Global Brands See Revival in China as Retail Nationalism Cools

Shanghai finance worker Mina Meng once spent thousands of dollars at global retailers like Nike Inc. and Estée Lauder Cos., drawn by their quality and popularity. But she stopped abruptly five years ago, caught up in a wave of nationalism that saw millions of Chinese boycott Western brands in favor of domestic names.

Now that the patriotic fervor has cooled, and with economic uncertainty prompting her to more closely scrutinize whether she’s getting value for her money, she’s once again opening her wallet to international brands. Recent shopping trips have seen the 30-year-old buy from Fast Retailing Co.’s Uniqlo and she just dropped $150 at Gap Inc., which she describes as “so chic now.”