(Yicai) Oct. 16 -- A unit of Anta Sports Products has acquired a 75 percent stake in Maia Active, a Chinese yoga clothing and activewear brand for women, the sportswear maker said.

Founded in 2016, Maia Active has become influential in its segment and it will help Anta to develop its women’s wear business, Anta said in a statement today. The Jinjiang-based firm did not disclose how much it paid for the stake.

China’s market for yoga apparel has grown fast in recent years, driven by increased health and fitness awareness, changing consumer tastes, and the popularity of yoga and other fitness activities. The leading sellers of yoga wear in the country are mostly from Europe and the United States, such as Lululemon. 

Anta still needs to expand if it wants to compete with the top international companies, Cheng Weixiong, a footwear and clothing industry analyst, told Yicai Global.

Maia Active’s yoga pants sell for between CNY300 and CNY400 (USD41 and USD54) a pair and the company notched up sales of CNY300 million (USD40.8 million) in 2021, doubling from those of 2019, it told Yicai in early 2022.

The Shanghai-based company has completed a number of fundraisers, banking almost CNY100 million in a Series C round in December 2021 that drew investment from Belle International. At the time, Maia Active said it expected to open nearly 50 brick and mortar stores by the end of 2022. 

Anta's shares [HKG: 2020] closed up 0.8 percent at HKD90.60 (USD11.59) apiece in Hong Kong today. 

Editors: Shi Yi, Tom Litting