Miu Miu has opened its first flagship store in Wuhan, the largest city in central China, inside the newly opened SKP department store.
Located at Avenue K, the outdoor retail promenade at SKP in Wuhan, the standalone store covers approximately 5,200 square feet across three floors.
The store’s exterior reflects the Miu Miu concept of a “home”, with light-colored brick walls and large windows that allow passersby to peek into its carefully curated interior.
“Each floor reveals a different world, echoing the brand’s unique vision,” Miu Miu said in a statement.
The store’s first and second floors bring together the full range of Miu Miu collections, including ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories and footwear, while the third floor offers the brand’s most exclusive products in a private lounge with access to two private salons.
Miu Miu’s first store in Wuhan opened a decade ago in the prestigious Wuhan International Plaza shopping mall. The brand has a total of 24 stores in mainland China.
Miu Miu and SKP held a grand opening celebration on Wednesday with a lion and dragon performance, a Taoist ritual meant to bring good luck to new stores.
Wuhan SKP is the fourth store of the old Beijing department store chain and opened last summer.
Avenue K is a corridor along the river containing 44 properties that have been repurposed by SKP for brand acquisitions and is about 1.5 kilometers long. The SKP section occupies about a third of the commercial avenue known as “Han Street”.
Torquil McIntosh, co-founder of Sybarite Architects and long-time SKP partner, said at the opening: “The buildings and landscape are designed to allow the flagship store to finally take control of its own image, gathering a dense, diverse and rich brand style, but without losing the sophistication and breadth of the SKP brand retail experience.”
So far, luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Coach, Moncler, Balenciaga, Gucci and Prada have opened standalone stores in K Avenue. Louis Vuitton and Dior’s magnificent billboards stand side by side with the main building of SKP, looking like a glowing lantern from a distance.
Faced with the sluggish luxury market, Miu Miu is vigorously expanding its retail business in China. Following the SKP in Wuhan, the brand plans to open a ground floor store in the high-end shopping mall Xi’an MixC, which opened in December last year.
Miu Miu’s latest fourth quarter revenue exceeded the 1 billion euro mark. According to Bernstein, the brand has maintained its “heavyweight” position in the Chinese market, achieving significant growth on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu.
Bernstein said Miu Miu and Ralph Lauren were two of the hottest brands mentioned in the bank’s retail survey in April this year.
“Both Ralph Lauren and Miu Miu have captured the desire of young Chinese consumers for a quieter, more stylish and intellectual look,” Bernstein said in the report.