THE brisk trade at American ice hockey brand TRUE’s new Beijing store is typical of the warm welcome foreign outlets are enjoying in China amid the country’s winter sports boom. The store, which opened in October, aims to be a “one-stop shop” for the teenagers who frequent the ice sports center in which it is located, with helmets, gloves, skates and sticks all for sale. Wang Zhiyong, a manager with the international department of Beijing Capitals Hockey Club, says China’s burgeoning winter sports market is like a “blue ocean” for established foreign brands like TRUE. A report published last year on China’s ice and snow industry showed that the value of China’s ice and snow industry increased from 270 billion yuan (US$42 billion) in 2015 to 600 billion yuan in 2020. According to China’s development plan for ice and snow sports, the industry will reach a total market value of 1 trillion yuan by 2025. Li Yanli, a professor at Beijing Sport University, said that the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics has greatly promoted the development of China’s ice and snow industry. It has also enhanced the wider domestic sports market, thus allowing overseas sports manufacturers to explore new investment opportunities. Data from corporate information provider Tianyancha indicates that China saw an increase of more than 1,000 ice and snow sports-related enterprises in 2021. (Xinhua) | 