Lululemon: Activewear Brand Opens First Beijing Store

If forced to identify one trend that has captured the hearts and minds of young, upwardly mobile professionals in China’s major cities over the past few years, one would not be unwise to point to health and fitness. Shiny, glass-encased gyms and health-focused restaurants are popping up everywhere, and right at the center of it all are active wear brands like Lululemon, capitalizing on a new willingness to take active wear outside of the gym to brunch or even the office.

Recently opened on the lower ground floor plaza in Taikoo Li North, Lululemon’s first Beijing store is also its largest to date in China. The store is judiciously laid out, encouraging customers to browse the racks of hip running, cycling, and yoga gear for both men and women.

As with all of their stores, Lululemon touts the Sanlitun location as more than just a retail space; rather, it is designed to be the hub for the Lululemon “community” in Beijing. The front of the store is given over to a casual bar area, where customers (although I sense Lululemon probably wouldn’t use that word) are encouraged to hangout and connect. It would appear that that community is indeed alive and well, too, as the store hosts frequent free yoga sessions taught by local instructors. Anyone can sign up for these sessions via the Lululemon official WeChat account (ID: lululemonathletica).

This experiential marketing is key to attracting customers for a premium brand like Lululemon. As those who are familiar with the brand outside of China will be aware, this is not the cheapest workout gear and you will pay an additional premium for the privilege of buying it in China.

Women’s leggings start from around RMB 580 up to over RMB 1,000, with sports bras of various degrees of intensity around the RMB 500 mark. Men’s clothing is similarly priced. Nevertheless, you certainly get what you pay for – this is active wear that keeps all your jiggly bits firmly in place, using material that won’t lose its shape over time.

Lululemon
Daily 10am-10pm. NLG-53, Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (6417 8818)
朝阳区三里屯路11号太古里北区下沉广场NLG-53

This article first appeared in the March/April issue of the Beijinger.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos courtesy of Lululemon