Tommy Hilfiger talked with WWD about his plans to majorly expand his store presence around the world. It's an ambitious plan, and he says the key is controlling the growth. Hilfiger has 950 stores that he operates around the world. The new stores will be in North America, Europe and in new markets such as Central and South America, and China.
In an exclusive interview, Hilfiger pointed to Central and South America, where the brand has been present for the past 20 years and where it has 130 stores, as hot properties.
"We see the region as a big emerging growth market," he said. "Brazil is untapped. We've seeded Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico -- and now we're poised for growth there. The brand is primed for those areas, too, with cotton and bright colors."
China, too, offers an enormous opportunity, he said. "It's already a powerhouse for us, and we've concentrated in Beijing and Shanghai. But there are cities whose names I don't even know that have populations of 5 million people, and we will open stores in those places."
Tommy said that his flagship store in Manhattan has been doing extremely well. European visitors see U.S. prices as huge bargains because the value of the dollar has fallen so low against the Euro.
Hilfiger has been on a whirlwind tour, opening stores and picking up awards, including a lifetime achievement award at the Marie Claire Fashion Grand Prix Awards.
