China: GREAT British brands festival in Guangzhou
Published 8 October 2014
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This article is no longer current. Please refer to Overseas Business Risk - China
Summary
UKTI and the China-Britain Business Council launch the largest ever promotion of British retail brands in South China.
Detail
Organised in collaboration with UKTI, CBBC and the Tianhe Road Chamber of Commerce, the 18 day extravaganza has been running since 25 September, with 22 companies and some 60 UK brands represented along Guangzhou’s busiest shopping street. During the Festival Guangzhou’s 16 million residents will have the chance to experience: British fashion; homeware; food & drink; tourism and creativity.
The Great British Brands Festival is a major part of the Guangzhou International Shopping Festival 2014. The objective is to enable local consumers to experience first-hand British Brands in the South China market. Tianhe Road, at the centre of Guangzhou’s main retail district, receives over 1.5 million consumers every day, with numbers double that during last week’s Chinese National Holiday.
During the opening ceremony on 25th September, UKTI, Tianhe Road Chamber of Commerce and China Britain Business Council signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding that is designed to establish a long-term and stable channel for British brands and products to enter Guangzhou’s central commercial district, and from there the rest of South China. We hope this will help foster closer cooperation between British companies and local commercial enterprises.
On the following day (26th September) a UK/China Retail Forum was held to provide an opportunity to share case studies, to network with local top business partners and to explore business opportunities. British companies, including Marks & Spencer PLC and StartJG shared their expertise and experience of operating in the China market. The audience of 120 local retailers, industrial associations and brands also heard insights from leading local retailers Suning and Hi Lifestyle, and a presentation by UKTI on investing in the UK Retail sector. In addition, around 25 business matching meetings for a delegation of companies from South West England were organised with 20 local food and drink distributors. Feedback after the event was that the local distributors found both the products and the meetings valuable. There are ongoing discussions between them and the British companies, which we hope will lead to further business opportunities.
Comment
This is the fourth event of its type in China, after two successful British Brands Festivals in Beijing and one in Qingdao. The UKTI / CBBC retail team are planning at least four further Festivals across China in the next 12 months. These festivals are a key part of UKTI and CBBC’s Retail strategy for China, and are expected to deliver £5 Million in Business Wins over the next three years.