Chinese sportswear producers are making a push in Southeast Asia by gaining more momentum through localization.

Anta Sports Products Ltd is expected to reach 1,000 stores for its athletic wear products across Southeast Asia within three years, fueled by its multibrand strength, heavy localization and an upscaled supply chain, said Will Wang, vice-president of Anta Group and president of Anta Southeast Asia Region.

In the first half, Anta brand's retail sales in the region nearly doubled.

"Southeast Asia is critical to our global growth plan," said Wang. "True globalization means achieving localization in every market while staying true to the brand's DNA."

With a large and growing population, high-speed economic growth and rising purchasing power, the sportswear sector in Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, with the highest CAGR between 2025 and 2029 forecast at 8.8 percent in Malaysia, 4.9 percent in Singapore and 5.2 percent in Indonesia, said Euromonitor International.

Chinese sportswear brands value the region as a solid growth driver. In January, 361 Degrees opened its first overseas directly operated store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since last year, Xtep had plans to focus on Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam, while cross-border e-commerce is being actively developed.

Anta currently runs nearly 60 stores under six brands in Singapore alone. Its Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore oversees operations for multiple brands — including Anta, Fila and Descente — and employs more than 400 local staff members, with nearly 80 percent hired from the domestic labor pool.

Across the region, Anta now has about 3,000 employees, 96 percent of whom are locals. "The country general manager has to come from the local market," Wang said. "Otherwise, you can't truly deliver on localization."

Wang said the company categorizes brands and products by market performance. "If one category does well in a market, we'll add another. We don't just flood new markets with every brand at once — that would be waste of resources," he said.

For example, Descente is prioritized in Malaysia, where golf is popular. Wilson has tapped into Vietnam's emerging pickleball craze. In the Philippines, basketball enthusiasm drives Anta's sales, where the brand has committed to sponsoring local tournaments at every level — from high school to national championships. That strategy has yielded quick wins.

In Vietnam for example, Wilson generated $1 million in sales within two months of launch, said Wang.

In 2019, Anta acquired Finnish sporting goods conglomerate Amer Sports — owner of Wilson Sporting Goods — for an estimated $5.2 billion.

The company is also investing in Southeast Asian manufacturing as part of its global supply chain expansion. Nearly half the products sold in the region are now made in the region. But for the group, the longer-term goal is clear: elevate the company from a domestic leader into a truly global sportswear group. Expansion is also underway in the Middle East and North Africa and in North America.

(Source: China Daily)