John Lobb Launches Owned E-commerce Platform In China

According to Nicholas Holt, John Lobb's director for Asia Pacific and China, John Lobb will launch an owned e-commerce platform in China.

Apart from selling John Lobb shoes, the e-commerce platform would probably open an online reservation service for store experience to realize the interconnection of online and offline.

Holt said that China is an important market for John Lobb and they will try to expand channels which meet the consumption habits of Chinese consumers. However, the company is cautious about working with third-party e-commerce platforms. Holt said the Chinese market changes rapidly and John Lobb will select e-commerce partners after full consideration. Meanwhile, John Lobb has mature owned e-commerce in the European market and their e-commerce operating model can be copied to China.

John Lobb's businesses include finished shoes, optional customization, and tailored customization. Founded in London, UK in 1866, it opened its first customization store in Paris in 1902. In 1976, John Lobb was acquired by Hermes Group and launched finished shoes products after that.

John Lobb entered the Chinese mainland market in 2010. So far, the brand has opened stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.