News on Consumers & Retail in China

Playing chicken
Popeyes aims to catch up with KFC in China
Dec 6, 2019 (WiC 477)

American fried chicken chain Popeyes launched a new chicken sandwich in the summer that sold out within two weeks of its debut. A relaunch in early November again created long lines of customers – a man in Maryland was even stabbed after ...

From KOL to KOC
Bestselling cosmetics brand Perfect Diary takes a different approach
Nov 29, 2019 (WiC 476)

In China’s thousands of years of history, there have been hundreds of revolts and rebellions. An idiom to describe some of those sudden challenges to authority is yijuntuqi (异军突起, or emerging force). It originates from the Records ...

Reach for the stars
Streaming celebrities help Alibaba set another Singles’ Day record
Nov 15, 2019 (WiC 474)

China’s princess of live-streaming is called Viya. Real name Huang Wei, she goes into overdrive during the run-up to Singles’ Day. Starting her broadcasts in the early afternoon, she pitches her wares until well past midnight, selling ...

Flying higher
China’s largest ‘local’ fast food chain expands
Nov 8, 2019 (WiC 473)

The demobilisation of People’s Liberation Army servicemen in the 1980s liberated a handful of major business talents. Among the military men to become business moguls: Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei, Vanke’s Wang Shi, Haier Group’s Zhang Ruimin, ...

The 80/20 rule
A supermarket deal sees an ex-con boss reinvent himself in ‘new retail’ era
Oct 25, 2019 (WiC 471)

China enacted its Property Law in 2007 to give individuals the same legal protections over their property as the state. The decision was seen as a victory for economic reforms and the rule of law. Yet in a country ruled by a political party whose ...

Back in fashion
Li Ning’s turnaround story wins over fund managers
Oct 25, 2019 (WiC 471)

In the world of fashion “one day you are in, and the next day you are out,” to quote Heidi Klum’s catchphrase on the reality series Project Runway. But as China’s sportswear label Li Ning has demonstrated, what was once out ...

Makeup marketers man up
Why young male celebrities are so sought after by cosmetics giants
Oct 25, 2019 (WiC 471)

Back in 1996, Japanese beauty giant Kanebo broke with tradition by choosing Kimura Takuya, a pop singer, to appear in a lipstick campaign. In the TV commercial, the long-haired singer was shown applying the lipstick himself. His fans went crazy ...

Spicing up sales
What led to Laoganma’s first TV commercial?
Oct 4, 2019 (WiC 469)

Consumer products tend to bank on publicity. But not Sriracha. For 40 years, the chilli-garlic paste’s maker Huy Fong has never paid a penny for advertising. And yet the company churns out 12,000 bottles per hour, with revenues reaching $154 ...

Drink to that
Moutai reaches new heights
Sep 27, 2019 (WiC 468)

One week, and two very different experiences for Shanghai shoppers eager to get hold of a bottle of Moutai for China’s National Day celebrations on October 1. At one end of the scale were those Costco customers who’d paid Rmb299 ($41.91) ...

On the boil
What is breathing new life into China’s instant noodle market?
Sep 27, 2019 (WiC 468)

Forget the Walkman, the electric rice cooker or the QR code. It was instant ramen that the Japanese considered their greatest invention over the last century, according to a poll in 2000. Ando Momofuku, founder of Osaka-based food giant Nissin, ...

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