Volley, the 79-year-old Australian tennis shoe brand, is set to open a chain of 50 stores across China.
The iconic brand, which first rose to fame decades ago after Australian tennis legends Evonne Goolagong and Rod Laver wore them on court, will open its first standalone store later this month in Shanghai, according to a report by the Australian Financial Review.
It reportedly follows a trial of the concept through a pop-up shop in Beijing.
The move came on the back of massive online sales, as a result of photos splashed across the Chinese media of Asian pop star Faye Wong wearing an $85 pair of Volleys while at Hong Kong Airport two years ago.
Ms Wong, who has a huge following in Asia and is commonly referred to as the "Beyonce of China", was in the midst of a high-profile divorce when the photos were taken.
Orders for the shoes flooded in and caused the company's online servers to crash.
File image of a pair of Volleys. Source: AAP
John Szwede, the Brand Collective brand manager which manages Volley, said the "celebrity focus" played a huge part in the decision to open the stores.
"Since opening the pop-up store in May, we've had our biggest growth month in China ever. The split between online and physical store sales is almost 50-50. It's remarkable how big the market is," Mr Szwede told the Australian Financial Review.
"Seventy per cent of our wholesale sales are now going to China. It's been a massive shift since launching here 18 months ago."
The company aims to open between 40 and 50 stores by 2021, with five slated for this year, according to the report.
"It"s not easy getting into the major malls, the waiting list can be very long. But people in China like the Australian angle of Volley. So we're getting a lot of love at that end," Mr Szwede said.
"People thought with the growth of e-commerce that bricks-and-mortar retail would go down the gurgler, but it's coming back big time."
The original cotton line of Volleys was designed by tennis player Adrian Quist in 1938.
