NEW YORK, NY – Seeking to extend their brand presence to further global heights, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. announced yesterday that they plan to open new, freestanding Playboy Concept Boutiques in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur by year’s end. The upscale retail outlets will offer the full slate of Playboy fashion and accessories, as well as a diverse palette of Playboy-branded products. The deals are strictly licensing ventures, which require no up-front capital investment from Playboy.“The retail success of our existing freestanding stores in Tokyo, Las Vegas and Melbourne enables us to expand confidently to other cities, such as Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, further enhancing our brand equity and strengthening our global retail presence,” said Christie Hefner, chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Playboy’s Hong Kong location, Causeway Bay, is among the most expensive in the world in terms of property rental prices, and home to outlets for other trendy fashion lines, like Diesel, D-Mop, IT and Camper. In Kuala Lumpur, Playboy’s boutique will span a 2500 square foot space on the ground floor of the Mid-Valley Mall. In support of the store openings, Christie Hefner will make a week-long trek of Asian and Australian retail outlets, and visit the newly opened boutiques in January 2006.

“Based on our previous retail experience in the two new markets, we believe these Playboy boutiques will create additional interest and enthusiasm for our wide range of products,” Hefner said. “Looking ahead, we expect to continue partnering under license with retail experts who will develop and fund stores in select locations around the globe.”

Opening the new boutiques is in keeping with a recent expansion of Playboy’s presence in specialty and retail stores across the US, as well as Europe and Asia. Retail outlets that have carried Playboy product lines include Colette in Paris, Seibu in Hong Kong, Selfridges in London and Henri Bendel in New York.