Starbucks sold 60 percent of its China business earlier this week, hoping that local input could help its operation. But Shanghai-based business analyst Ben Cavender sees that the US company still has major difficulties in cracking the Chinese market, he writes at WHTC.com.Read More →
China’s eateries have been slashing their prices up to half to woo consumers, but marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok warns that this trend might hurt the businesses, as their costs do not go down, she tells Channel News Asia. Business models and their effects do vary a lot, depending on the age group the industry is focusing on, she adds.Read More →
When brands enter China, they not only have to figure out what their demanding customers want, but also have a good look at politics, argues business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The War for China’s Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order, in a wide-ranging interview at Knowledge CKGSB.Read More →
The decision to sell a controlling stake of McDonald´s to private investors in the Carlyle Group, Citic Capital and Citic Group triggered off mixed reactions among analysts. Retail analyst Ben Cavender says the new investors can help to refurbish and expand the chain. Peking University business professor Jeffrey Towson sees a different management style, that makes competitor KFC run for its money. But business analyst Shaun Rein sees to end to the inevitable decline of McDonald´s.Read More →
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 →
Yum spinning off its China operation attracted most attention, but the model of selling a well-established China operation is a model that can generate a lot of value, at least for the share-holders, says business analyst Shaun Rein in Bloomberg.Read More →
Getting traction among China´s picky consumers is one thing, keeping it up is another. Larger foreign firms like Yum and Starbucks have been slow in picking up consumer trends in China, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Bloomberg, for example in their adoption of fintech developments.Read More →
Yum´s KFC has lost substantial turnover, as anti-US protest turn against the fast food chain caused by the tension in the South China Sea, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Reuters. The stores have become a lightning rod for nationalistic feelings and lost sometimes up to 25%Read More →
Business analyst Shaun Rein does not support the current bearish mood on China´s economy, he tells MoneyControl. There are weaknesses, but economic growth for Q4 will be at or close to 7 percent, he says. And weaknesses offer opportunities, if you have a strong stomach.Read More →
McDonald´s used to be one of the winners in China´s emerging fast food market, but – together with KFC – losing market share and actually closing stores. Scandals and changing diets take their toll, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in the China Daily.Read More →
You might know Yum mostly from KFC and Pizzahut, but in China it has started to test the upscale market. Retail analyst Ben Cavender looks at a test-kitchen at Shanghai´s Bund. Read More →
When US fast food chains entered the China market, they mostly kept rigorously to their American diet. But now they are struggling to gain share of the US$100 billion market by experimenting frantically with tastes and flavors, tells retail analyst Ben Cavender in CNNMoney.Read More →