| phone | U.S.A. | +1 (310) 997-0051 / +1 (310) 878-2934 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | +1 (604) 998-6945 | |
| China | +86 (10) 8409-8570 / +86 (10) 8409-8571 | |
| [email protected]msn: [email protected] | ||
Chinadaily @ 2009-05-26 17:00
Thesedays, more and more western companies have to draw chinese customers by changing their business models. And now, they are trying to sell even the most traditional chinese product to the locals to make money. Is it the fault of worldwide economic crisis? Or they've already done it years ago?
Startbucks takes Dragon Boat-ride to zongzi
So now you have Starbucks selling zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed), a delicacy served during Dragon Boat Festival, which this year falls on May 28.
In fact, since mid-April, Starbucks has been selling dumplings, simply called "the sweets". The trial began in the Yangtze River Delta area, including Shanghai, and Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, where Starbucks has the largest number of its outlets in China. Caren Li, Starbucks (China) public relations manager, said yesterday that her dumplings have met "expectations" and have been welcomed especially by those looking for innovative products. But the Starbucks variety is expensive: each 45-gram dumpling costs about 12 yuan, when the going price for 150-gram zongzi in supermarkets is 3.5-4 yuan. Still, the coffee-shop chain expects to sell 20,000 to 30,000 boxes of dumplings that cost 98 yuan each, earning a revenue of 1.96 to 2.94 million yuan.
This is not the first time Starbucks has tried its hand at selling Chinese products. In September last year, it tried selling Cantonese-style pancakes for 8 to 15 yuan each in Guangdong province. In January, it began serving coffee grown "South of the Clouds", that is, in Yunnan province. And during this year's Spring Festival, it served two types of coffee blended with tea, which still is the favorite beverage of Chinese.
Starbucks has tried to roll out products tailored to local taste ever since it entered the Chinese market, Li said.
Great Business Opportunity
But Starbucks is not the only food chain to improvise its products to draw consumers.
Recession back home has prompted another US (fast) food restaurant chain, KFC, to sell youtiao, fried twisted dough, a Chinese favorite for breakfast. Earlier, KFC tried selling "Beijing-flavored" chicken rolls and pumpkin congee.
McDonald's is focusing this year on offering "nutritious and delicious" Chinese breakfast, said Liu Xiaolin, Beijing McDonald's corporate communications manager. China is still "the most dynamic market in the world and also the most attractive for foreign chains".
These companies have plans to expand their business in China, too. Starbucks opened its first outlet on the Chinese mainland in 1999, and in just 10 years, it has raised the number of to more than 350 in 26 cities. Last year, it opened 40 outlets despite the economic crisis.
KFC and McDonald's, too, have announced ambitious expansion plans in China.