Graccioza
China Market Entry
From zero China presence to a fully operational local subsidiary with online stores, offline distribution, a dedicated sales team, and products in major cities — built and managed as one integrated operation since 2021 — and still running today.
From zero to a
complete China operation
Graccioza is a luxury bath linens brand from Portugal, present in over 100 markets worldwide with placements in Bloomingdales, Harrods, and other prestigious retailers. When they decided to enter China, they wanted full control over their local operations — not a distributor arrangement.
They hired Shanghai Jungle to register and establish a local subsidiary (WFOE), hire and manage a dedicated sales team, build out all digital and e-commerce channels, launch influencer campaigns, develop offline B2B sales, and localize products for the Chinese market. Everything run from our Shanghai office.
Graccioza had no infrastructure in China. No company registration, no bank account, no warehouse, no import license, no staff, no social media accounts, no e-commerce stores, no trademark registration. And unlike brands that can test the market through cross-border e-commerce first, Graccioza's product category and target audience — high-end retailers, design companies, hotels, and affluent consumers — required a local entity and a physical presence on the ground.
The brand needed a partner who could set up and run the entire operation locally: register the company, import products, hire and manage staff, build the digital presence, launch online sales, develop offline distribution, and handle day-to-day management — all while coordinating with headquarters in Portugal.
Operating through a distributor would have meant giving up control over pricing, positioning, and the brand experience in China. Graccioza wanted to own their China business. They needed someone in Shanghai to make that possible.
Given the brand's size and unfamiliarity with China's business environment, Graccioza sought a partner capable of not just advising — but registering, controlling, and staffing the local subsidiary on their behalf. They needed a collaborator with deep operational experience in China's complex regulatory and commercial landscape, someone who could handle everything from government filings to warehouse logistics to sales team recruitment. That's when Shanghai Jungle became an integral part of Graccioza's Chinese journey.
By establishing a local subsidiary, Graccioza paved the way for direct access to distribution channels and retailers — fostering a physical, tangible presence in the market. This approach facilitates relationship building with key stakeholders, ensures efficient product distribution, and empowers the brand to tailor its offerings in real time. In the arena of intellectual property rights and brand protection, the WFOE model offers an added layer of control that no distributor arrangement can match.
What we built and manage
WFOE Registration and Company Setup
We registered a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) in Shanghai — Graccioza's fully-owned local subsidiary. This included setting up the company bank account, securing an import license, registering in the local tax system, and handling all the administrative requirements that come with establishing a legal entity in China. The WFOE was operational in fall 2021.
Warehouse and Import Logistics
With the company registered, we located a suitable warehouse and coordinated the import of products from Portugal. This involved customs declaration, tax payments, quality inspections, and all administrative requirements for bringing luxury home textiles into China through the domestic import channel.
Local Team Hiring and Management
We hired a dedicated Chinese sales representative who works exclusively on Graccioza's portfolio, operating from the Shanghai Jungle offices under our direct supervision. This close-knit arrangement creates an environment for knowledge exchange between our team and Graccioza's China operation — something that would be impossible to manage remotely from Portugal.
Brand Localization and Trademark Registration
We created an appropriate Chinese brand name that resonates with the target audience, then registered both the English and Chinese trademarks at the China Trademark Office. Registration was completed under the correct categories with the shareholder company retaining ownership rights — protecting the brand from day one.
E-Commerce Stores and Digital Presence
We established flagship stores on Tmall, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), and Douyin, plus a WeChat shop. Simultaneously, we registered and set up social media accounts on all major platforms — WeChat, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), and Douyin — as the foundation for brand communication and content distribution in the Chinese market.
Content Creation and Influencer Marketing
Our content team crafted engaging, visually rich content aligned with Graccioza's luxury aesthetic. We launched the online sales effort with strategic KOL campaigns and paid promotions across all digital platforms. Every potential influencer collaboration goes through extensive data analysis of performance and audience engagement — the KOL industry is known for fake views and inflated metrics, and we vet rigorously before committing budget.
Offline Sales and B2B Distribution
Our dedicated sales team consistently engages with retailers, design companies, hotels, and other industry prospects across China. Some relationships are straightforward order-sales transactions; others evolve into strategic collaborations. We developed bespoke sales materials for the Chinese market — upscale gift boxes, custom shopping bags, branded thank-you cards, and discount coupons — all produced under our supervision.
Trade Exhibitions and Sales Localization
We actively participated in design exhibitions to introduce Graccioza to a broader B2B audience — including orchestrating the creation of an exclusive booth. We also developed custom retail display solutions and localized sales materials in collaboration with the Portugal team.
Full ownership and control through a local subsidiary
Graccioza chose the WFOE model over a distributor arrangement. This gives them direct control over pricing, brand positioning, customer relationships, and intellectual property in China — control that's impossible when working through a third-party distributor.
Shanghai Jungle registered, staffed, and operates the subsidiary on Graccioza's behalf. The company is fully owned by Graccioza, but run day-to-day by our Shanghai team. It's the structure that gives a foreign brand the most control while removing the need to build an internal China team from scratch.
A dual-channel strategy built for luxury home textiles
Luxury bath linens sell differently than fast-moving consumer goods. The online channels — Tmall, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), Douyin, WeChat — drive brand awareness, content engagement, and direct-to-consumer sales. But the offline channel — retailers, design studios, hotels, showrooms — is where high-value B2B relationships generate consistent revenue.
We run both channels simultaneously from our Shanghai office. The same team that manages the Tmall store and influencer campaigns also coordinates offline sales meetings, trade show logistics, and retail display installations.
Adapting a Portuguese luxury brand for Chinese consumers
Entering China isn't just about translation. We created a Chinese brand name, registered trademarks, and developed fully localized sales materials tailored for the Chinese market.
Every touchpoint was adapted: gift packaging, shopping bags, thank-you cards, discount coupons, retail displays. The luxury positioning stays intact, but the execution is built for how Chinese consumers and retailers experience a brand.
Coordinating product imports from Portugal to Shanghai
With the WFOE registered, we located a suitable warehouse and coordinated the import of Graccioza's product range from Portugal. This process involved customs declaration, duty and tax payments, quality inspections, and all the administrative requirements that come with bringing luxury home textiles into China through the domestic import channel.
Domestic importing — as opposed to cross-border — means products clear customs once, receive Chinese labeling, and can be distributed freely to both online platforms and offline retail partners without the limitations of bonded warehouse models.
A dedicated sales representative embedded in our Shanghai office
We hired a dedicated Chinese sales representative who works exclusively on Graccioza's portfolio, operating from the Shanghai Jungle offices under our direct supervision. This close-knit arrangement creates an environment conducive to knowledge exchange between our team and Graccioza's China office.
This setup effectively accelerates growth by combining the experience and insights from both teams. On-site management ensures a seamless flow of operations and an immediate response to evolving market dynamics — something that would be impossible to coordinate remotely from Portugal.
Flagship stores on every major platform, launched in parallel
We established flagship stores on Tmall, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), and Douyin, plus a WeChat shop — giving Graccioza a complete e-commerce footprint across China's major platforms. Simultaneously, we registered social media accounts on WeChat, Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), and Douyin to build the foundation for brand communication and content distribution.
Our dedicated content team crafted engaging, visually rich content aligned with Graccioza's luxury aesthetic. This dual-pronged approach ensured that while our efforts in building a robust digital presence were underway, a consistent and high-quality stream of content was being readied for publication across all channels.
Strategic KOL campaigns — vetted for sales, not just reach
We initiated the online sales journey with a series of strategic Key Opinion Leader (KOL) campaigns, complemented by paid promotions across all digital platforms. For a luxury brand like Graccioza, we place significant emphasis on identifying KOLs who possess the capability to convert impressions into actual sales — not just surface-level reach.
The KOL industry in China is known for fraudulent practices: fake views, inflated engagement rates, purchased followers. We employ a meticulous vetting process involving extensive data analysis of each creator's performance and genuine audience engagement before committing any budget to collaboration.
Localized sales materials built for the Chinese market
Offline sales in China required a fully localized approach. We developed bespoke sales materials exclusively for the Chinese market: upscale gift boxes, custom shopping bags, branded thank-you cards, and discount coupons. We supervised the entire production process to ensure the quality matched Graccioza's luxury standards.
Every detail — from the weight of the packaging paper to the design of the discount coupons — was crafted to reflect the brand's luxury positioning while resonating with Chinese retail buyers and consumers.
Building B2B relationships across retailers, hotels, and design firms
Our dedicated sales team consistently engages with a diverse range of industry prospects — retailers, design companies, hotels, and more — across China's major cities. The approach varies with the nature of each partnership: some relationships revolve around straightforward order-sales transactions, while others evolve into strategic collaborations.
We also collaborated closely with the Portugal team to develop custom retail display solutions, ensuring Graccioza's products are showcased in the most attractive and compelling way in every store environment. This multi-faceted strategy ensures robust brand presence across multiple offline channels.
Representing Graccioza at China's design exhibitions
We actively participated in major Chinese design and home textiles exhibitions to introduce Graccioza to a broader B2B audience — architects, interior designers, hotel procurement teams, and premium retailers who source products at these events.
Our team orchestrated every detail: designing and building an exclusive booth that reflected the brand's luxury positioning, managing all event logistics, and representing Graccioza on the ground throughout each show. Trade exhibitions in China are relationship-building events — the conversations that start at a booth often turn into the distribution partnerships that drive long-term revenue.
Influencer Marketing
Strategic KOL campaigns across Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu), Douyin, and WeChat. Every influencer is vetted through extensive data analysis — fake engagement is rampant in China's KOL industry, and we filter for creators who actually drive sales, not just impressions.
Trade Exhibitions
Active participation in Chinese design exhibitions to reach retailers, architects, and hospitality buyers. Our team orchestrated the creation of an exclusive booth, managed all logistics, and represented Graccioza on the ground throughout each event.
Retail Displays
Custom display solutions developed in collaboration with the Portugal team, designed to showcase Graccioza's products in retail environments in the most compelling way. Premium presentation that matches the brand's luxury positioning in every store.
Brand Localization
We created an appropriate Chinese brand name, registered trademarks at the China Trademark Office, and developed a complete set of localized brand materials — ensuring Graccioza's luxury identity translates authentically for the Chinese market.
Custom Packaging
Upscale gift boxes, custom shopping bags, branded thank-you cards, and discount coupons — all designed and produced under our supervision specifically for the Chinese market. Every detail reinforces the luxury brand experience at the point of sale.
Full Operations Management
Today we oversee all of Graccioza's China operations: managing online sales platforms, directing digital marketing, handling offline B2B sales, coordinating with local partners, and serving as the primary communication point between China and Portugal headquarters.
From zero to a fully operational China business
This is not a one-time setup project — it's a continuously operating business. We import new inventory, manage day-to-day sales, run marketing campaigns, and grow the brand's presence every month. Orchestrating an operation of this scale requires a multi-year commitment: building infrastructure, developing relationships, adapting products, and expanding across both digital and physical channels. We've been doing exactly that since 2021, and the operation continues to grow.
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