Leica seems to sell quite well - over here in China! We have these Leica stores popping up in the big cities, and customers visiting and handing over lots of cash. Sure, most of them are buying cameras, but the binoculars are present and I guess they also find their buyers. Those guys are rarely experts in optics, they want something that looks expensive, and in this respect, Leica with their fine looking leathered instruments is ahead of Swaro's green armored SVs or Zeiss' "plastic" Victories.
Cheers,
Holger
Holger,
The news program "60 Minutes" aired a segment last year that pointed to the same trend. The rising middle class Chinese like to buy European consumer items because of their prestige and "conspicuous consumption" factors. They buy BMWs, Mercedes, and Volvos for the same reason.
The problem with China is that it's the counterfeiting capital of the world. Manufacturers produce a wide variety of consumer goods and even cars that look like prestigious brands but that are actually Chinese made with Euro badges. One example they showed was of a BMW that was not really a BMW, just a Chinese-made car that looked like one. BBC's "Top Gear" also had a show on this. Rolex watches that are not made by Rolex, counterfeit Gucci bags, etc.
Even fake Apple digital gadgets labeled Apple may not be made by Apple in China or elsewhere but by a Chinese counterfeit manufacturer.
The Chinese middle class are up in arms about this, because they want what they pay for, and they also realize that all the counterfeiting gives their country a bad reputation. They formed a watchdog organization that tests various items and exposes the counterfeits. The government appears to look the other way.
Here's more info on this:
http://most-counterfeit-goods-are-from-china
Brock
