adopting a “local sales, local manufacturing” business model where product design and production were both done in China. By June 2014, Etam had already established 3,083 stores in China. It wasn’t until 2015 that their lingerie business in the Chinese market was introduced.
However, Etam’s operations in China began to slow down starting from 2012. In 2018, Etam sold its ready-to-wear business in the Chinese market, including Etam Weekend, ES, and E&JOY, to an investment firm in Hong Kong, retaining only the lingerie business. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Etam’s store count in China dropped to zero and they maintained only online lingerie shops.
Almost simultaneously with Etam, the German high-end lingerie brand, Triumph International, announced that it will cease operations in mainland China starting from December 31, 2025. According to reports from Jiemian News and Urban Express, major online platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and Douyin, will cease their after-sales services no later than midnight on December 5; and all offline stores will gradually stop operating by December 31.
Triumph International, founded in 1886 in Germany and currently headquartered in Switzerland, with over 130 years of history, is one of the world’s largest lingerie manufacturers. In 1992, Triumph International entered the Chinese market, being one of the earliest foreign brands to introduce underwire bras to China.
From 2001 to 2002, Triumph International brought the lingerie fashion show “Dreams on a Trip” to China, which deepened the concept of underwire bras in people’s minds. In 2008, the brand officially entered the retail market in mainland China.
Currently, Triumph International’s Tmall flagship store has over 2.41 million fans, significantly higher than Etam’s 350,000.
In addition to Triumph International, other foreign lingerie brands operating in China are also facing challenges. Japanese lingerie manufacturer “Wacoal” reduced nearly 10% of its Chinese stores in the 2024 fiscal year and plans to continue closing loss-making stores. The American brand “Victoria’s Secret” also closed its largest store in Beijing in 2023.
Both Etam and Triumph International did not specify the exact reasons for closing their stores, but the profound changes in the Chinese consumer market cannot be ignored. Against the backdrop of slowing economic growth and expectations of declining income, consumers are more inclined towards products with better value for money, displaying a noticeable increase in price sensitivity.