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Tag: China

  • China e-commerce huge opportunity for British merchants

    China e-commerce huge opportunity for British merchants

    New research says almost half of the UK’s top online retailers are failing to capitalize on China’s burgeoning e-commerce market. E-commerce service provider Global-e reports that British companies are significantly missing out on a marketplace that’ll be worth $1.5 trillion within four years.

    Chinese shoppers love doing it online. Buying big brands from around the world, It’s global, China’s Centre for Economic Exchange anticipates online retail will account for 30 to 40 per cent of world trade in less than a decade. E-commerce entrepreneur Amir Schlachet says most firms see that as a huge opportunity.

    “Most of them actually do realize that China is an important market. It’s close to a trillion shoppers online. Very open to the world. It’s already around half of the online population actually buying cross border.” said  Schlachet.

    Recent research by market research company Emarketer backs him up, claiming nearly 45% of people in China shop on overseas websites. And the internet shopping giant Alibaba offered further evidence with figures for 2015 indicating a revenue rise of more than 30 percent. However, while many UK retailers have seen the online potential, to others claims Schlachet are failing to take advantage.

    But global’s also local and the trick to getting into the Chinese online market baffles some. Shoppers in China want websites in Mandarin; prices in Renminbi the local currency and payment using local systems such as Tenpay.Union Pay and Alipay. So, while shops in Britain go out of their way to welcome Chinese shoppers, researchers at Global-e found traders needed help online.

    It’s all a barometer of how globalization is changing the way we go shopping, but at the same time it’s a real indicator of how new businesses can start up to take advantage of that.

  • Chinese influx lifts Jeju’s growth

    Chinese influx lifts Jeju’s growth

    The southern resort island of Jeju showed the highest rate of growth in productivity in the service sector and retail sales last year.

    Jeju’s service sector productivity rose 6.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the same quarter the previous year, according to a Statistics Korea report released Thursday. The growth rate is two times higher than the national average rate of 3.1 percent and nearly three times more than Seoul’s 2.3 percent.

    Statistics Korea said productivity growth rates were high in areas such as Jeju, South Chungcheong and Gangwon, as more financial and social welfare businesses moved in to the areas. Gyeonggi and Seoul also saw increases of around 2 percent, but their rates were relatively small as the number of related businesses decreased last year.

    The nation’s retail sales also rose in the fourth quarter of 2015 from the same quarter of the previous year.

    Retail sales increased most in Jeju at 10.8 percent, which is nearly two times higher than the national average of 5.7 percent, while Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong each scored 6.7 percent to tie in second place. In these places, sales at large discount stores and car dealers rose significantly, according to Statistics Korea.

    Sales in large discount stores accounted for 20.8 percent of total retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2015 in Jeju.

    Industry experts believe Jeju is over-performing in both productivity and sales growth rates as more Chinese tourists are visiting the island.

    For example, real estate and leasing services accounted for 25 percent of total productivity growth in Jeju. Currently, many Chinese are interested in investing in the island’s real estate. Jeju, the warmest place in Korea, was also able to attract more local and foreign tourists in the fourth quarter.

    Additionally, the popular trend of urbanites heading back to suburban areas like Jeju has also helped bolster the island’s economy. Net migration, the difference between immigrants and emigrants, reached 14,257 last year. In 2014, it was at around 11,112.

    In all 16 major cities and provinces, both service sector productivity and retail sales increased in the fourth quarter of 2015.

    Meanwhile, the service sector productivity growth rate nationwide last year is expected to reach 2.9 percent from the previous year. In 2014, the growth rate was 2.2 percent. The nation’s retail sales growth rate is projected at 3.4 percent, double the 1.7 percent in 2014.

  • Asian retail outlook: “more cautious”

    Asian retail outlook: “more cautious”

    High operating costs – particularly rents and labor in Asia – will ensure retailers are more cautious this year, concludes real estate specialist CBRE.

    In its annual Asian retail outlook, the company’s research department predicts many retailers will shift their strategic focus from expanding their store networks to rationalisation, improving in-store profitability and upgrading to better locations.

    That trend is expected across the broad Asia-pacific market, including Hong Kong.

    “Leasing activity will diverge across markets, with Australia, Japan and New Zealand the most upbeat, whereas Hong Kong and Singapore will continue to struggle,” CBRE concluded.

    “Driven by ongoing urbanisation and wage increases, Southeast Asia will also see solid leasing activity. Demand across the region will be led by food and beverage retailers, while affordable and niche luxury brands will also be active.”

    CBRE also warns the rise of online shopping will continue to force shopping malls to embrace ‘retail-tainment’ and adjust their trade mix to include more experience-oriented retailers to retain foot traffic. Around 63.8 million sqft of new shopping center supply is scheduled to be completed in 2016. Against the sluggish leasing demand and ample new supply, overall retail rents are forecast to experience a mild correction of below 1 per cent in 2016.

    In a broader property outlook, CBRE forecasts that due to Asia Pacific’s steady economic growth – which will continue to outpace the rest of the world in 2016 – investment activity in the region will remain solid, although activity will be limited by asset pricing and availability.

    “The region’s investment market will continue to see strong demand from real estate funds and institutional investors. Institutional investors will continue to invest in Asia Pacific to increase their exposure to real estate for strategic diversification,” said Dr Henry Chin, head of research, CBRE Asia Pacific.

    “That said, Asia Pacific will enter a period of slower growth in the commercial real estate market with activity likely to moderate over the course of the year as it becomes more challenging to source investable stock able to meet investors’ target returns. Interest rates will remain low in 2016 so yields are largely to remain stable across Asia Pacific. However, we are expecting to see a mild yield expansion in 2017 together with the rise in interest rates.”

    The economic slowdown in China – as well as higher-than-expected US interest hike rates, and currency volatility – will also remain a key concern for investors, given the scale of its impact across the whole region.

    “However, macro trends of urbanisation and the rise of the middle class remain largely unchanged and will continue to drive growth across Asia.

    “There are structural investment-themed opportunities for investors to focus on in 2016, such as the growth of e-commerce, regional tourism and demographic changes. Demographic changes will create opportunities in niche sectors such as self-storage facilities, senior and student housing, and data centers,” said Chin.

    “Regionally, active markets will continue to be led by Australia and Japan, whilst India expects to see a positive year following the relaxation of FDI norms at the end of last year.

    “China will also remain on the radar for most international investors although demand will be largely confined to tier I cities. Overall, the long-term outlook remains positive for the region,” he concluded.

    CBRE’s 2016 APAC Real Estate Market Outlook report can be downloaded here.

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  • Spring Festival retail gloom

    Spring Festival retail gloom

    Fortune seems to have favoured Macau over Hong Kong during last week’s Spring Festival.

    But both territories suffered from the ongoing change in Mainland Chinese travel habits.

    Data from the Macau Government Tourism Office showed 548,536 tourists arrived in Macau between February 7 and 10 – which equates to a 5.2 per cent increase over last year’s holiday season. Some 70 per cent of them came from Mainland China.

    However, anecdotal reports from Macau shopkeepers say the increased visitor numbers during the Spring Festival retail break did not translate into higher spending in stores.

    According to the Macau Daily Times “a majority” of retailers it spoke to reported “a drastic drop in business” from mainland visitors.

    One – a fireworks vendor – reported a 50 per cent decline in sales, and other retailers selling apparel and beauty products also reported a decline.

    One cosmetics retailer said sales rose 10 per cent, and snack food stores reported trading was on a par with last year.

    In Hong Kong, where retail sales estimates have yet to be reported, the number of Mainland Chinese visitors fell by about 10 per cent – and the number of groups by an alarming 70 per cent, to about 120 groups per day. So clearly, there will have been a negative impact on retail sales for the week.

    Shopkeepers in Mong Kok, where a violent riot erupted on Monday, reported far fewer tourists in the area.

    “From Monday till now, no one would like to come to this area,” one retailer told local news media.

    “There are more police than tourists. My business is not even half as good as last year, what can I do? What should I do after the holiday?”

    But on the mainland, Ministry of Commerce data shows retail sales rose 11.2 per cent during the Lunar New Year ‘Golden Week’ from February 7 to 13. According to the data, sales by retailers and catering firms grew to about 754 billion yuan, or US$114.879 billion.

  • China Jo-Jo finds gold online

    China Jo-Jo finds gold online

    While its physical stores and wholesale revenues slipped, pharmacy retailer China Jo-Jo Drugstores recorded an increase of about 96.7 per cent in its online revenues during the third quarter ended December 31.

    Through its own retail stores (59 in Zhejiang Province), wholesale distribution and online pharmacy, the New York-listed company is a leading provider of pharmaceutical and healthcare products in China.

    Overall, its revenues of about $24.7 million for the period were up 15.9 per cent. Its retail drugstores brought in $12.9 million, down 2.7 per cent, while its wholesale businesses netted about $3.1 million, a decrease of of 13.8 per cent. However, its online pharmacy revenue rose 96.7 per cent to total about $8.6 million.

    This gave the company a gross profit of about $4.8 million for the quarter, up 52.3 per cent on the previous year. The online profit soared 194.1 per cent to about $1.8 million, while its stores had a 20.3 per cent increase to about $2.8 million.

    Over the nine months of the financial year, revenue totalled $68.6 million, up 22 per cent, with gross profit up 56.1 per cent to about $13.2 million.

    Sales and marketing expenses grew by $1.1 million, or 50.5 per cent, mainly because of higher labour costs and service fees for its eCommerce platforms.

    “We are seeing improvements in gross margin from increased volume in our online business as our revenue mix continues to shift to our fast-growing online business,” says chairman/CEO Lei Liu, who predicts a strong quarter to end the fiscal year.

    “Investments and efforts in building critical mass to service China’s consumer needs in the pharmacy space is taking shape, creating new opportunities to diversify our revenue base.”

    Closer collaborations with large local pharmaceutical vendors are also providing cost advantages. Co-operation with business-to-consumer online vendors have expanded, with the company’s products listed on such platforms as Taobao, JD and www.yhd.com and customers being directed back to China Jo-Jo’s website.

    Meanwhile, the company continues to benefit from working with large insurance companies such as The People’s Insurance Company of China. Commercial health insurance in China continues to expand to supplement the nation’s social health insurance.

    Lei Liu says there is a “relentless call” for healthcare reform in China, including an end to hospitals dominating prescription sales. Meanwhile, China Jo-Jo has also seen its loyalty program expand to embrace more than 2 million customers.

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  • Why there is no need to wait for a stable market before launching Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock

    Why there is no need to wait for a stable market before launching Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock

    Beijing should not wait for the market to stabilise to launch the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect scheme and should introduce it as soon as possible to help attract more capital inflow to the mainland China.

    Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing chairman Chow Chung-kong said last Thursday, on the first trading day of the Year of the Monkey, that the long-awaited stock connect scheme between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock markets would definitely be launched but it would need to wait for the stock market to stabilise.

    After the Hang Seng Index lost more than 700 points on Thursday in the biggest fall on the first trading day of a Lunar New Year since 1994, brokers interpreted his remarks as meaning the scheme would be launched in the second half of this year at the earliest.

    But that would not be appropriate because any broker will tell you investors like to trade when the markets have big movements instead of in quiet markets. Even in a falling market, people like to buy when the share prices drop to more reasonable levels.

    It should be left to investors and not the regulators to decide when it is appropriate to enter the market

    As such, the mainland regulator should launch the new scheme whenever the platform and regulatory measures are ready and not when the market is stable. It should be left to investors and not the regulators to decide when it is appropriate to enter the market.

    Then there’s the capital flow issue. The depreciation of the yuan, which dropped more than 5 per cent against the US dollar last year and is expected to fall further this year, has led to many mainlanders rushing to buy US dollar or Hong Kong dollar investment products and life insurance policies to hedge their risks.

    The launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect would not worsen the situation because most mainland investors have accounts in both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. Investors who want to trade Hong Kong stocks could already have done so by trading via the Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect.

    The launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect would, however, open a new leg and new market for northbound trading – with international investors able to trade Shenzhen-listed companies in addition to Shanghai A shares.

    A recent survey by the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association found international investors were interested in the Shenzhen stock markets because it is home to many potential high growth companies. Retail brokers in Hong Kong would also like to see Hong Kong investors allowed to trade Shenzhen stocks because it would boost their commission income.

    That means the launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect is likely to result in new capital inflow to mainland China from both international fund houses and Hong Kong retail investors.

    More importantly, many fund managers believe that a precondition for A shares to be added to MSCI’s benchmark emerging markets index is giving them the ability to trade in the Shenzhen stock market.

    MSCI said in June last year that its decision to defer the inclusion of A shares in its global emerging market benchmarks for a second year reflected lingering investor concerns over market accessibility.

    If Beijing allows the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect to be launched soon, it would boost the chances of A shares being included in MSCI indices. And that would lead to more exchange traded funds buying A shares, further boosting capital inflow.

    There is really no need to wait for the market to stabilize before launching the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect.

  • Chinese New Year Holiday Retail Sales Spike 11.2%

    Chinese New Year Holiday Retail Sales Spike 11.2%

    China’s retail sales over the Spring Festival holiday rose 11.2 percent from the same vacation period a year earlier, with cinemas posting sharp increases in box-office sales, the country’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Saturday.

    Retail sales and restaurant receipts in the world’s second-largest economy totaled about 754 billion yuan ($115 billion) in the week-long holiday period that started Feb. 7, the eve of the Lunar New Year, according to the statement. This year’s growth was similar to the 11 percent increase posted in last year’s holiday period.

    Services for the first time generated more than half of China’s gross domestic product last year, at 50.5 percent. Higher household incomes allow families to embrace a middle-class life as the country’s leaders continue to engineer a shift toward services and consumption, and away from manufacturing and investment. Services generate more jobs per yuan of output than China’s factories, which is crucial as the country adjusts to a slower economic growth rate.

    Box-office sales at China’s cinemas over the first three days of the Lunar New Year surged about 80 percent from a year earlier, to nearly 1.7 billion yuan, the statement said. Total ticket sales over the first three days of this year’s Lunar New Year almost equaled the total for the whole week-long holiday last year, according to the statement.

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  • China’s ‘explosive shopping’ sprees bring chaos to Tokyo roads

    China’s ‘explosive shopping’ sprees bring chaos to Tokyo roads

    Tensions between Japan and China are not confined to remote islands and historical disputes it seems – now an unlikely activity is causing tension between the two Asian powerhouses. Shopping.

    Japanese police are reportedly receiving increasing numbers of complaints about the surge in buses carrying Chinese shoppers who are causing parking chaos in Tokyo’s retail districts.

    The issue taps into the booming number of Chinese tourists indulging in intense shopping sprees in Tokyo, whose surge in prevalence has prompted the creation of the new Japanese buzzword “bakugai” (“explosive shopping”).

    Chinese tourists pack their shopping into a suitcase at a department store in Tokyo  Photo: Reuters

    From Ginza’s upmarket boulevards lined with department stores to the historic lanes of the old Asakusa area, large buses ferrying retail therapy-loving Chinese shoppers have apparently been causing parking chaos across the capital.

    On one recent occasion in the run up to Chinese New Year, a total of eight tour buses reportedly caused mayhem after blocking the left traffic lane on one of the main streets in Ginza, according to Kyodo News.

    Store security on the Ginza street also reportedly became involved in the retail chaos, asking Chinese shoppers laden down with bags outside the buses to step aside to allow other pedestrians to pass.

    One of the bus drivers said: “I usually stop here because there aren’t any other places. If we are lucky, we can leave here around 15 minutes behind schedule but a 30-minute delay is not unusual.”

    Japan’s economy received a welcome bolster from a surge in overseas visitors in 2015, with a record 19.73 million overseas tourists arriving in the country, many of whom were intent on shopping.

    Fuelled by a then-weakened yen, foreign tourists visiting Japan last year spent around 3.08 trillion yen – an increase of one trillion from the previous year, according to finance ministry figures.

    Chinese tourists shopping during the Lunar New Year Holiday at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district in Japan

    However, the rise of shoppers – in particular groups of voraciously-consuming Chinese shoppers – has gone hand in hand with increasingly complex parking problems across the capital, according to Kyodo News.

    Japanese items coveted by Chinese shoppers range eclectically from swishy Japanese techno lavatories and rice cookers to designer handbags and green tea-flavoured KitKats.

    As the city braces itself for further increases in visitors in the run-up to the Olympics, retail associations are urging local authorities to help find long-term solutions to the problem.

    “The central and the Tokyo metropolitan governments need to take the initiative to provide more parking spaces if they are going to promote tourism,” one leader of a local business association for the Ginza shopping area told Kyodo.

    An official for the metropolitan police department added: “Instead of tightening regulations, we would like to unite with municipalities and stores to decide on appropriate rules to welcome tourists together.”

     

  • China’s trade slumps in January

    China’s trade slumps in January

    China’s trade slumped in January due to weak global demand and holiday effects, casting new shadow over the outlook of the world’s second-largest economy, data from the General Administration of Customs showed yesterday.

    Exports shrank 6.6 percent from a year earlier to 1.14 trillion yuan (US$174.6 billion) in January, ending a one-month-long growth stream of 2.3 percent in December. Imports contracted 14.4 percent to 737.5 billion yuan, much widening from the loss of 4 percent a month earlier.

    As a result, January’s trade surplus shot to 406.2 billion yuan, a record high that was up 12.2 percent year on year and more than December’s surplus of 382.1 billion yuan.

    “China’s exports fell sharply, suggesting weak global demand,” said Liu Ligang, chief economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group. “The decrease of imports was in part due to still low commodity prices.”

    Liu noted the earlier timing of the Chinese New Year in 2016 compared with 2015 has also distorted the annual growth rates as traders tended to frontload their shipments in December when exports staged a remarkable rebound.

    Wendy Chen, a research analyst at Nomura, said the trade data, together with other indicators, suggested growth momentum in China weakened further in January.

    “As China’s retail sales remained stable, the trade slump mainly reflected weakening investment demand, possibly from weaker property investment and measures to reduce overcapacity,” Chen said.

    China’s economy had a “bumpy start” this year as data for January stayed weak due to the holiday effects and the extremely cold weather. Factories continued to report contracted activities while service providers also saw their business less robust.

    China’s growth momentum has kept slowing as the country entered the state of “new normal,” illustrated by moderating growth rate but better growth quality.

    China’s gross domestic product grew 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, and ended 2015 with a rate of 6.9 percent, the slowest annual expansion in a quarter of a century.

    In January, China’s trade decreased 9.8 percent to 1.88 trillion yuan, the Customs data showed. It deteriorated further from last year’s contraction of 7 percent, when China missed its government target of a 6-percent increase.

    The European Union remained China’s largest trading partner last month, although its trade with China declined 9.9 percent to 290.3 billion yuan. It was followed by the United States and the ASEAN countries, which shipped goods worth 269.8 billion yuan and 234.2 billion yuan respectively, down 9.9 percent and 10.8 percent.

    Foreign trade involving China’s private firms delivered the best performance by increasing 1.1 percent during the period, while foreign traders said their business lost 14.3percent and state-owned traders reported a contraction of 21.9 percent.

    Shanghai’s trade retreated 6.1 percent to 219.4 billion yuan last month.

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  • China’s Central Bank says no reason for yuan to slide further

    China’s Central Bank says no reason for yuan to slide further

    China’s central bank governor said there was no basis for continued depreciation of the yuan as the balance of payments is good, capital outflows are normal and the exchange rate is basically stable against a basket of currencies, according to an interview published Saturday in Caixin magazine.

    Zhou Xiaochuan dismissed speculation that China planned to tighten capital controls and said there was no need to worry about a short-term decline in foreign-exchange reserves, adding that the country had ample holdings for payments and to defend stability.

    The comments come as Chinese financial markets prepare to reopen Monday after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday.

    The country’s foreign-exchange reserves shrank to the smallest since 2012 in January, signalling that the central bank sold dollars as the yuan fell to a five-year low. The weakening exchange rate and declining share markets in China have fuelled global turmoil and helped send world stocks to their lowest level in more than two years.

    The bank will not let “speculative forces dominate market sentiment,” Zhou said, adding that a flexible exchange rate should help efforts to combat speculation by effectively using “our ammunition while minimising costs.”

    Policy makers seeking to support the yuan amid slower growth and increasing outflows have been using up reserves. The draw-down has continued since the devaluation of the currency in August and holdings fell by $US99.5 billion in January to $US3.23 trillion, according to the central bank on February 7. The stockpile slumped by more than half a trillion US dollars in 2015.

    China has no incentive to depreciate the currency to boost net exports and there’s no direct link between the nation’s gross domestic product and its exchange rate, Zhou said. Capital outflows need not be capital flight and tighter controls would be hard to implement because of the size of global trade, the movement of people and the number of Chinese living abroad, he added.

    The country will not peg the yuan to a basket of currencies but rather seek to rely more on a basket for reference and try to manage daily volatility versus the dollar, Zhou said. The bank will also use a wider range of macro-economic data to determine the exchange rate, he said.

    Meanwhile China’s retail sales grew 11.2 per cent during the week-long Lunar New Year vacation compared with the same holiday period last year, Ministry of Commerce data showed on Saturday.

    Revenues of retailers and catering firms grew to about 754 billion yuan ($US115 billion) during the Feb 7-13 “Golden Week” holiday, a ministry statement said.

    The holiday is especially important for retailers, which vie for customers by launching promotions and discounts. Millions of people take time off work to travel and generally spend more than usual during the break.

  • China’s Monkey Week Boost Demand as Retail Sales Increased

    China’s Monkey Week Boost Demand as Retail Sales Increased

    The gloomy Chinese economy has shown a sign of stabilization during “Monkey,” the lunar New Year celebrations as retail sales have surged, suggesting an improvement in domestic demand.

    During spring festival last week, China’s retail sales recorded 11.2% year-over-year (YoY) growth, fueled by cinemas, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Saturday. The retail and restaurant sales surged to $115 billion (754 billion yuan), showing a strong potential of the food industry in the world’s most-populated country.

    The Chinese economy last year grew 6.9%, slowest GDP growth rate since 1990, owing to the soft domestic demand in the country. The Chinese authority to uplift domestic demand undertook several measures. Despite the initiatives by Beijing, the Chinese economy is still on a bumpy ride as depicted by recent gloomy economic indicators.

    However, the jump in retail sales during spring festival last week depicts that policymaker’s efforts have started paying off. From January, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) performed massive open market operations to keep the market liquid. In January, it injected net liquidity worth about $188 billion (1.235 trillion yuan), to meet the cash demand during spring festival.

    The massive liquidity injections raised concerns among economists, who believe that this week would lead to tightening liquidity as the Chinese central bank has to mop liquidity from the economy. They also believe that increase in retail sales during the spring festival, which started on February 8-13, suggesting demand is picking up pace.

    Food demand remained strong during celebrations and medium-sized food retailers saw 10.6% YoY growth as Chinese families preferred to eat food from restaurants. Tourism also recorded modest demand during week-long holidays and nearly 1.62 million foreign tourists visited China in a week-long holiday. Mass catering services also posted record boom as Chinese families hosted reunion dinners.

    Analysts believe that the modest growth in demand shows the potential of Chinese consumers. However, they believe that the demand is seasonal and Beijing needs to devise an effective strategy to spur and sustain domestic demand in an attempt to streamline the world’s second largest economy.

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  • Tesla Motors Wants Local Production in China

    Tesla Motors Wants Local Production in China

    It’s no secret that electric-car maker Tesla Motors is ramping up its efforts in China. Despite some initial challenges in the country when the company launched in the market in 2014, it still believes China could be one of its largest vehicle markets “within a few years,” according to its most recent 10-Q filing. And an update from Musk this week on Tesla’s plans in China, as well as a look at sales in Hong Kong, suggests it is as eager as ever to serve these important Asian markets.

    Tesla China

    Aiming to secure a factory location this year Tesla “aims to lock down manufacturing plans finding a local partner and a location for the plant — for the local market by the middle of this year,” wrote Engadget’s Richard Lai on Monday.

    The company plans to launch a factory in China “as soon as a year after” the Model 3 launch, which is set for late 2017, Musk said on Twitter last October. Securing a local partner and a location for its plant by the middle of this year would give Tesla plenty of time to meet this time frame.

    Musk hopes China will nix its “prohibitively high” auto import duties for the Model 3, making “a special category for EVs,” he explained last year on Twitter. Musk explained that these are natural moves for the company in order for it to “improve in-market affordability.”

    A China factory will be built to serve local Chinese demand and the company will continue to make cars and batteries in California and Nevada.

    Rising investments and rising demand
    Following its poor start in China in 2014, there was quite a bit of uncertainty about Tesla’s potential in the country last year. But a look at Tesla’s commentary on the market throughout 2015 suggests it experienced considerable growth in the market in terms of sales, demand, and investments.

    On a quarter-to-quarter basis, orders in Q2 “doubled” and orders in Q3 “increased substantially,” the company noted in its second- and third-quarter shareholder letters. Going forward, Tesla said in its third-quarter shareholder letter that it expected “order growth in China to remain strong.”

    Along with this rising demand, there are now over 340 Superchargers and 1,600 Destination Chargers in the country.

    One area of investment for the company in China has been with its retail stores. In August 2015, Tesla had just one retail store located in a high foot traffic area in the market and said it planned to have five by the end of the year. With 15 stores in the country now, the company appears to be exceeding its plans for a retail expansion there.

    Hong Kong First Tesla

    Tesla’s investments in Hong Kong, where it currently has three retail stores, are also surprising. Lai provides a glimpse of the company’s robust charging network in the market, along with a rare breakdown of sales for the region:

    Hong Kong in particular has 42 Superchargers, making it the city with the highest density of Tesla’s rapid charging stations; this is on top of the 75 destination chargers there. It’s no wonder that last year the company managed to sell 2,221 Model S in Hong Kong alone, which made up over 80 percent of the local electric vehicles that year. To put things into perspective, that’s also 4.39 percent of Tesla’s total global shipment in the same period.

    This is considerable progress considering the company didn’t launch in Hong Kong until the second half of 2014.

    China and Hong Kong both look poised to represent key catalysts for Tesla in 2016.

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    Daniel Sparks owns shares of Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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  • PVH takes control of Tommy Hilfiger China

    PVH takes control of Tommy Hilfiger China

    PVH Corp, the parent of the Tommy Hilfiger brand, is to take full control of its China business.

    PVH, together with funds advised by Apax Partners, will acquire the 55 per cent interest in TH Asia Ltd, their joint venture for Tommy Hilfiger China, which PVH does not already own.

    The purchase price for the transaction is about US$172 million, net of cash of approximately $100 million, subject to adjustment.

    The closing, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to occur early in the second quarter of 2016.

    “Today’s announcement represents a significant development for our company as we continue to execute against our key strategic priorities and demonstrates our commitment to making strategic investments to support the long term growth of PVH and our Tommy Hilfiger business,” said Emanuel Chirico, chairman and CEO of PVH.

    “This transaction enables the Tommy Hilfiger business to directly operate its fastest growing market, while leveraging our well-established infrastructure in Asia, our regional leadership expertise and strong brand momentum across both our Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein businesses in the region.”

    This transaction has been envisioned since PVH and the funds advised by Apax Partners established the Tommy Hilfiger China joint venture in connection with the Tommy Hilfiger acquisition in 2010.

    Since 2012, the first full year of operations after the joint venture acquired the Tommy Hilfiger China business from the former licensee, the Tommy Hilfiger business in China has doubled from approximately $70 million in revenue to a projected $140 million in 2015, with over 350 stores, of which 65 are directly operated.

    Daniel Grieder, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger, commented: “We are looking forward to executing a more fully integrated strategy for China that takes advantage of our current momentum in the region. This will allow us to further realise the growth opportunities that exist for the brand by offering consumers a greater breadth of Tommy Hilfiger product lines and a more elevated brand presentation. Building on our strong existing regional foundation, we plan to accelerate the growth of the Tommy Hilfiger business by increasing our brand marketing in China and capitalising on our strong market positioning and price, value proposition. We plan to invest further in driving the expansion of the brand through new store openings (both company-operated and franchised stores) and improved productivity in existing stores, while rapidly expanding our traditional and digital marketing initiatives to further reinforce the brand in this exciting market.”

    PVH Corp owns and markets Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands worldwide. It is the world’s largest shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its own brands, Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Izod, Arrow, Warner’s and Olga, and its licensed brands, including Speedo, Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Michael Michael Kors, Sean John and Chaps.

    The other shareholders in the China joint venture include an affiliate of Silas Chou and, indirectly through an investment vehicle controlled by funds advised by Apax Partners, members of Tommy Hilfiger management at the time of the acquisition in 2010, such as Fred Gehring (former CEO and executive chairman, Tommy Hilfiger and current vice chairman of PVH), Daniel Grieder (CEO, Tommy Hilfiger), and Tommy Hilfiger himself.

  • Traditional Chinese Medicine Retailer Accelerates Overseas Expansion

    Traditional Chinese Medicine Retailer Accelerates Overseas Expansion

    The time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brand Tong Ren Tang says it accelerated its overseas expansion and opened nine new stores in the overseas market in 2015.

    In reporting the company’s results for last year, the company says it has developed 31 branches in 25 countries and regions outside China, operating 115 retail sites, traditional Chinese medicine clinics, and traditional Chinese medicine health centers. It served over 30 million patients in those countries and regions.

    Mei Qun, chairman of Beijing Tong Ren Tang Group, said that based on the planning of Tong Ren Tang, its international development is divided into three steps. In 1993, the group started its overseas development in Hong Kong; in 2003, they established Beijing Tong Ren Tang International Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong; and in 2013, Beijing Tong Ren Tang Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd. was successfully listed in Hong Kong and started developing in major European markets.

    Ding Yongling, deputy general manager of Beijing Tong Ren Tang Group, said that in 2015, the group opened nine new stores in six countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Germany, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. Apart from Chinese medicine stores, the group also developed Chinese medicine clinics and health centers in foreign countries.

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  • Apple Pay to go live in China on February 18

    Apple Pay to go live in China on February 18

    Apple Inc’s Apple Pay mobile payment system will be available in China from February 18 for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) customers, bank representatives said in social media posts on Tuesday.

    The technology giant had previously said the system would launch in China in early 2016, making it Apple Pay’s fifth country as it accelerates development of a planned new revenue stream. ICBC is China’s biggest lender by assets.

    An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on ICBC’s posts on the projected launch. The lender is set to be joined by a raft of peers: Apple’s China website lists 19 Chinese lenders as official Apple Pay partners, and state media reported two other lenders will also go live with the service from February 18.

    Greater China is Apple’s second-largest market by revenue, but the company faces an uphill battle to match that prowess quickly in mobile payments.

    Apple Pay’s beginnings have been less than auspicious in other markets, including scepticism from retailers in its home market. But in China, Apple Pay’s issue will be how to compete with dominant and entrenched players, serving shoppers well used to paying for goods and services with their handsets.

    China is the world’s biggest smartphone market. By the end of 2015, 358 million people, more than the population of the United States, had already taken to paying by mobile phone, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

    Dominating those payments are China’s two biggest Internet companies: social networking and gaming firm Tencent Holdings Ltd and e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd , through its Internet finance affiliate Ant Financial Services Group.

    Tencent operates WeChat Payment, while Ant Financial runs Alipay.

    Apple Pay has also struggled to gain traction with banks in some countries. In Australia, the four main banks are holding out against the new entrant. The company in Britain faced resistance from big banks over fees before relenting.

    Earlier on Tuesday, China’s state radio reported on its website that China Guangfa Bank Co Ltd and China Construction Bank Corp said on social media they would also launch Apple Pay on Feb. 18.

    A China Construction Bank spokesman declined to comment, while Guangfa could not be reached for comment.