How Calzedonia Group conquered Hong Kongs streets and shopping malls

If you’ve gone shopping in Hong Kong recently, chances are you’ve spotted a Calzedonia or Intimissimi store. 

The legwear and lingerie brands, under the umbrella of Italian fashion company Calzedonia Group, have been expanding across the city over recent years. Since 2016, we’ve assisted them in successfully opening 10 new stores in both prime shopping malls and high street locations, each with an accompanying warehouse space. 

Considering Calzedonia’s ambitious timelines, leasing so many stores in just two years, without compromising standards, was no mean feat.  

Amid a sluggish period for Hong Kong’s retail sales and tourism, and with fierce competition for stores, we took a strategic, long-term approach, encouraging Calzedonia to consider expansion outside the city’s traditional retail hubs.

We used a database of 12,500 retail outlets to analyse where Calzedonia’s target customers shop and where they were spending their time…and money. Among Calzedonia’s recent wins—an Intimissimi store on one of the most desirable retail streets in the world, Kai Chiu Road in Causeway Bay, which is famed for its high foot traffic. Despite a significant number of contenders for the space, we secured it and negotiated a significant rental discount.

"JLL's thoughtful long-term approach to our expansion plans has really paid off," says Matteo Veronesi, Managing Director for Calzedonia Hong Kong Limited. "The team have taken the time to really understand our business goals, and their market intelligence has been invaluable in helping us move quickly to secure stores in key retail locations across Hong Kong."

Our work with Calzedonia Group doesn't stop here—we continue to help them explore opportunities across Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China. We have now also successfully secured seven stores for Calzedonia Group in Shanghai.