American clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced plans to open at least 100 stores in mainland China in the next 10 years, bringing its "casual luxury" brands to the Chinese consumers, state media reported.

Aside from its main Abercrombie & Fitch brand, the Ohio-headquartered casual wear retailer said it will also introduce its Hollister brand in China and launch a local e-commerce site catering to the millions of Chinese netizens in the later part of this year.

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A&F Senior Vice President of Marketing Craig Brommers said China represents the biggest market potential for the Abercrombie brand as Chinese consumers feel excited with the opening of its new flagship store in Shanghai recently.

The A&F flagship store is located in a four-story glass building on West Nanjing Road, Jing'an district, Shanghai. The area is a major commercial destination for shopping, hotels, office buildings and sightseeing, attracting local and overseas visitors alike.

The Shanghai store also features the same ambiance as that of A&F stores in the United States, with store models, classic lighting, heart-pumping music, and the smell of Fierce cologne.

Brommers said the A&F Shanghai ambiance will make it stand out in the world's most crowded market place. He, however, said the the retail landscape in the country is very hard to predict considering that local and international retail shops are opening in China almost every week.

But Brommers expressed confidence that its casual-luxury offering, which is something new in the Chinese market, will help propel A&F's growth in China over the next few years

A&F's plan to open 100 stores in China over the next 10 years comes at a time that several fashion retailers, domestic and foreign alike, closed shop due to fierce competition. China's booming online shopping segment has also been posing a huge challenge to the physical retailers.