Anta Sports building management center in Qingpu District

Anta Sports, China's largest homegrown sportswear group by sales and market value, has started construction of a 35,000-square-meter retail management center in the West Hongqiao Business Area in Qingpu District.

The integrated Anta Sports Campus consists of five buildings and will bring the management and operation of the group's international brands under one roof. 

The new campus will include office space for 6,000 to 7,000 employees, as well as a research and development center, conference and meeting areas, sports event space, brand flagship stores and other complementary facilities. 

Apart from its namesake brand, the sportswear group has expanded by acquiring brands such as Fila, Descente, Kingkow, Kolon Sport and Sprandi. 

The Fujian-headquartered company bought a 58-percent stake in Finland’s Amer Sports in April and the group will seek to strengthen the Finnish company's brand performance in the China market, including Wilson, Arc'teryx, Atomic and Salomon. 

The Shanghai campus will also become a key step for the Hong Kong-listed company's globalization strategy, following its headquarters in Fujian and operation center in Xiamen. 

"The West Hongqiao Business Area is uniquely positioned to allow us to deepen our retail operations in Shanghai and to better connect with international resources and we'll stick to our multi-brand strategy to serve different consumer groups," said Ding Shizhong, Anta's chairman and CEO. 

The company expects to record a 45 percent jump in profits for the financial year ending December 31, it said in a preliminary earnings statement.