Zippo lighting up in China market

Zippo Manufacturing Co, known for its windproof metal lighters, will add more Chinese factors - including designs featuring a giant panda and golden dragon - into its product line, an acknowledgement that China has already become its biggest market by sales revenue in the world, said its head for Asian markets.

The company has experienced double-digit sales growth in China for the past six years, and also expanded its sales channels from traditional shopping malls to online platforms such as JD.com and Tmall.com.

Liu Jinghua, Zippo's managing director for Asia, said the lighter products with designs such as zodiac signs, love stories, famous paintings and military themes have become increasingly popular in China and the company has been busy sending information about cultural trends and related market information back to its global design centers in the United States.