Hedao International Trade Centre for Cases and Bags is located in Baigou, Hebei province and is home to over 10,000 stores. The gigantic bazaar sells handbags or suitcases for 100 yuan (US$14) or less that bear all the similarities to the more expensive Louis Vuitton or Gucci originals.
But fears are that the industry’s best times may be behind it due to rising costs and falling orders after profits from luggage and bags made in Baigou fell to 831.21 million yuan (US$117 million) last year, well below the peak of 1.25 billion yuan (US$175 million) in 2017, according to government data.
