The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
China’s 315 Gala, an annual TV programme aired on national broadcaster CCTV on March 15 each year to mark World Consumer Rights Day, called out Max Mara alongside other brands.
The Italian brand’s alleged misdeed was utilising facial recognition cameras in store to collect consumer data without consent, a violation of Chinese regulations that require consent for facial recognition data collection.
Max Mara’s store in Shanghai’s famed luxury mall, Plaza 66, was accused by state-owned broadcaster CCTV of using facial recognition cameras to track consumer behaviour, but that camera has since been removed.
An official statement from the brand said the in-store camera in question was used only for collecting statistics about store foot fall, and all images taken in the store were automatically deleted each day.
With consumers tightening their belts in China, the battle between global fast fashion brands and local high street giants has intensified.
Investors are bracing for a steep slowdown in luxury sales when luxury companies report their first quarter results, reflecting lacklustre Chinese demand.
The French beauty giant’s two latest deals are part of a wider M&A push by global players to capture a larger slice of the China market, targeting buzzy high-end brands that offer products with distinctive Chinese elements.
Post-Covid spend by US tourists in Europe has surged past 2019 levels. Chinese travellers, by contrast, have largely favoured domestic and regional destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.