China store opening put on hold

SHANGHAI • Canada Goose Holdings Inc. is delaying the opening of its flagship store in Beijing, as escalating tensions between China and Canada triggered by the arrest of Huawei Technologies Co.’s finance chief threaten its ambitions in the world’s second-largest economy.

The Toronto-based maker of premium parkas said on its Weibo account late Friday that it was postponing the store’s debut, scheduled for Saturday in Beijing’s trendy Sanlitun district, “due to construction reasons.” The posting came after Weibo social media users threatened to protest the opening. The company has been targeted for a boycott of its brand on media platforms since Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, given its prominence as a Canadian label.

Canada Goose shares fell as much as 4.9 per cent in Toronto Friday, the sixth decline in seven trading sessions since news about Meng was made public last week. The stock is down about 24 per cent since then.

The timing could not be worse for the luxury jacket maker, which just last month launched a splashy entry into greater China with a store in Hong Kong and plans for the Beijing flagship, betting that the country’s growing middle class is ready to spend on its Arctic-ready, US$1,000-plus parkas.

The detention of the Huawei executive has sparked a selective anti-Canada backlash in China: Other Canadian brands like Imax Corp. and Tim Hortons Inc. have so far been spared calls for a boycott. China’s spy agency has also detained two Canadians in the past week, which some view as retaliation for Meng’s arrests, although China has deflected questions about any links.