In line with expectations, McDonald´s has sold a controlling stake of its China and Hong Kong operation to private investors, after competitor Yum did the same last year. With the new financial resources, the China operation can improve fast, says Shanghai-based retail analyst Ben Cavender to Bloomberg.Read More →
One of the main reasons Chinese consumers buy themselves silly abroad – including Hong Kong – is the high difference in pricing of similar products in mainland China. Cosmetic giants Estee Lauder and AmorePacific have lower their prices up to 30 percent, as also the government is revamping its import fees. More will follow, tells retail analyst Ben Cavender to the South China Morning Post.Read More →
Fashion has been changing massively, as low-cost manufacturing moved from China to other countries, and the fashion brand focus on value, more than on cheap production, tells Shanghai-based retail expert Ben Cavender in Just-Style. And the transition process in fashion brands will continue to cause pain, as robots move in.Read More →
Victoria Secret took on China online, but has now decided to open its first offline retail flagship store in Shanghai. They move very cautiously, says retail expert Ben Cavender in AdAge, and they have a fair chance of getting it right in one of the most difficult retail markets in the world.Read More →
The battle between Wanda and Disney got a new twist as the Chinese company hired Andrew Kam, former managing director of Disneyland Hong Kong. A smart move, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in the China Daily.Read More →
McDonald´s China is trying to sell its 2,200 stores for up to US$2 billion to third parties. A move that makes sense, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in CFO, because the number of people able to run chain stores has gone up exponentially.Read More →
The surprise alliance between makes perfect sense, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to Reuters. Sony gets more access to the huge Chinese movie market, and Wanda to Hollywood. And we might expect more tie-up between Chinese companies and global players.Read More →
Samsung had a loyal group of users in China, but its way of dealing with the latest security scare has shocked their loyal follower, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to AP. Samsung did not recall its Note 7, despite possible igniting batteries, and recalls in the rest of the world. Read More →
The world looked with surprise when Nanjing dress-maker V-Grass Fashion bought South-Korean Teenie Weenie for double its own market value. But moving ahead in such a drastic way, seems to be the only way forward for China´s fragmented apparel market, tells retail analyst Ben Cavender to Bloomberg.Read More →
Grass Fashion Co. in a 1 trillion won deal (US$900 million). That is more than V-Grass is worth, warns branding expert Ben Cavender in Bloomberg, and might be very hard to recover in sales.Read More →
China´s consumers have changed dramatically over the past decade, retail analyst Ben Cavender told a conference on fruit, for example only looking at first-tier cities is a wrong habit from the past, reports the Fruitnet. And the hypermarkets are dead.Read More →
Starbucks raised its prices, causing a stir among the many users of the popular coffee chain. They will whine a bit, but get over it very soon, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in the China Daily, and he does not expect a sustained backlash.Read More →