Market Information

New Zealand will build a 2,000-square-meter national pavilion, its biggest ever, for World Expo Shanghai 2010, New Zealand’s Economic Development Agency has announced. New Zealand is among the earliest countries to confirm its participation in the 2010 Expo. The agency said the country will spend an additional US$18 million in the following four years to boost trade development in China and elsewhere in Asia. Shanghai Expo is one of the important programs. The New Zealand government invested US$8.5 million in the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, according to the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Website. “But the conservative estimate of the value of the media coverage we achieved is probably double that figure,” according to Phillip Gibson, the country’s commissioner general at the Aichi Expo. The organizers of the Aichi Expo predicted 15 million visitors, but 22 million attended the event. The New Zealand Pavilion - one of the most popular - received more than four million visitors. The agency is also planning to establish a “Kiwi Concept Center” on either Nanjing Road or Huaihai Road to introduce food, drinks and other products.

via Shanghai Daily: Metro by Kelly Chen on 10/29/07

Marks and Spencers have announced they will be opening their first store in mainland China next year.

They will be enter China under a wholly-owned foreign enterprise entry strategy rather than a franchise model which had been their preferred model in other Asian countries. 

Source: Buisness week

New Zealand is the largest import source for Dairy products into China according to a recent article in the New Zealand Herald. New Zealand provided half of total import value, nearly US$460 million ($692 million) in 2005.

China’s dairy market is estimated to be 25 million tonnes a year with demand for dairy products more than doubling in the past five years.

 Source: NZ Herald: China dairy market booming, New Zealand set to cash in

Unicon has facilitated the kit out of Chinese celebrity basketball teams with Canterbury basketball uniforms.

The show called “Star Wars” saw celebrities compete against each other in various basketball related competitions.The program was shown through the Q-Channel network on National Chinese television throughout 2007 and was estimated to have been watched by over 3 million viewers. See images

Marketing should be seen as all the functions needed to move goods from the producers to consumers to satisfy consumers’ wants and needs” (Kenneth D. Weiss). Therefore marketing is part of everything you do as a company, from communications (including emails) to your products to your advertising and promotions.  

All marketing approaches should generally aim to:

1. Provide satisfaction and value to existing customers
2. Provide the promise of value to potential customers  

For companies entering China you are promising future value to potential customers, you are marketing perception not products.  You are marketing an image of your company and what you can offer. 

What this means is, be careful to generate an image that goes well towards people accepting your company as the one with whom they want to do business.  

Here are our four tips for companies entering the market in China

• Make sure you have a strong well thought out value proposition - think about exactly what you we offering.
• Ask clients what you can do to help them achieve success. Find out exactly what they are looking for. 
• Have the best marketing collateral you can afford. First impression count. 
• Return phone calls and respond to emails within 24 hours.
• Build relationships. Make sure you meet all your customers face to face and build interpersonal relationship with the decision makers

In every aspect of your business you are directly or indirectly delivering your companies message. The image you create and the perception that people have of your company will ultimately determine your success or failure.

PERTRONIC Industries Ltd, a New Zealand fire-detection systems maker, opened its first China sales and support office yesterday in Shanghai.

More info:  http://www.pertronic.co.nz/                       http://www.pertronic.com.cn/

Great article about kiwi entrepreneur Richard Xavia who has opened his own restaurant in Shanghai called Hamilton House.

Source Shanghai Daily: Shanghai has this real sexiness going on

PetroChina - China’s largest oil and gas producer - has became the world’s first US$1 trillion company

More information. NZ herald: PetroChina now world’s first $1 trillion company

Nanjing “Rotorua Town” is a residential property development underway in Jiangning District of Nanjing, China.  The development offers unique opportunities for New Zealand to showcase products in a retail environment. NZ China Direct Ltd - who are the exclusive contracted supplier - is seeking to work with NZ exporters who are committed to developing a long-term mutually successful presence in the Nanjing “Rotorua Town” store in China.

Source: www.nzchinadirect.com

Five of the world’s 10 largest companies are now Chinese.

China Life, PetroChina, China Mobile, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp are now in the list of the world’s 10 biggest companies by market value.

Source NZ Herald: China leads the US on company top 10 list