李宁

choi

Laurie Burkett, A Chinese Brand Flounders in US; Even 'Shaq' isn't enough to help Beijing's Li Ning gain ground against Nike. Wall Street Journal, Dec 20, 2011.

"His "Li's[ eponymous Li Ning Co[[which made a big push into the US by signing high-profile endorsers like basketball star Shaquille O'Neil--has watched profits drop. It's also endured an exodus of designers and other employees from its main US outpost in Portland, Ore.

"It's shares have reponded in kind, having fallen 63% this year, far outpacing the Hong Kong market's overall 29% drop.
Li Ning's troubles underscore the difficulty China has in creating new global brands to match its manufacturing prowess. Some have made progress, such as computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd, though it was helped by the purchase of International Business Machine Corp's personal-computer business in 2005.

"Most have made scant advancements in the face of sophisticated global competitors and a stubborn lack of name recognition. Beyond China's borders, 83% of consumers can't name a Chinese brand or company, according to research from agency Millward Brown and media company WPP PLC.

"In China, Li Ning ranks third in sales among sportswear companies, behind Nike and Adidas.

My comment:
(a) A bar chart headlined "Keeping Score[:] Li Ning profit, in billions of yuan}
2007  ~0.47
2008 ~0.65
2009 ~0.85
2010 ~1.12 (whose first half was almost 0.60)
2011 first half was ~0.3

1 billion yuan = $156.9 million
Source: the company"

(b) There is no need to read the rest.