Red Star Macalline Steps Up Overseas Expansion as Chinese Furniture Makers Go Global

Red Star Macalline, one of China's largest home furnishings retailers, is expanding overseas as Chinese furniture and home appliance makers increasingly look beyond the domestic market for new business opportunities.

The company unveiled its "1+N" overseas expansion model on September 5 at the 2026 Home Furnishing Brand Global Expansion Conference in Shanghai, held in conjunction with the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) and the China International Building Decoration Fair (CBD-Fair).

Under the model, Red Star Macalline plans to establish a flagship home furnishings mall in each target market while building a broader retail network through partnerships with local distributors, property developers and retailers.

The company also launched the Global Home Furnishing Hub alongside two trade fairs, bringing together retail and distribution partners and cross-border e-commerce platforms from 10 countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

The move comes as Chinese furniture and appliance companies step up efforts to expand overseas.

China exported 455.9 billion yuan ($63.5 billion) worth of furniture and furniture parts in 2025. Exports of Chinese white goods totaled $71.89 billion in the first half of 2026, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, the domestic market is undergoing a structural shift. Retail sales of home appliances across all channels totaled 425 billion yuan in the first six months of 2026, down 9.9 percent from a year earlier, according to market research firm AVC.

Zhu Jiagui, executive president of Red Star Macalline, said China's appliance market remained dominated by major brands and sales channels, while major e-commerce platforms continued to compete heavily on price.

Red Star Macalline Chairman Li Yupeng has made international expansion a key part of the company's strategy for China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, calling it a "second growth curve."

Unlike major Chinese appliance makers such as Haier and Hisense, which established overseas operations years ago, much of China's home furnishings industry has traditionally relied on product exports and OEM manufacturing rather than building international retail networks and brands.

Red Star Macalline's "1+N" model aims to help the industry move beyond that export-led approach.

Rather than replicating its large, asset-heavy mall model in China, the company plans to work with local partners on overseas properties, distribution networks and market resources, while providing product selection, digital management systems and other services.

Qin Shuo, an economic commentator and founder of Qin's Moments, said small-and-medium-sized furniture companies often lack the resources to set up their own overseas stores and warehouses.

"For the furniture industry to go global, it needs ecosystem and platform partners to lead the way," Qin said.

Red Star Macalline aims to serve as a link between Chinese brands, dealers and service providers and overseas distributors and retailers. It cited its domestic retail network and supplier base, as well as the international resources of parent company C&D Group, as key advantages.

Online platforms including Shopee and Wayfair have joined its overseas partner network.

Fang Jian, deputy general manager and head of Merchant Development at Wayfair Asia-Pacific, said the company hoped to work with Red Star Macalline to help Chinese furniture and home furnishings brands expand overseas.

China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition would support Chinese brands through overseas brand building, trade-fair partnerships and broader international platforms, according to Deng Jingjing, deputy general manager.

The initiative also aims to bring furniture, appliances and home decoration companies onto one platform while connecting online and offline retail channels.

Following the exhibition, the brands will enter the company's nationwide mall network, supported by a Xiaohongshu campaign linking online product discovery with in-store shopping, according to Zhu.

Meanwhile, in China's highly competitive home appliance market, Red Star Macalline is targeting younger consumers with new retail formats.

As part of the strategy, the company plans to roll out 40 smart-appliance showrooms under its MEGA-E brand in major cities including Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing and Zhengzhou.

The bigger question is whether the platform-based approach can help Chinese home furnishings brands move beyond product exports and build lasting distribution networks and brands overseas.

Qin said Chinese companies need to think not only about "how to go out," but also "how to go in – and how to keep going."

For Red Star Macalline, the Shanghai launch is an attempt to turn its retail and industry resources into an international platform as more Chinese home furnishings brands seek to expand overseas.