The encyclopedia · Sales & Retail · Strategic decision · 2022–2025
Mardi Mercredi opened stores across China in 2023 — by late 2025, every one was shut
The Korean brand's agent called it 'business optimization'. Counterfeit stores had multiplied faster than the real ones. Resources shifted to newer brands.
Mardi Mercredi · Mantova · 2025-10-31
What happened
Mardi Mercredi, a Korean fashion brand known for its floral logo, officially entered China in 2022 and opened its first pop-up showroom in Shanghai in late April 2023. The brand expanded to multiple stores in core malls across first- and second-tier cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Changsha.
From September 2025, the brand began large-scale store withdrawals. Shops in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Shenyang and Wenzhou held clearance sales. On 31 October 2025, the WeChat mini-program mall officially stopped operations and the membership system was suspended. By early November, all offline stores had closed. Online channels — Tmall, Douyin and Xiaohongshu — continued operating.
The China agent, Mantova (Shanghai) Brand Management, called the closures 'offline business optimization adjustment' and said group resources would shift to newer Korean brands including Raive and Rest&Recreation. The brand had also been plagued by counterfeits: imitation brands had opened multiple offline stores, and in late 2024 Mantova issued a statement declaring itself the sole legal operator in mainland China.
Why it happened
- The brand's rapid offline expansion outran its ability to control the channel — counterfeit stores multiplied alongside the real ones, diluting the brand's exclusivity
- The agent operated multiple Korean brands and reallocated resources to newer ones (Raive, Rest&Recreation) rather than defending Mardi Mercredi's position
- The brand's appeal was trend-driven — the floral logo was an Instagram-era phenomenon — and Chinese consumers moved to the next trend before the store network paid for itself
- Closing all offline stores while keeping online channels suggests the physical retail model was unprofitable, not that the brand itself was unwanted
The lesson
A trend-driven brand that expands offline faster than it can police its name will find counterfeits building awareness for free — and capturing the sales that should pay the rent.
Aftermath
Mardi Mercredi's Tmall, Douyin and Xiaohongshu stores continued operating. The brand's China trajectory — from first pop-up to full offline exit in roughly two and a half years — was cited in Jiemian and other Chinese business media as an example of how quickly Korean fashion brands can enter and exit the Chinese market.
Sources
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