The 2013 Fonterra milk scandal has not diminished the aspirations of the New Zealand firm to play a role in China´s dairy industry. This week Fonterra bought 20% stake in Beingmate, a smart move, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to Reuters.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 →
China´s central government tries to shift its economy from investment-driven to a consumer-drive one. While the effort seems to have effect, financial analyst Sara Hsu points at a few bears at this road in the Diplomat. Will the consumers keep on spending more? It´s in the hand of the government itself.Read More →
Expiring drug patents, including those of Pfizer´s Viagra, is not going to change the market in China, says retail analyst Ben Cavender at CNBC. Most of those drugs are anyway already available in China, he says. And the second-child hype most more materialize.Read More →
Walking El Camino, the famous pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela, is an old European tradition, but rapidly becoming popular today too. Author Zhang Lijia started yesterday her El Camino, and will keep us updated on her weblog.Read More →
A large number of retailers and restaurants from 7-Eleven to Starbucks to McDonald´s have cut ties with their meat supplier in Shanghai, as authorities forced to close its operation. Retail analyst Ben Cavender explains in the WSJ what it takes to keep supply chains clean.Read More →
An all-American meat scandal has hit Shanghai, as McDonald´s and Yum´s KFC banned their Chicago-owned supplier after authorities found out it used out-dated meat. Retail analyst Ben Cavender expects a long-term damage to both restaurant chains, he tells in the China Daily.Read More →
Post Mart, a joint venture by China Post and US-based China Horizon Investments Group, it consolidating its China operation. Lack of volume is one of their key problems among its rural customers, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in the China Daily.Read More →
Classic tourists destinations like France are out for China´s rich, as they focus on more exotic destinations like the Arctic and Africa, reports the Wall Street Journal based on a new report by Rupert Hoogewerf´s Hurun Rich list. Only Switzerland survives in Europe.Read More →
High-end brands are no longer the only winners in China´s luxury industry, as affordable fashion gets the favor of consumers, and high-costs items are mostly purchased outside China, explains business analyst Ben Cavender in the China Daily.Read More →
China´s smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched its first tablet and business analyst Ben Cavender sees the company doing well in the 15-35 year bracket of consumers who never used a PC. Apple and Samsung should start to worry, he explains in Bloomberg TV.Read More →
Figures coming from China, especially recent PMI data look gloomy, but business analyst Shaun Rein does not expect any major stimulus plan soon, he tells in MoneyControl. Only high unemploymency, for example when many graduates cannot find jobs in June, could trigger off a minor stimulus plan.Read More →