ANTA Group acquires designer sportswear brand MAIA ACTIVE and improves its women's business segment

 On the morning of October 16th, Chinese sports giant ANTA Group (2020. HK) announced that the group, through an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary, had entered into several purchase and sale agreements with several shareholders of Maya Clothing (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. to conditionally purchase 75.13% of Maya Clothing's equity. After the acquisition is completed, Maiya Clothing will become an indirectly non wholly-owned subsidiary of ANTA Group.

Affected by the acquisition news, the stock price of ANTA Group has been rising since its opening, reaching HKD 93.45 per share before falling slightly. As of today's closing, the stock price has risen by 0.83% to HKD 90.6 per share, with a total market value of approximately HKD 256.6 billion..

Mayia Apparel was registered and established in Shanghai in 2016, operating the sports apparel brand MAIA ACTIVE, which is designed specifically for Asian women.

In December 2021, MAIA ACTIVE announced the completion of nearly 100 million RMB in Series C financing, with strategic investment from Belle International. The investors of MAIA ACTIVE also include institutions such as Sequoia Capital, Chinese Culture, and Huachuang Capital.

Regarding the reasons and benefits of the acquisition, ANTA Group stated: MAIA ACTIVE's business has formed a certain market influence among female consumers, especially in the yoga sports category, establishing consumer minds and possessing future growth potential. The group's brand operation ability, retail management ability, and supply chain management ability can help MAIA ACTIVE better develop its competitive advantage in the Chinese market. The acquisition is a good supplement to the group's women's business sector, which will Enhance the ability to meet consumers' diverse needs and further strengthen the group's brand portfolio

Lisa Ou, founder and design director of MAIA ACTIVE, also posted on her social media: "Eight years ago, the first sports fabric exhibition started with only a few sketches and an ideal, and I constantly shared my ideas with many suppliers.". MAIA's vision has been to help more Asian women fall in love with sports look and feel better since the first day, and looking back today, the original intention is still there. We are honored to join ANTA Group and hope that with the support of the group, MAIA can continue to bring better sports experiences to Chinese women in the next stage. “

Ou Yirou graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York and has served as a J.CREW and Door ri designer, as well as the chief product designer for Badgley Mischka brand in China. She has also customized dresses for former US First Lady Michelle Obama. In addition, Mia Wang, co-founder and CEO of MAIA ACTIVE, was the first Asian American buyer at Victoria's Secret's New York headquarters and an early core member of Little Red Book, responsible for brand development and company operations.

In terms of product line, MAIA ACTIVE includes sports underwear, sports bottoms, sports tops, accessories, etc., with main product prices ranging from 300 to 600 yuan. In addition, in mid May this year, a children's product line mini maia active was just launched, which is mainly aimed at children aged 6-14 and includes yoga pants, sun protection clothing, T-shirts and other items.

In terms of sales channels, MAIA ACTIVE started from e-commerce. In 2019, it opened its first store in Xintiandi Fashion in Shanghai, officially laying out offline. At present, it has opened 36 offline stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities. In July of this year, the brand opened its first block style retail flagship store on Dongping Road in Shanghai, and it is also the largest store in terms of area.

Ou Yirou once appeared in the "Dialogue with Chinese Brand Managers" column of "Glorious Records", telling the story of the continuous evolution and steady growth of designer sportswear brands. (For details, please refer to the audio transcript of the report by "Glorious Chronicle" | Founder& of MAIA ACTIVE; Design Director Ou Yirou: The "Evolution Theory" of Designers for Sportswear Brands

She said at the time: The biggest investment of MAIA ACTIVE has always been in the product itself. We do not agree with anything that takes us and our customers further apart, including wholesale, so our business model is directly aimed at consumers. At the same time, under this premise, we improve our own efficiency and achieve the same sales at a lower cost. MAIA ACTIVE has not signed with celebrities, and we are more willing to save on celebrity expenses Put more budget on real products. "

"In its first year of establishment, MAIA ACTIVE's sales revenue was 1.8 million yuan, and in 2021, its sales revenue reached around 300 million yuan," said Ou Yirou.

Founded in June 2016, one year later, MAIA ACTIVE participated in the "Innobrand 2017 Luxury Collection Brand Innovation Competition" organized by "Glory Chronicle" and won the third place in the finals. At that time, Ou Yirou expressed her entrepreneurial intention - she was a passionate sports enthusiast, but there was a lack of "perfect sportswear" that balanced comfort and beauty in the market. Since you can't find the sportswear that suits your heart, then make it yourself. (For details, please refer to the report from "Glorious Chronicle": [InnoBrand 2017 Athlete Interview] MAIA ACTIVE: Creating fashionable, beautiful, and extremely comfortable sportswear exclusively for Asian women.)