By 2018 Kartell is planning to open 50 brand shops in China: the company started on May 30 with the Beijing store inside the Sanlitun Village, which will be soon followed by the Shanghai and Chengdu stores this summer. At the moment Kartell is present in 120 countries and is also planning four new flagship stores in Brazil and one in Turkey by the end of 2013.
Founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer who graduated with the Nobel Prize  Giulio Natta, Kartell started with the production of plastic goods (initially car accessories, then household goods, laboratory items and lamps). Since the beginning, the company has set itself two goals, which have actually been achieved: introducing plastic materials in the domestic environment and providing laboratory equipment made of polymers instead of glass. Over the years, the company has increasingly consolidated its position in the global luxury and design markets, thanks also to the cooperation with internationally renowned architects and designers.