Karen Millen brings 'affordable luxury' to mainland

British fashion brand Karen Millen has launched on the Chinese mainland with a first store in Beijing, another expected next year in Shanghai, and a plan to open a chain of 60 stores across the country within the next five years.

Promising to bring consumers quality at very affordable prices, the company's Managing Director Gemma Metheringham said there is a very clear gap in the local market for the type of items sold by the growing retailer, priced at a range between luxury names such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, and regular high street brands.

She is also very clear about her typical customer: a "strong, confident" woman in her 20s to 40s, living in a cosmopolitan city.