Li-Ning opens first global flagship Dragon Store in Shanghai, launches Gold Label line
On September 21, Li-Ning opened its first global flagship Dragon Store on Shanghai's Nanjing East Road, simultaneously launching its full Gold Label product line. The Gold Label, featuring the Chinese Olympic Committee logo, targets the functional business commuting segment. The Dragon Store serves as the primary retail channel, with plans for nationwide coverage by 2028. Early market response showed approximately 60% of Gold Label main styles sold out within a week of the Beijing store opening.
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Li-Ning Launches Premium 'Gold Label' Line Targeting Business Commuters as Logo Appeal Fades
Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning has opened its first global flagship store for its 'Gold Label' (Jinbiao) line on Shanghai's Nanjing Road East, marking a strategic push into the functional business commute segment. The new line features understated designs with no prominent logos, low-saturation colors, and tailored silhouettes, reflecting a consumer shift away from ostentatious branding toward quality and detail. Li-Ning executives explained that the Gold Label products repurpose technology from the Chinese Olympic Committee's equipment for everyday comfort, focusing on balance in cushioning, rebound, stability, and support rather than stacking technical parameters. The company aims to break into new customer demographics and upgrade its retail channels, with the Gold Label line already contributing a mid-single-digit percentage of total revenue. However, analysts note the premiumization strategy is a long-term endeavor, facing intense competition in the crowded business commute market from brands like On, Lululemon, and Hoka. Success will depend on repeat purchase data over coming quarters rather than initial store openings.
Read sourceLi-Ning Opens Shanghai Dragon Global Flagship, Leverages Top Resources for Full-Chain Commercial Conversion
On September 21, Li-Ning (02331.HK) opened its first global flagship Dragon Store in Shanghai's Nanjing Road East commercial district, simultaneously launching the full Gold Label product line. The opening represents a strategic move to drive brand elevation and create new growth curves. Since the initial Dragon Store debut in Beijing's三里屯 in late 2025, Li-Ning has implemented a full-chain marketing approach—'rights activation + product conversion + terminal monetization'—to extend national-level professional sports technology into high-quality consumption scenarios, targeting the functional business commuting segment. The Gold Label, which features the Chinese Olympic Committee logo alongside Li-Ning branding, has become an independent category focused on functional business commuting, applying technology validated through national team use. Dragon Stores serve as the core retail channel for Gold Label products, with plans for national coverage by 2028. Initial market response has been positive: approximately 60% of Gold Label 'Super' series main styles sold out within a week of the Beijing store opening. Li-Ning's 2026 first-half results showed apparel revenue up 12% year-on-year, with outdoor categories and Gold Label contributing significant growth. The company has invested over 4 billion yuan in R&D over the past decade, supporting its multi-category expansion strategy.
Li-Ning Opens First Global Flagship Long Store in Shanghai, Leveraging Premium Resources for Commercial Conversion
On September 21, Li-Ning (02331.HK) opened its first global flagship Long Store in Shanghai's Nanjing East Road commercial district, simultaneously launching its Gold Label product line. The store represents a strategic move to build a new growth curve through a full-chain marketing approach combining rights activation, product conversion, and terminal monetization. As an official partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), Li-Ning is leveraging national-level professional sports technology to expand into the functional business commuting market. The Gold Label line, which features the COC logo alongside the Li-Ning brand, has become an independent category focused on functional business wear. The Long Store channel, which includes flagship and standard store formats, is initially targeting Northeast and North China markets, with nationwide coverage expected by 2028. Early market feedback has been positive: at the Beijing Sanlitun Long Store opening, approximately 60% of the main Gold Label 'Chao' series products sold out within a week. Li-Ning's 2026 first-half results showed a 12% year-on-year increase in apparel revenue, with outdoor categories and Gold Label contributing significant growth. The company has invested over 4 billion RMB in R&D over the past decade, supporting its multi-category, multi-channel strategy.
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Li Ning Accelerates Premium Sports Resource Conversion with Gold Label and Dragon Store Synergy
Chinese sportswear company Li Ning (02331.HK) opened its first global flagship store for the 'Dragon Store' concept on Shanghai's Nanjing East Road on September 21, simultaneously launching its full 'Gold Label' product line. The move is part of a strategic push to build a new growth curve by converting its partnership with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) into commercial value. The Gold Label, which features the COC logo alongside the Li Ning brand, is positioned as an independent category focused on functional business commuting. It applies professional sports technology, validated through national team use, to everyday scenarios like business travel. The Dragon Store serves as the primary retail channel for Gold Label products, creating a closed-loop business model from brand exposure to sales conversion. The company reported that during the initial Dragon Store opening in Beijing's Sanlitun, approximately 60% of the main Gold Label 'Super' series models sold out within a week. Li Ning's 2026 first-half results showed a 12% year-on-year increase in apparel revenue, with the Gold Label and outdoor categories contributing significant growth. The company plans to expand the Dragon Store format nationwide by 2028, leveraging over 40 billion yuan in R&D investment over the past decade.
Read sourceLi-Ning Opens Shanghai Dragon Store, Leveraging Olympic Rights for Commercial Growth
On September 21, Li-Ning (02331) opened its first global flagship 'Dragon Store' on Shanghai's Nanjing East Road, showcasing its full 'Gold Label' product line. This launch is part of a broader strategy to elevate the brand and create new growth by leveraging its partnership with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). The 'Gold Label' category, focused on functional business commuting, applies professional sports technology from the COC partnership to everyday scenarios. The Dragon Store serves as the primary retail channel for these products, creating a closed-loop business model from brand exposure to sales conversion. The first Dragon Store opened in Beijing's Sanlitun in December 2025, where approximately 60% of the main 'Super' series items sold out within a week. Li-Ning's 2026 interim report showed a 12% year-on-year revenue increase in apparel, with the outdoor and Gold Label categories contributing significant growth. The company plans to expand the Dragon Store format nationwide by 2028, building on over 4 billion yuan in R&D investment over the past decade.
Li-Ning Opens First Global Flagship Long Store in Shanghai, Bets on Premium Business Commuting Line
Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning has opened its first global flagship 'Long Store' in Shanghai, marking a major push into the premium business commuting segment with its new gold-label product line. The store, located on Nanjing East Road, debuted on September 21. The gold-label series, launched in late 2025, is the first to combine the Chinese Olympic Committee logo with the Li-Ning brand. Management has repeatedly emphasized exploring a sustainable profit model for the Long Store, with co-CEO Qian Wei stating at the half-year results meeting that the company aims to quickly establish independent channel profit models for outdoor and gold-label lines. After market tests via pop-up stores in the second half of 2025, store efficiency exceeded expectations, boosting confidence. The Long Store currently includes flagship and standard store formats, primarily targeting Northeast and North China markets, with recent openings in Changchun, Shenyang, and Harbin. Li-Ning's strategy differs from peers like Anta Sports and Xtep International, as it adheres to a single-brand, multi-category approach. The company sees its partnership with the Chinese Olympic Committee as a core competitive advantage, with the gold-label series sharing full technology with China's sports delegation equipment. Li-Ning's shoe strategy general manager Sun Mingxu noted the industry trend toward lightweight, tailored designs and weaker brand logos, but acknowledged the business commuting segment is a fiercely competitive, zero-sum market where product strength determines consumer choice. In the first half of 2025, Li-Ning's revenue reached 15.235 billion yuan, up 2.8% year-on-year, a record high.
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