German shoe retailer Birkenstock Group has appointed Tiffany Wu to the newly created position of Managing Director Greater China. She took over the position on November 1st and will report to Chief Sales Officer Klaus Baumann, the company announced on Tuesday.
In her new role, Wu will now “lead the business in the Greater China region, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan,” the Birkenstock Group said. Their task is to “significantly increase the visibility of the brand, the brand value and sales in the region”.
According to her new employer, Wu has “more than 18 years of omni-channel experience in premium fashion and luxury in China.” Most recently, she was responsible for business in the Greater China region at the online diamond retailer Blue Nile.
Birkenstock also wants to open its own stores in China in the future
For the shoe supplier, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since mid-October, Greater China is “one of the most important growth regions alongside India and Japan,” according to a statement. The existing “rapidly growing e-commerce business” in China will “in the future be flanked by a strong retail presence with its own stores and by a healthy wholesale business with selected local partners”.
Oliver Reichert, CEO of the Birkenstock Group, emphasized that the shoe supplier has now created the opportunity to accelerate expansion in China. “With the additional capacity we have since launching our new factory in Pasewalk in September 2023, we finally have the bandwidth to satisfy Chinese consumers’ appetite for our products,” he said in a statement.