HONG KONG, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Witnessing faster-than-expected growth of business in China, Armani Group plans to open additional40 to 50 stores of various kinds of Armani products in the country in next five years, the group announced Thursday.

    To enhance the publicity of the Italian top fashion brand in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, the group's president and world famous fashion designer Giorgio Armani stopped in Hong Kong to present his Armani/Prive Spring/Summer 2006 haute couture collection in an exclusive fashion show held here Thursday evening.

    Giorgio Armani will then travel to Shanghai. On April 1, the Shanghai Art Museum will celebrate the opening of the Solomon R. Gugenheim's Giorgio Armani: Retrospective and an exclusive fashion show at the Shanghai Grand Theater.

    He told a press conference here Thursday that China and its culture and spirit have been constant personal inspiration.

    He said the special characteristics of the Chinese cities such as Hong Kong and Shanghai and the smiles on the faces of citizens in the two places, and the way people say hello to him all become sources of inspiration for his design.

    Explaining the reason he choose Shanghai as the second-stop of the exhibition of his series of designing works, he said he had visited Shanghai Art Museum two years ago and the atmosphere is very suitable for showcasing his works.

    Milan of Italy is the first stop of the exhibition.

    John Hooks, the group's commercial and marketing director, said at the press conference that the group had expected to open 30 shops in the Chinese mainland before 2008 and the number of shops in the Chinese mainland has increased to 35 at present and the Chinese mainland market has ranked number two wholesale market for the group in Asia, after Japan.

    The Armani Group is one of the leading fashion and luxury goods groups in the world with over 4,800 direct employees and 13 factories. It has over 300 stores in about 40 countries and regions. Enditem