HONG KONG, November 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Holly Li is to take over as CEO of Esprit´s Chinese operations as of 1 February 2012. Ms. Li will be responsible for achieving Esprit's growth ambitions in China and in this position will report directly to the Group´s CEO, Ronald van der Vis. Currently, Ms. Li is acting as Vice President and General Manager North China of adidas AG.

Ronald van der Vis, Group CEO of Esprit, said: "We are delighted to welcome Holly Li as CEO for our activities in China. She is an experienced Chinese executive with a proven track record. Holly has gained broad experiences in managing the international textile brand Adidas in the Chinese market, both within the retail and franchise distribution channel. Her main objective will be the implementation of our growth strategy for China as part of our Transformation Program." In September, Esprit announced that over the next four years, it intends to double its sales in China to HK$6 billion (€566 million) and expand its point-of-sales network in China from currently 1,000 to 1,900. To support this growth, the company is establishing a Design Center in China geared to the needs of the Chinese market.

Holly Li holds a degree in Apparel Design & Engineering, as well as an MBA. She built her career for eleven years with Adidas as Regional Sales Manager, Senior Business Development Manager, Regional Director and currently as Vice President and General Manager for North China.

Esprit Holdings Limited (http://www.espritholdings.com) is a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index, MSCI Hong Kong Index, FTSE All-World Index for Hong Kong, S&P/HKEx LargeCap Index and S&P Asia 50 Index. Its subsidiaries are engaged in the retail and wholesale distribution of quality lifestyle products designed under its globally recognized Esprit and edc brands. The Group operates over 1,100 directly managed retail stores worldwide and distributes through more than 11,000 controlled-space wholesale points-of-sale internationally, occupying total selling space of over 1,000,000 m² in more than 40 countries.

Investor Relations Contact:
Patrick Lau
Tel: (+852)-2765-4232
e-mail: esprit-ir@esprit.com

Press Contact:
Hartmut Schultz Kommunikation GmbH:
Hartmut Schultz
Tel: (+49)-89-99-24-96-20
e-mail: hs@schultz-kommunikation.de

SOURCE Esprit Holdings Limited