|
|
Carrefour leads the China
rush - has more stores than anyone else
All global retailers are rushing to China. They are there to tap the huge and growing consumer market, but also to buy products for their world-wide distribution networks. Carrefour, world's second largest retailer, trailing only Wal-Mart, is emerging as the leader in this China race. Today, Carrefour's Chinese network consists of 28 hypermarkets, reports People's Daily. The French multinational is present in 16 major cities. Wal-Mart is operating 16 branches in China, and German Metro has 15 Cash & Carry hypermarkets in the country. The Chinese competitors
are not idle. The Beijing newspaper reports that interregional mergers
are common, to help leading Chinese retailers to position themselves.
Chen Nianci, general manager of the Zhejiang-based Sanjiang retail
company, is quoted by the People's Daily as saying that if Chinese
retail enterprises were to survive in the fierce competition, they would
have to improve their logistics systems by expanding their purchasing
and sales networks, including in the country's vast rural market, as
soon as possible. |
