A touch of French class for the masses

If anyone is adept at high-profile positioning and selling luxury fashion brands, it is the French, but at least one French company has made a virtue of going after a more modest market in China, and its efforts are paying handsome dividends.

And the rewards for Group Beaumanoir are coming not only in cash but also in accolades from its industry peers. The company, which specializes in affordable ready-to-wear clothing, won the Audacity Award in the Top French Firm Awards in 2013 for the development of its brand Cache-Cache in China. The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China presents the awards each year.

Olivier Guibert, president of the chamber, says the decision was based on Beaumanoir's adaptation of its business model to fit local conditions, the financial risks taken and the decentralization and promotion of local management teams.