Once back of the pack, Chinese running shoes now look to surge ahead in Singapore market

CNA

5 days ago

SINGAPORE: At the start of the decade, they were either unheard of or dismissed and disregarded as inferior to the likes of Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Asics.
But along with a broader turning of the tide that has seen made-in-China products lose their stigma, Chinese running shoes are increasingly becoming mainstream - and becoming a hit for their perceived value in more ways than one.
In particular demand are Chinese 'super shoes', which are high-performance running shoes featuring technology like a carbon plate that propels runners forward.
Although he only started running seriously at the start of 2025, 32-year-old Singaporean Justin Lim already owns six pairs of shoes from Chinese brands such as Xtep, Qiaodan and BMAI.
He was introduced to these brands by influencers on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
At first, it was the price. In March, he got his first pair of trainers online for about S$60 (US$46) – about half the cost of a similar trainer from any other 'established' brand outside of China.
But what really surprised him was the quality of the shoe. It lasted him 800km, before he bought the same model again.
'For the price, it lived up to the quality," said Mr Lim, who is an army regular. "And the fact that there are so many people in China wearing it; I could trust it."
CHINESE EXPANSION
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, marathon events have surged in China, with the nation hosting in 2024 alone nearly 750 road running events drawing over 7 million runners.
Coupled with rising purchasing power, it paved the way for domestic growth in the Chinese running shoe market.
The brands then turned their attention to the region.
At the end of 2023, the Singapore Runners Club (SRC) - one of the country's largest, with over 15,000 members in a private Facebook group - was approached by Chinese brands to promote their products.
'They wanted to break into the Singapore market, and they approached us for some kind of leverage to push their branding into Singapore,' said club founder Eugene Beh.
The brands Anta and Li-Ning began by offering discounts to members of the running club, and also gave out shoes to some of them to post on social media.
Mr Beh added that SRC has also worked with Qiaodan and will be doing so with Xtep as well in the coming months.
Promotion of these shoes, along with their lower prices and perceived equivalent quality to more established names, has led to higher take-up of Chinese brands among club members, said the founder.
'When we run in a group, as a runner, I'm curious about people's shoes; that's where I noticed that there's a shift from the Western shoes to the Chinese shoes,' said Mr Beh.
One way is in how runners talk about their latest gear. Instead of referring to Nike models, they have been dropping lingo and terms related to Qiaodan's Feiying, Li-Ning's Feidian and BMAI's Jingtan among others.
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Not all runners, however, have been willing to dip their feet into Chinese products. There are those in SRC who have stuck to the household names, primarily due to the belief that they have a more established track record.
'There is a minor group of runners in our club loyal to Western brands, it's a small percentage (who) feel that these brands are tried and tested,' said Mr Beh.
Other runners, like competitive marathoner Giebert Foo, also admitted to an initial perception of Chinese shoes as being of lower quality and durability.
But the 34-year-old public servant's curiosity was whetted about three years ago when several friends started to don Chinese super shoes.
Light research showed that some of these shoes could be obtained at about S$150 to S$200, and with his friends insisting they were comparable to Nike and Adidas offerings, he was compelled to give it a go.
Super shoes from more established brands typically retail between S$300 and S$400.
Mr Foo found Chinese super shoes to be more 'aggressive' – runner parlance for a shoe propelling them forward with more force with every step.
He said that around 90 per cent of his friends own Chinese super shoes now, up from half of them back in 2022.
Some of Singapore's top runners have also had their racing performances boosted by Chinese brands.
This reason alone made the switch from Nike super shoes to Qiaodan ones about three years ago a 'no-brainer' for Mr Darren Southcott, who holds the fastest marathon timing by a Singapore resident so far this year.
He said about 60 per cent of runners from his club, Singapore Shufflers, have at least one pair of Chinese running shoes. At the start of the decade, almost no one was wearing them.
The 33-year-old added that the high prices set by more established brands were unjustified, given that the shoes are likely also made in China or surrounding regions.
'A lot of Western brands have their shoes produced in Asia as well … These big brands could sell shoes a bit cheaper, but they know people will buy them at a more expensive price,' he said.
"It's purely marketing, putting a fancy branding on it.'
LOCAL BUSINESSES LATCH ON
Some Chinese brands have already set up shop in Singapore: Anta opened its first store in 2023 and has 11 islandwide, while Li-Ning opened its first of two stores at the end of 2024.
CNA has contacted Anta and Li-Ning for comments on their expansion plans in Singapore.
Meanwhile local sports retailers, too, have caught on and are looking to bring in more Chinese shoes.
Key Power Sports founder Robert Lu was sent a pair of Xtep shoes in 2022 to try out, and immediately noted that they were just as good as the bigger brands.
'From there, I had confidence in myself to bring in the brand, because when I bring in anything I'll try it myself,' he said.
Mr Lu said sales have been growing since, in the region of a 50 per cent bump over the last two years.
He said the quality of the shoes speak for themselves, and mirrors the rise of other Chinese products outside of running.
'For example, many years back they talked about (electric vehicle brand) BYD and say that it is a copycat; but now when you look at Chinese brands - their design, development and quality has already caught up with the international level,' he said, pointing to BYD becoming the best-selling car brand in Singapore.
Operations manager of Pangu Running, Mr Willy Tan, said the same.
The local brand opened a physical store at Kallang Wave Mall in June, after starting out as an online shop just months earlier.
One of the main brands stocked there is BMAI. Mr Tan said sales of BMAI shoes and apparel to walk-in customers has gone up by 30 per cent, compared to when they were online-only.
Asked if he felt threatened by the growing presence of Chinese brands - as seen in the local food-and-beverage scene - Mr Tan said Singapore was "fair game".