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Giordano (Hong Kong)
Encyclopedia
Giordano, International Limited is a Hong Kong retailer of men's, women's and children's quality apparel founded in 1981 by Jimmy Lai. Giordano, as of January 2008, employs more than 11,000 people and operates 1800 stores worldwide in 40 countries and online through Giordano Australia.
As of 1996, Jimmy Lai no longer owns the company and its current Chairman and CEO Peter Lau. Although based in Bermuda
the company's principal global operations run out of Hong Kong
. The company is Asia-Pacific's most successful retailer and sells its name under the brands of "Giordano", "Giordano Concepts", "Giordano Junior" and "Giordano Ladies". Giordano has been publicly listed since 1991 and since then trades on the Hong Kong stock exchange under the ticker symbol 709.HK.
Giordano has its own manufacturing division where many of its own clothing styles are produced. Giordano also makes basic and practical men's, women's, and children's T-shirts and trousers, especially denims. In comparison, Giordano is very similar to the American based retailer The Gap.
's Guangdong Province in 1948. At the age of 12 Lai was smuggled by his family into Hong Kong
which at the time was still outside Chinese Communists' control. Through relatives Lai easily managed to ascertain work at a local textile factory and by the age of twenty had succeeded in becoming the company's General Manager. With his first end of year bonus of $1000 dollars, along with all his life savings, Lai decided to trade on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The gamble, although risky proved fortuitous and Lai turned his measly original $3000 investment into approximately $40,000 dollars. With that money Lai bought out the owners of the bankrupt garment company of Comitex in 1975 and began manufacturing sweaters. The company was an overnight success and had exports to major American retail brands of J.C. Penney
, Montgomery Ward
and several others. It was during this time that Lai made several trips to the United States
. He was then exposed to many western retail formats which inspired him to get into the retail market himself. In 1981 Lai founded Giordano (named after a favourite New York
restaurant) and opened several stores across Hong Kong.
market, it proved unsuccessful, and soon afterwards the company was faced with closing down all over Hong Kong
. However, instead of shutting down Lai turned to other successful retailers of the day for inspiration, and proceeded to transform the company. Soon Lai developed a new company formula. By drawing upon ideas from many already successful international retailing brands such as McDonald's
, United Colours of Benetton and Marks and Spencer, Lai created a new Giordano which focused on simple and basic high quality styles, in many colours and sold at reasonable prices. The massive make-over included the company's approach to customer service and consequently Lai had all employees taught to emphasize the importance of the customer. The formula was successful and by the early 1990s Giordano had 200 stores across mainland China and Hong Kong. Other stores soon followed in the Middle East
, Singapore
, South Korea
, Taiwan
, Thailand
, Malaysia, Indonesia
and Vietnam
.
after he criticized Li Peng
, the former Premier of the People's Republic of China
, in his Next Magazine in 1994. He began to experience financial and regulatory setbacks in Mainland China
. He was not allowed to open Giordano stores on mainland. He also tried to list Giordano on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
but was thwarted by Beijing-backed rivals. However, he succeeded in winning a backdoor listing for Giordano finally. It led him to sell Giordano in 1996.
Mainstream Giordano brand focusing on quality apparel for men and women.
, Hong Kong
, Malaysia , Singapore
, and Taiwan
.
and Lacoste. The Concepts range is significantly more exclusive than mainstream Giordano, as such Giordano Concepts only extends itself to the Asia Pacific market, in particular Hong Kong, China
, Taiwan
and only one store in Indonesia
, Singapore
, Malaysia, Philippines
, Saudi Arabia
, and Canada
.
.
Giordano Bluestar Exchange was rebranded by the company in early April last year. The original aim of the brand was to make Giordano more appealing to the budget-conscious shopper. However, after nearly 6 months of planning last year the company revealed the new BSX brand with the opening of its first store in Lung Cheung Mall in Hong Kong
. The target of the change was to make Bluestar Exchange, now BSX, into a brand more appealing to the young and to those young at heart. The brand's new direction involves simplifying everything and offering new designs and styles to give BSX an edgy and urban attitude. Giordano hired relatively new company !TH!NK to head the marketing of the new BSX with hopes that a new fresh company could provide an original out of the box approach to promoting the brand.
While the company actively supports local communities it also believes strongly in making the workplace environment productive as possible for its 11,000 employees worldwide. The company's social responsibility is not only limited to its local communities and employees but also the companies and corporations in which Giordano conducts its business.
http://www.burjuman.com in Dubai
The movement was a joint venture between Giordano International Limited and The Emirates Trading Agencyhttp://www.etaascon.com/ (ETA) of Dubai
. Today Giordano boasts 150 stores across 25 nations in the Middle-East and Eastern Europe
. Giordano International Limited is the largest shareholder in Giordano Middle-East, holding 20% of the company
. All regional operations for Giordano Middle-East run out of its Dubai
head office in the United Arab Emirates
opened up in 1999 with its first store in Melbourne
's Westfield Doncaster
shopping centre. The company rapidly expanded across Australia and presently operates nearly 50 stores across 5 states and territories including Victoria
, New South Wales
, Queensland
, South Australia
, and Australian Capital Territory
. As of 2008 the company no longer sells Bluestar or Giordano Junior through any of its stores.
In August 2009, Giordano Australia
launched a brand new website with an integrated webshop. A wide range of the collections in stores can now be viewed and purchased online.
in Richmond, Canada
. The store carries full ranges of men's, women's and children's apparel. This location was chosen due to its large Chinese-Canadian population, many of whom come from Hong Kong.
in itself belongs to a different continent all Giordano stores in the region are actually franchised through Giordano Middle-East. The company made its first Europe
an foothold with the opening of its first store on Chavchavadze Avenue in the Georgian
capital of Tblisi. The company now operates several stores throughout the city, including one in the neighbouring city of Batumi
. Giordano made its move to Armenia
in 2004 with the opening of its store in the country's capital Yerevan
. In April 2007 Giordano added Ukraine
to its list of markets with the opening of its first store in the country's capital Kiev
. Poland
, Russia
, Azerbaijan
, Bulgaria
and Belarus
are other markets in which the company's has franchised stores.
As of 1996, Jimmy Lai no longer owns the company and its current Chairman and CEO Peter Lau. Although based in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
the company's principal global operations run out of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The company is Asia-Pacific's most successful retailer and sells its name under the brands of "Giordano", "Giordano Concepts", "Giordano Junior" and "Giordano Ladies". Giordano has been publicly listed since 1991 and since then trades on the Hong Kong stock exchange under the ticker symbol 709.HK.
Giordano has its own manufacturing division where many of its own clothing styles are produced. Giordano also makes basic and practical men's, women's, and children's T-shirts and trousers, especially denims. In comparison, Giordano is very similar to the American based retailer The Gap.
Early Beginnings
Jimmy Lai was born into poverty in mainland ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's Guangdong Province in 1948. At the age of 12 Lai was smuggled by his family into Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
which at the time was still outside Chinese Communists' control. Through relatives Lai easily managed to ascertain work at a local textile factory and by the age of twenty had succeeded in becoming the company's General Manager. With his first end of year bonus of $1000 dollars, along with all his life savings, Lai decided to trade on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The gamble, although risky proved fortuitous and Lai turned his measly original $3000 investment into approximately $40,000 dollars. With that money Lai bought out the owners of the bankrupt garment company of Comitex in 1975 and began manufacturing sweaters. The company was an overnight success and had exports to major American retail brands of J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
and several others. It was during this time that Lai made several trips to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was then exposed to many western retail formats which inspired him to get into the retail market himself. In 1981 Lai founded Giordano (named after a favourite New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
restaurant) and opened several stores across Hong Kong.
Giordano in the 1980s
Although presently a successful international retailing company, Giordano's first beginnings were ominous. [Jimmy Lai] originally intended for the company to target the upscale Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
market, it proved unsuccessful, and soon afterwards the company was faced with closing down all over Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. However, instead of shutting down Lai turned to other successful retailers of the day for inspiration, and proceeded to transform the company. Soon Lai developed a new company formula. By drawing upon ideas from many already successful international retailing brands such as McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, United Colours of Benetton and Marks and Spencer, Lai created a new Giordano which focused on simple and basic high quality styles, in many colours and sold at reasonable prices. The massive make-over included the company's approach to customer service and consequently Lai had all employees taught to emphasize the importance of the customer. The formula was successful and by the early 1990s Giordano had 200 stores across mainland China and Hong Kong. Other stores soon followed in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Giordano in the 1990s
Jimmy Lai faced trouble in Giordano's business in the 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
after he criticized Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
, the former Premier of the People's Republic of China
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
, in his Next Magazine in 1994. He began to experience financial and regulatory setbacks in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. He was not allowed to open Giordano stores on mainland. He also tried to list Giordano on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Hong Kong. It is Asia's third largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and fifth largest in the world...
but was thwarted by Beijing-backed rivals. However, he succeeded in winning a backdoor listing for Giordano finally. It led him to sell Giordano in 1996.
Giordano
Giordano Ladies
Upscale market women's clothing much on the line with CUE. Operates mainly in the Asia Pacific region. Prominent in mainland ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Malaysia , Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Giordano Concepts
A more upmarket brand of Giordano casual attire with a high emphasis on its own "less is more" retail approach. The brand focuses on the idea that less is more than just more, but that is cool as well. The brand's said "less is cool" approach involves innovative and modern black, white and grey monochromes in a large variety of styles. The approach gives the brand a very upmarket causal clothes attitude, very much on par with other international brands Polo Ralph LaurenPolo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
and Lacoste. The Concepts range is significantly more exclusive than mainstream Giordano, as such Giordano Concepts only extends itself to the Asia Pacific market, in particular Hong Kong, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
and only one store in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Giordano Junior
Children's clothing stores that sell a variety of stylistic and basic apparels for kids aged 0 to 14. Operates mainly in the Asia Pacific region. Prominent in most Asia Pacific nations and AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Giordano Bluestar Exchange
A cheap brand of Giordano casual clothes. Prominent in most countries in which Giordano operates.Giordano Bluestar Exchange was rebranded by the company in early April last year. The original aim of the brand was to make Giordano more appealing to the budget-conscious shopper. However, after nearly 6 months of planning last year the company revealed the new BSX brand with the opening of its first store in Lung Cheung Mall in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The target of the change was to make Bluestar Exchange, now BSX, into a brand more appealing to the young and to those young at heart. The brand's new direction involves simplifying everything and offering new designs and styles to give BSX an edgy and urban attitude. Giordano hired relatively new company !TH!NK to head the marketing of the new BSX with hopes that a new fresh company could provide an original out of the box approach to promoting the brand.
Social Responsibility
Giordano supports a myriad of charitable organizations and causes as well as doing much of its sourcing in local areas, a move that has helped it avoid damaging currency swings in the past. Giordano was actively involved in distributing clothes to the victims of the Boxing Day Earthquake and the consequent tsunami.While the company actively supports local communities it also believes strongly in making the workplace environment productive as possible for its 11,000 employees worldwide. The company's social responsibility is not only limited to its local communities and employees but also the companies and corporations in which Giordano conducts its business.
Middle-East
Giordano made its move to the Middle-East in 1993 with the opening of its flagship store in The BurJumanBurjuman
BurJuman is a shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . Located on Khalid bin Al Waleed Street in Bur Dubai, BurJuman is considered to be one of the oldest malls in the country. An underground Dubai Metro station for the Red Line and Green Line is currently situated at this location...
http://www.burjuman.com in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
The movement was a joint venture between Giordano International Limited and The Emirates Trading Agencyhttp://www.etaascon.com/ (ETA) of Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. Today Giordano boasts 150 stores across 25 nations in the Middle-East and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Giordano International Limited is the largest shareholder in Giordano Middle-East, holding 20% of the company
. All regional operations for Giordano Middle-East run out of its Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
head office in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
Australia
Giordano AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
opened up in 1999 with its first store in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Westfield Doncaster
Westfield Doncaster
Westfield Doncaster is a shopping centre 50% owned by the Westfield Group and 50% owned by LaSalle Investment Management located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
shopping centre. The company rapidly expanded across Australia and presently operates nearly 50 stores across 5 states and territories including Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. As of 2008 the company no longer sells Bluestar or Giordano Junior through any of its stores.
In August 2009, Giordano Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
launched a brand new website with an integrated webshop. A wide range of the collections in stores can now be viewed and purchased online.
North America
On February 14, 2007 Giordano finally made its leap into the North American retail market with the opening of its store in the Aberdeen CentreAberdeen Centre
Aberdeen Centre is a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia. It is located in the Golden Village district on Hazelbridge Way, bordered by Cambie Road to the north. It primarily serves the Asian Canadian population in the Metro Vancouver area, but is striving towards an appeal to Western...
in Richmond, Canada
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
. The store carries full ranges of men's, women's and children's apparel. This location was chosen due to its large Chinese-Canadian population, many of whom come from Hong Kong.
Eastern Europe
Although eastern EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in itself belongs to a different continent all Giordano stores in the region are actually franchised through Giordano Middle-East. The company made its first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an foothold with the opening of its first store on Chavchavadze Avenue in the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
capital of Tblisi. The company now operates several stores throughout the city, including one in the neighbouring city of Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
. Giordano made its move to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in 2004 with the opening of its store in the country's capital Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. In April 2007 Giordano added Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to its list of markets with the opening of its first store in the country's capital Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
are other markets in which the company's has franchised stores.