Beaucre Merchandising Co. Ltd: A Successfully Internationalizing Korean Apparel Company

Abstract

Ever since its inception in 1991, Korean apparel company Beaucre Merchandising Co. Ltd. has been evolving into a global apparel company. In its 23-year history, it has created seven of its own brands, a sales subsidiary in Shanghai, China, and a total of 553 directly managed sales outlets across six countries with approximately 50% of their revenue generated from international business, without owning any production facilities. The company’s further expansion to US and European countries was achieved via wholesale systems. The company’s first and signature brand on & on achieved huge success in China, mainly due to timing and well-coordinated marketing strategies around a prestige brand image offering business attire for young women. The development of the Korean and Chinese apparel industries is touched on in this chapter to explain why Beaucre’s entry into China in 1999 was an innovative move. Their internationalization strategies are analyzed and implications drawn from both academic and practical perspectives.