Sneaker Maker Taking on Nike Leads Growth of Top Chinese Brands

  • Li Ning’s brand value jumps 66%, aided by consumer nationalism
  • Tencent tops the list of 100 most valuable Chinese brands

Shoes on display at a Li Ning flagship store in Shanghai.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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A sportswear company founded by an Olympic gold medalist saw the biggest surge in growth in a ranking of the 100 most valuable brands in China this year.

Athletic apparel maker Li Ning Co. had its brand value jump 66% to $3.4 billion, the quickest pace in the annual list compiled by Kantar BrandZ. Its rise was fueled by technical innovations and patriotic styling, the report said, with the latter feeding into a growing wave of consumer nationalism in China that’s unseated global companies like Nike Inc.