SHANGHAI/NEW YORK CITY: Even as trade tensions simmer and U.S. tariffs remain steep, a growing number of Chinese consumer brands are planting flags across American malls and shopping streets, betting that more substantial margins abroad can offset a slowdown at home.

Throughout 2025, companies ranging from Labubu-toy maker Pop Mart, trinket retailer Miniso, and sportswear giant Anta to fast fashion label Urban Revivo have announced new U.S. stores or expansion plans. The push comes despite political rhetoric around economic decoupling and follows a period of sluggish domestic consumption that has weighed on China's consumer sector.

The trend began to emerge in 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic, when Chinese brands first looked to Southeast Asia for growth. It accelerated this year as companies sought access to the world's richest consumer market, even as higher tariffs added costs.

Urban Revivo, often dubbed "China's Zara," opened its New York flagship store in March, treating the fashion capital as a proving ground for wider Western expansion. Its parent, Fashion Momentum Group, saw sales approach US$1 billion last year.

"We're only in the early stage of entering this market," chairman and CEO Leo Li told Reuters. "We need to continuously expand our scale and be profitable to be considered truly successful."

Li said Urban Revivo's prospects in the West would depend on strategy, product, and brand value, while playing down heightened U.S.–China trade tensions following U.S. President Donald Trump's return to office.

A review of company filings and social media posts shows that Urban Revivo, along with Auntea Jenny, Chagee, Luckin Coffee, and Mixue, opened their first U.S. stores in 2025. Anta plans to open a store in Beverly Hills, while Miniso, which marked its 100th store in the U.S. in 2023, had expanded to 421 North American outlets by September.

Pop Mart, which entered the U.S. in 2023, operated 41 stores there by mid-2025 and has signalled rapid expansion. "The U.S. market is enormous, with strong purchasing power," CEO Wang Ning said after the company reported half-year results showing North America revenue growth of more than 1,000 percent.

Analysts say these companies are already proven winners in China's intensely competitive consumer market. Success in the U.S. could deliver far richer margins.

"A lot of these Chinese companies are saying: 'We grew up in China with tremendous competition, enormous pressure, and if we could do the same thing in America as we did in China, we would make four times the money'," said Gabor Holch, founder of consultancy East-West Leadership.

Younger, cost-conscious Western shoppers, many of whom are already buying from platforms like Shein and Temu, are likely targets, analysts said. "Chinese brands today are positioning themselves as more affordable alternatives while building reliability," said Morningstar analyst Ivan Su. "Have you tried a pair of Chinese running shoes? They're good."

Anta, China's largest sportswear brand by market share, could attract global consumers with lower prices, said Andreas Döring of Union Investment, an Anta shareholder.

Still, brand recognition remains a hurdle. Anta's Beverly Hills store and its sponsorship of U.S. basketball stars such as Kyrie Irving are aimed at boosting awareness, said Sagar Thanki of Guinness Global Investors. "It's about building trust in a new market rather than going completely gung-ho," he said.

For some shoppers, value may be enough. "Zara has a more sophisticated shopper," said Trina Jackson, visiting Urban Revivo's New York store last week. "For the price," she added, "the quality is better here."