Osim International, Asia’s biggest maker of massage chairs outside of Japan, will add as many as 80 stores annually in China over the next three to five years to tap growing demand in the world’s most populous country.

 

The company will have between 500 to 600 stores in China within five years from about 200 now, Ron Sim, Osim founder and chief executive officer, said on Bloomberg Television. “We expect to grow a lot in China.”

 

Osim, whose market value has jumped more than 15-fold in the past year, reported net income of $23 million in 2009, compared with a loss of $99 million a year ago. The company’s business in north Asia, which includes China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, grew by 15% last year and contributed 54% of sales.