Being a start-up/SME in today's global climate is really tough, and with Covid-19 now in its second year, the effects of the pandemic are being felt by businesses globally, we included. It's always exciting though when you get your products into a new market, and that is exactly what we have just done, our recent entry into the Japanese market marks a milestone for us for expanding our recycled product range globally.
A Japanese trading company has taken up the role of distributorship for Subs brand in Japan and Mainland China. This company began by introducing our products at a trade show in Tokyo last year and due to the pandemic, it appears not very busy, but despite that and through our new distributor's efforts, we were able to introduce Subs brand and philosophy of recycling and circular economy manufacturing to Japanese buyers, and with great success for our first season of cooperation, with our entry into over one hundred retail outlets throughout Japan and Mainland China.
Renowned as the most glamorous shopping district in Tokyo, Ginza, is also famous because it has some of the most expensive real estate in the world and was also the location of the Japanese government's silver mint in the 1600s. And now at a store called Loft, in Ginza, you can find Subs product range as well.
This we are truly stoked about!
Entering this new market we have had the opportunity to make a few new colour combos specifically for our new distributor. One such combo is a red and black flip-flop that our distributor wanted specifically and is also an idea that we'd been thinking about making ourselves for quite a while. Being from Canterbury, NZ, ourselves, where our provincial rugby team's colours are red and black we fittingly called this one 'Crew Saders' in honour of our local Super-Rugby team the (Canterbury) Crusaders.
We are excited to see how Subs perform in the Japanese market during this summer of 2021, even with Covid-19 delaying the 2020 Olympics by a year and with no foreign spectators allowed, we are still optimistic that our products will be received well by the Japanese public, and of course, we hope it goes well enough that the opportunity arises elsewhere for the Subs brand to expand and our message of using recycled materials and circular economy manufacturing spreads internationally to other new markets.