Italian leather and fabric upholstery brand Nicoletti Home has partnered with Chinese manufacturer/retailer Manwah to establish a retail network of 50 stores throughout the mainland.
Nicoletti Home already has a strong Asian presence in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Korea.
Manwah will be directly responsible for managing the stores under a franchise agreement, targeting upscale customers. All Chinese stores will be positioned within furniture malls with an average floorspace of 2000–4000sqft.
The first outlet is expected to open by the end of the year in a launch backed by the September furniture show in Shanghai.
The partnership will also be developing a lower-priced collection for production within China, to be distributed by Manwah throughout a 500-store network nationally.
The firm’s world commercial director Eustachio Nicoletti said: “Entrusting the development of the Chinese market to such a renowned and reliable partner is for Nicoletti Home a guarantee of efficiency and rapid growth. The collection we are going to introduce in the 2018 Shanghai Exhibition with a 200sqm (2100+sqft) showroom is addressed at a medium-to-high profile consumer, who appreciates excellent made-in-Italy products.”