Wenzhou businessman Sun Xiaofei was relieved. He eventually won the right to receive certain trademarks of the Pierre Cardin China market.
The purchase of Pierre Cardin has finally concluded: On the afternoon of January 8, 2010, Cheng Long Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Cheng Long shares - Sun Xiaofei and other Wenzhou businessmen to acquire Pierre Cardin and specifically established company ) The office in Paris, France received a statement signed by Mr. Pierre Cardin personally: Pierre Cardin has signed an agreement with Wenzhou Chenglong Company and 37 million euros (approximately 3.7 billion yuan) have been received. Before that (the Pierre Cardin company) did not have negotiations with Shanghai Zhongfu.
This is the first time that Pierre Cardin has officially announced the cooperation. Beginning in April 2009, Sun Xiaofei led three other Wenzhou businessmen to France to head the company with Pierre Cardin, Mr. Pierre Cardin, to negotiate mergers and acquisitions and reached initial intentions, signing the "Intent for Trademark Assignment."
On September 11, 2009, Cheng Long Co. officially signed a "Trademark Transfer Agreement" with Mr. Pierre Cardin in France. Prior to the signing of the agreement, Chenglong had already paid off the 37 million euros transfer price reached by both parties, and Sun Xiaofei obtained the right to use certain trademarks such as leather goods, knitwear, and leather shoes from Pierre Cardin China.
When Sun Xiaofei performed the original plan step by step, the appearance of Shanghai Zhongfu Import and Export Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shanghai Zhongfu) made Sun Xiaofei's acquisition of variables.
Agents are unwilling to follow Sun Xiaofei
Sun Xiaofei has privately disclosed that he will win, and he will be willing to win.
One of the domestic first class agents who have represented Pierre Cardin products for more than 20 years, Shanghai Zhongfu, after learning that the Pierre Cardin brand has been traded, also hopes to acquire ownership. At the same time, Shanghai Zhongfu also issued a statement jointly with more than 20 domestic Pierre Cardin agents, hoping to maximize the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of existing agents, while the first-tier agents fully supported the overall acquisition plan of Shanghai Zhongfa. .
According to Sun Xiaofei’s oral dictation, they signed the Letter of Intent for Trademark Transfer with Pierre Cardin as early as April 2009. However, in October last year, Shanghai Zhongfu stated that it had initiated the purchase of the Pierre Cardin trademark in China in March 2009. In August of the same year, it obtained the official approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, and has acquired it in the downtown area of ​​Paris, France. A subsidiary was established specifically. According to Shanghai's middle service, Shanghai Zhongyi had reached a transfer agreement with Pierre Cardin one month earlier than Sun Xiaofei.
In this regard, Sun Xiaofei initiated a fierce and fierce battle with Shanghai Zhongfu about the transfer of the Pierre Cardin brand. Both parties expressed their opinions. The latter even publicly claimed that they were the only approved purchasers of the National Development and Reform Commission. Other companies and Peeler · Mr. Cardin’s transaction will not be recognized by the competent authorities of the Chinese government. In the future, he will not rule out the use of legal channels to retrieve trademark management rights.
On October 19 last year, Sun Xiaofei submitted an application for the Pierre Cardin trademark transfer to the National Trademark Office and waited for the final approval of the General Administration of Commerce.
On January 7, before the announcement of Pierre Cardin was issued, when the reporter telephoned Sun Xiaofei, he said that he did not want to explain this matter too much, depending on the final result.
In fact, Sun Xiaofei has already made careful arrangements for the transferee brand. On August 17 last year, the industrial, commercial and taxation relations of Cheng Long, which Sun Xiaofei and the company established for the acquisition of Pierre Cardin, moved to Wenzhou Development Zone. Zhao Yide, the mayor of Wenzhou City, made clear instructions to support the project's settlement in the development zone. At the same time, the Wenzhou Development Zone specially organized a investment promotion team to serve Chenglong shares. In the next step, the development zone will implement the plan based on the project provided by Chenglong Co., Ltd. and apply for land after confirmation. The two sides will also sign a framework agreement to settle the project in the development zone to ensure that the project will be implemented in the development zone as soon as possible.
According to Sun Xiaofei’s assumption, after the success of this campaign, Chenglong shares will become the Pierre Cardin global procurement R&D center in China and use Pierre Cardin’s global channels to promote the products of China and Wenzhou. Along with this acquisition, There will be a huge development plan for Pierre Cardin.
Informed sources disclosed that the discussions between Sun Xiaofei and Mr. Pierre Cardin were indeed early in Shanghai. However, when an agent headed by Shanghai Zhongfu heard the news that Pierre Cardin, who had been deputizing for more than two decades, was taken over by Wenzhou businessmen, they had a kind of conflict from the heart, which was the last thing they wanted to happen. . Therefore, they began to rush to compete with Sun Xiaofei for the trademark of the Pierre Cardin brand.
On January 7, 2010, the reporter called Tianjin Geda, another agent of Pierre Cardin, to verify the matter. The other party promised to reply later, but did not receive any reply at the time of writing. Interviews with reporters and Shanghai Service failed.
“Before we heard Sun Xiaofei talk about purchasing Pierre Cardin, it was a foregone conclusion. When Shanghai Zhongfu also hoped to acquire the right of acquisition, Sun Xiaofei disclosed privately that he would win and he would be willing to win it. This confidence is due to his very successful cases and experience in international brand agency, which is completely different from the agency operation of Pierre Cardin. It is his experience in this area that impressed Pierre Cardin.†A person close to Sun Xiaofei revealed to reporters.
Peel Cardin chooses “satisfied†for China
After several meetings between Sun Xiaofei and Pierre Cardin, the two parties talked with each other.
Sun Xiaofei received the trademark of Pierre Cardin from excitement, anger, and calmness, as if it were after a parabola. Although Shanghai Zhongfu said that it does not rule out the legal solution, Mr. Pierre Cardin’s above confirmation has already put an end to this matter.
After Mr. Pierre Cardin’s statement was reported to the newspapers, the reporter first called Sun Xiaofei’s cell phone to try to contact the interview, but the cell phone was never answered.
On the evening of January 10, Zheng Chenai, president of the Wenzhou Garment Merchants Association, said in a phone interview with reporters that Pierre Cardin rightly transferred the brand right to Sun Xiaofei. This is a win-win choice. In fact, Pierre Cardin has a special liking for China and he is very optimistic about this huge market in China. Pierre Cardin chooses the transferee. It is important to look at each other's ability to operate, to identify with the brand and to maintain the brand's consistent style and culture. Sun Xiaofei made other international brands very impressive. This is where Pierre Cardin admires him because Mr. Pierre Cardin wants someone to do a better job with this brand. This is his greatest wish, and Sun Xiaofei is undoubtedly the best. Candidates.
Compared with the agents, Sun Xiaofei's greatest advantage lies in the successful operation of several other internationally renowned brands. Sun Xiaofei was also one of the first Wenzhou businessmen to engage in international brand agency in the late 1980s.
According to statistics, in 1992 Sun Xiaofei started to operate the Italian clothing brand Cardin Road and served as the Hubei agent of Cardin Road brand. In the first half of 2002, it successfully acquired the Cardin Road brand, established Cardin Road (Italy) Co., Ltd. in Guangzhou and served as chairman. He is also the Italian Dupont apparel trademark holder, domestic distributor of Crocodile leather shoes and leather goods, and also holds the Zhuzhou (China City) real estate development project and the Zhuzhou Electromechanical City real estate development project.
International brands such as “Cardin Roadâ€, “Sweet Crocodile King†and “Diano†began to make a qualitative breakthrough in the hands of Sun Xiaofei, and the market sales have been rising year after year. The successful operation of the international brand agency opened another way for Sun Xiaofei to integrate. He began to engage in the development and operation of commercial and real estate projects.
In 2008, Zheshang Investment Group, a joint venture between Sun Xiaofei and fellow villager Ye Lixin, invested 200 million yuan to acquire a 50% stake in Tianma Building, a famous apparel market in Guangzhou.
In fact, Sun Xiaofei's model is preferred by Mr. Pierre Cardin. The legend of Pierre Cardin, who is 88 years old and is unmarried, is not only his unarmed, nothing to the world's top fashion design masters, but his business success is perfect, he completed the achievements that many professional diplomats could not accomplish. .
Sun Xiaofei and Pierre Cardin could not compare with each other. However, it must be admitted that Sun Xiaofei is considered one of the few domestic commercial wizards in international brand agency. According to informed sources, after meeting with Pierre Cardin several times, the two parties talked with each other very well, which added a lot to Sun Xiaofei.
For China, Mr. Pierre Cardin has a lifetime of unforgettable experiences. When China did not move into a market economy in 1979, Pierre Cardin organized the first ever foreign fashion show in China. Since then, Pierre Cardin has officially entered China and has also become a rare international brand on the Chinese market at that time.
An agent of the Pierre Cardin brand revealed to reporters that although Pierre Cardin is currently in a downturn in the Chinese market, an agent has contributed to the promotion of Pierre Cardin in the Chinese market. However, when Pierre Cardin made the brand transfer, we knew that he definitely had his own standards, not just the agency as the only candidate. Sun Xiaofei just obtained trademark rights for certain brands. As for Pierre Cardin’s other products, it is unclear whether the agents can obtain brand trademark rights.
High-end or civilian "Sun's" Pierre Cardin faces choice
The popularity of high-end brands is a trend, but it does not mean that their taste and content will be reduced.
Sun Xiaofei is not alone in the battle. The partner behind him has some experience with international brand agents.
It is reported that Pan Xiaohai, Hong Jianqiao, and Chen Xiaofei, the three Wenzhou fellows of Sun Xiaofei, also took part in this acquisition. Four people jointly invested 2 billion yuan to purchase Pierre Cardin’s trademark rights in China.
The team behind Sun is not the same. Pan Changhai is not only the trademark right holder of Goldlion Leather Products in China. He also purchased Cardin Road together with Sun Xiaofei and specializes in the footwear industry in Cardan Road. Sun Xiaofei operates Cardin Road clothing with a clear division of labor.
Hong Jianqiao is the chairman of Guangzhou Tedi Hualun Industry Co., Ltd., mainly engaged in apparel, bags, handbags, shoes, and in 2005 acquired the "Dadsolid (Dunhill)" registered trademark.
Chen Xiaofei was the first Wenzhou person to get the agency rights of international brands. In 1998, Xiaofei Chen signed Cadillac crocodile leather goods and set up a factory in Dongguan, ending the history of Wenzhou people without brand influence in Guangzhou leather goods market.
When the reporter asked Sun Xiaofei to verify the cooperation methods among them, the shareholding structure, and the future market positioning of Pierre Cardin, Sun declined the interview request because of the current inconvenience.
Zhang Qiongyao, secretary general of the Wenzhou Fashion Chamber of Commerce, analyzed in an interview with reporters that from an international point of view, the popularization of high-end brands is a trend, and even some international brands want to enter supermarkets, but this does not mean that their taste and connotation will reduce.
If Sun Xiaofei can truly achieve the popularity of Pierre Cardin without losing its original taste and connotation, he may be able to complete Mr. Pierre Cardin’s long-cherished wishes. Mr. Pierre Cardin once said: "Although I am a high-fashion designer, I have an irresistible enthusiasm. I want to popularize the elegance of my design so that more women and men can afford it and wear it. On the other hand, the garments that make the style elegant face a large number of consumers."
Regarding the positioning of Pierre Cardin and the recognition of consumers, the industry also has different opinions. “Now, few white-collar workers in big cities buy the Pierre Cardin brand. I believe that the success rate of brand branding after licensing is low, and it is very difficult to maintain the status quo, and it is possible to make an embarrassing situation that is not like four. Pierre Cardin was able to Become a brand name because of systematic marketing factors such as marketing, advertising, and public relations, as well as rigorous and solid customers, products, sales management, and excellent product design and development. This is the result of long-term accumulation, not after spending money. It is tantamount to having it all, and the future repositioning will depend on the direction of the market. In my opinion, this incident is like a child wearing a big hat.†Cheng Wei, a clothing industry veteran, told reporters.
Sun Yimin, dean of the School of Management at Fudan University, who has been studying marketing and managing luxury brands, told reporters that Mr. Pierre Cardin is not only a master of design but also a successful entrepreneur. In the global scope, its brand has many authorizations, and it has successfully extended its high-end brand to the middle and low end. It is worthwhile for Chinese companies to take over the Pierre Cardin brand, but how it will work will be more worthy of attention.