Jimmy Choo is going to Hong Kong. Jimmy Choo, the company, that is. Not Jimmy Choo himself, who now has nothing to do with the company that now bears his name. But his niece does design for the company, just to make it more complex. In any event, there will soon be bigger and better Jimmy Choo shoe stores opening in Hong Kong.
Jimmy Choo said Tuesday it formed a joint venture with Bluebell Far East Limited to own and operate Choo stores in Hong Kong.
In October, the brand will open a 1,000-square-foot flagship on the ground floor of The Landmark in the Central district. The new Hong Kong unit will replace Choo's smaller one, which has been in the same shopping complex since 2004.
Two additional Hong Kong locations have recently opened under the partnership: A 1,100-square-foot store at Elements in Kowloon, and a 450-square-foot store at Hong Kong International Airport. All of the new stores carry the full range of Choo accessories and eyewear.
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In other developments, the brand will receive Nordstrom's 2009 Partners in Excellence Award next month. The award is given to the top vendors in the store in terms of profits and sales, and whose organizations exemplify a spirit of partnership.
Previous recipients include Burberry, Juicy Couture and Tory Burch. The award will be presented on May 19 at Nordstrom's annual meeting of the board in Seattle.
Jimmy Choo sales are up 35% in London, mostly from the tourist trade. The company said that customers want to buy styles they don't see in their home stores.
