Colin Tanenbaum sent a message to Kevin Mansell - Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Kohls Corporation - Email Address that said:
Hello Mr Mansell,
My name is Colin Tanenbaum. Ive been in the apparel business for 46 years. I started in China in 1976. Today I am the President of Guotai International.
To be clear there are 13 Guotai companies. We are named Guotai Litian. We dominate the denim and casual bottoms part of the US industry. We employ thousands of people in our offices, sample rooms and factories. Yes, we do own our own factories. Guotai is a state owned company and as a result have enormous financial capabilities. We currently do business with many of the brands that Kohls carries. We are the guiding light in innovation as far as fabrics and sometimes even garment design. We have tried to offer you direct purchase from our factories. We sponsor all costs and deliver to your warehouse with terms to pay. I think its a great deal.
I have had Rajiv Malik to our offices recently and have tried to communicate with him about trying us out. He tells me there is no room for new suppliers. I find this ridiculous. There should always be room for the right suppliers. His comment to me just last eves was to keep on making for your current branded vendors and I said I thought we could help to improve your private brands. As the product development person I found his comments quite strange. I thought he was brought on board to improve your private brands not to encourage excellent factories like ours (we do work with LF currently) to continue selling your current vendors. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I am trying to help you get better quality products at superior pricing.
I look forward to your reply.
My best,
Colin Tanenbaum President Guotai International
