A Korean teddy bear has captured the hearts of Chinese consumers.
Teenie Weenie, a casual clothing line put out by Korea’s E-Land Group, recorded annual sales last year of over KRW 500 billion in mainland China.

Characterized by cute teddy bears that wear men's and women’s outfits, it was only in 2004 that Teenie Weenie opened five shops there and first penetrated the Chinese market. Its number of Chinese shops surpassed 1,200 as of January 2015.

Thanks to its cute and luxury image, Teenie Weenie is particularly popular with teenagers and customers in their 20s. Thanks to its newly launched Teenie Weenie cafés and its line of household items, the brand is attracting even more customers across a wider age range. This raised annual sales to KRW 500 billion in 2014 from the previous year’s KRW 400 billion, up KRW 100 billion in only one year.






Thanks to the preferences of Chinese customers, who love bears, Teenie Weenie shops in China are even popular among visitors who go there just to take a photo with the over-sized teddy bears. Its newest line of clothes and accessories, Gold Bear, reflecting many Chinese's preference for yellow and golden colors, helped raise the brand's popularity in China last year.

Teenie Weenie can found through various shopping channels, including major department stores in 30 provinces, shopping malls, online shopping sites and elsewhere. It is exported to many East Asian markets, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. This year, the company will focus on men's and kids' clothing lines and extend its number of shops in China to 1,600. It will also open 40 flagship stores and launch a new jewelry line.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr