Global Lens: What Nike & Under Armour Got Wrong in China

Scaling an international brand isn't about flooding new markets with identical stores. It is about knowing exactly what to protect in your brand's DNA and what to rewrite on the ground.

In this week's episode of our Global Lens podcast, Senior Retail Analyst Lavina Suthenthiran sits down with global growth advisor Renee Hartmann (who has advised brands such as Armani, YSL, and Fendi) to explain why precision, not footprint size, drives modern international expansion.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

- Domestic success breeds arrogance abroad. Local success requires auditing brand awareness, adjusting product fit, and ditching copy-paste strategies.

- Adapting locally shouldn't dilute core heritage. Successful brands protect their identity while letting regional teams drive authentic partnerships and tailored experiences.

- China isn't just a luxury buyer anymore. Local beauty, tech, and EV brands are now driving global retail innovation.

- The hidden trap of cross-border e-commerce: Turning on international digital shipping is easy, but if you under-invest in local demand generation, nobody shows up. Sustainable market entry requires bottom-up financial planning rather than relying on technical capability alone.

Tune in to the full episode above to hear Renee's field-tested advice on navigating global expansion, the financial realities of market entry, and local execution.

Download the Global Lens Report to access the complete framework for building an agile, future-proof global operating model.