(Yicai) May 21 -- Guess will relaunch operations in the Chinese market with local partner Ruisi Haishang, about two months after closing all of its online and offline stores in the country, according to the US fashion retailer’s parent firm Authentic Brands Group.

The relaunch marks Guess’ shift toward a more localized, partner-led new strategy in China, ABG told Yicai yesterday. The brand will no longer apply a global universal operating model to the Chinese market but will make adjustments at the product, marketing, retail, and user interaction levels to better align with the needs of local consumers, the company added.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1981, Guess offers a wide range of products, from clothes and footwear to accessories and perfumes. ABG said that it usually starts by finding a core operator to handle apparel products and then expands into more categories, such as cosmetics.

Ruisi Haishang will handle the development, production, distribution, and sales of Guess’ womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear lines, according to the partnership agreement with ABG.

Hangzhou-based Ruisi Haishang is a joint venture between Quanshang Technology and Yinian Huasheng, founded in March. Quanshang owns its brands Duibai and One Moment and acts as an agent for the Mmlg and Vera Wang brands. Yinian Huasheng operates the MLB, Hunter, and Salomon brands.

ABG likely values Ruisi Haishang’s offline mall resources and its comprehensive capabilities in online brand operations, which it has built for many years, industry insiders believe.

Editor: Futura Costaglione