The Woolmark Company Partners with China’s Leading Outdoor Retailer — Sanfo Outdoor to Promote Merino Wool Sportswear
November 16, 2013, Beijing — The Woolmark Company, the global authority on Merino wool, has partnered once more with Sanfo Outdoor, China’s leading professional outdoor retail chain, to launch a Merino wool outdoor product promotion campaign. This initiative brings specialized Merino Perform™ outdoor products to the Chinese outdoor consumer market. The launch event will be held at Sanfo Outdoor’s Madian store in Beijing, inviting brand partners, outdoor media professionals, wool experience opinion leaders, Sanfo members, and consumers to officially kick off this year’s “Merino Wool Month” at Sanfo Outdoor.
The Woolmark Company, the world’s foremost authority on Merino wool, has collaborated with four specialized Merino wool outdoor brands: KROCEUS, Swedish LAPLAND ADVENTURE, ZEALWOOD, and CUBIC MONT. Together, they have set up exclusive Merino wool experience and sales zones in Sanfo Outdoor retail locations: Beijing Madian Zhong Store, Shanghai Wanti Store, and Shenyang Shifu Store. These zones feature the latest 2013/14 autumn-winter Merino Perform™ outdoor apparel collections, including base layers, insulating mid-layers, and various accessories.
During the campaign, retail training sessions on the natural properties of Merino Perform™ garments will be conducted for Sanfo staff, members, and outdoor enthusiasts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenyang. Raw wool fiber displays in Sanfo stores will also allow consumers to experience firsthand the softness and unique performance of Australian Merino wool.
Throughout the one-month Merino wool promotion at Sanfo Outdoor, the wool apparel series offered by the four specialized brands are all made from high-quality Australian Merino wool — a natural, renewable, and biodegradable fiber.
Sanfo Outdoor will also organize club members to participate in an “Australian Wool Journey,” where they can not only experience Merino wool apparel in the great outdoors but also witness the growth environment of Australian wool fibers and the sheep shearing process firsthand.
Lars Ulvesund, Global Sports/Outdoor Project Manager at The Woolmark Company, said: “This collaboration with Sanfo Outdoor continues last year’s successful initiative to promote the superiority and high performance of Merino wool among Chinese consumers.”
“As we know, China has a rapidly growing group of high-end consumers who view wool as a premium product,” Mr. Ulvesund said. “This promotion aims to position Merino wool as the ideal fiber choice for outdoor apparel. Through education and awareness, we hope to offer these premium consumers a positive purchasing and wearing experience.”
“This campaign not only gives us the opportunity to work with the professional outdoor retailer Sanfo Outdoor, but also allows us to collaborate with specialized wool outdoor brands such as KROCEUS, Swedish LAPLAND ADVENTURE, ZEALWOOD, and CUBIC MONT,” he added. “They are the ambassadors promoting fine Australian Merino wool and the Woolmark label.”
Merino wool is a functional fiber and one of the most technically advanced in the world. It offers unique moisture and temperature regulation properties, protecting wearers even in extreme climates. Ideal for sportswear, Merino wool can absorb up to 35% of its own dry weight in moisture while regulating body temperature. In hot conditions or during intense exercise, Merino wool garments stay close to the skin, wicking moisture away to reduce clamminess.
Soft, skin-friendly, breathable, and anti-static, Merino wool keeps you warm in cold weather and releases body heat and moisture when it's hot. This helps athletes perform better and conquer climbs from base to summit.
“This is the second year that Sanfo Outdoor and The Woolmark Company have partnered to promote Merino wool,” said Zhang Chaohui, General Manager of Marketing and Club at Sanfo Outdoor. “Through the various activities of Wool Month, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of the wide applications of wool in outdoor sportswear. We hope our members will gain a more comprehensive appreciation of wool, and that our promotional efforts allow more consumers to experience wool products at attractive prices. We wish this year’s campaign great success.”
For more information, interviews, or images, please contact:
Ms. Xiaoxu Zhou
Beijing Office of Australian Wool Innovation
Phone: 010-6515 6680
Email: Xiaoxu.Zhou@wool.com
About The Woolmark Company:
The Woolmark label is the world’s most prestigious textile fiber brand, established in 1964.
The Woolmark brand is owned by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), a not-for-profit organization owned by over 25,000 Australian woolgrowers. AWI’s vision is to contribute to a vibrant, stable, and profitable wool industry by providing the world with the best natural fiber. Its operations span the entire global supply chain — from woolgrowers to retailers.
The company’s mission is to enhance the profitability, international competitiveness, and sustainability of the Australian wool industry, and to increase demand for and awareness of Australian wool.
Merino wool provides the apparel industry with a fiber that is consistent, durable, soft, and luxurious. While favored by designers, younger consumers — born in the ‘disposable’ era — often know little about its natural benefits.
Wool is a 100% natural, renewable fiber. Sheep live on grass, water, fresh air, and sunlight. As a natural fiber not created artificially, sheep produce new wool annually, making it a renewable resource.
www.merino.com
www.woolmark.com
About Sanfo Outdoor:
Sanfo Outdoor is China’s leading professional outdoor retail chain, operating 34 high-quality specialty stores across cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Changchun, Qingdao, and Shijiazhuang. With a total retail space exceeding 10,000 square meters, it distributes over 400 domestic and international professional outdoor brands, meeting the one-stop shopping needs of outdoor enthusiasts for activities such as mountaineering, rock climbing, camping, hiking, cycling, driving, skiing, horseback riding, surfing, water sports, and long-distance travel.
Sanfo Outdoor — Your First Choice for Outdoor Gear. For more information, visit: www.sanfo.com
About the Four Wool Partner Brands:
Shanlifang is a professional manufacturer dedicated to functional outdoor apparel. By integrating top-tier international technical materials and specialized processing techniques, and using only pure, high-quality natural materials, the brand collaborates with internationally renowned design teams. Upholding its original philosophy — unwavering attitude, passion, boldness, innovation, and gratitude — Shanlifang continuously develops more comfortable, form-fitting, eco-friendly functional sportswear. Sourced from nature, designed for you, it insists on quality and fashion, with exquisite craftsmanship, allowing you to enjoy freedom and boundless passion during outdoor activities.
The creation of ZEALWOOD (also known as Sailuo) was based on a simple idea: to provide outdoor enthusiasts and travelers with more comfortable products.We care deeply about how the body feels during outdoor activities, especially during long journeys, tough hikes, and climbs. We believe that for any traveler, comfortable socks and close-fitting clothing are essential.
The socks and garments made by ZEALWOOD using merino wool are all designed with the philosophy of “comfort first.” They not only regulate body temperature to keep you dry and comfortable, but are also naturally antibacterial, preventing odors even after prolonged wear. At the same time, wool is a functional material gifted by nature and is more environmentally friendly.
Love nature and enjoy the joy of outdoor sports and travel!
Swedish LAPLAND ADVENTURE brand
Founder: A.J.Svensson & Co, August Johan Svensson and his company.
In 1843, in Skövde, Sweden, the company was founded by a local businessman, August Johan Svensson, who is also the owner of LAPLAND ADVENTURE. Our products originate from a long history of outdoor adventure. The ever-changing outdoor environment and climate place high demands on the quality and performance of outdoor gear, and we aim to provide you with close-fitting protection at all times. We understand that our customers have almost stringent requirements for these qualities. We use 100% pure Australian merino wool. The original intention behind making our products is to offer you a more comfortable close-to-body experience and improve your quality of life. Our products will allow you to enhance your lifestyle while also being environmentally friendly and caring for nature. We want you to have an extraordinary feeling.
LAPLAND ADVENTURE is born from nature!
KROCEUS is a brand under Shanghai Kaoliangjie Textile Co., Ltd., a listed company, and is a business that has been dedicated to the research, development, and production of high-end knitted functional fabrics for over 20 years. It holds unique core technological advantages in the field of functional fabrics for outdoor sports in China. As a strategic partner of The Woolmark Company, the brand was the first in China to introduce wool into outdoor gear, offering consumers an “outdoor luxury experience.” The perfect combination of natural merino wool and high technology delivers powerful features such as “odor resistance, antibacterial properties, shrink resistance, easy care, moisture wicking, and sweat release,” providing a top-tier comfortable experience.