« February 2008 | Main | April 2008 »
2008-03-31 Beijing
A survey recently conducted by Jones Lang LaSalle shows many retailers will shift their focus to China’s capital Beijing in the short term with the approaching of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. An executive at Jones Lang LaSalle said 37 per cent of retailers will open their new outlets at department stores, which will provide business opportunities for the country’s domestic general merchandise enterprises.
2008-03-31 Beijing
As China’s new labor contract law has increased operating costs and legal risks for enterprises, in particular those in the labor-intensive manufacturing sector, to address the challenges employers have taken various measures one after the other, including closing down factories, signing long-term labor contracts, reducing personnel and lowering base pay. Any response to the new situation must abide by China’s law, noted Liang Yansong, a senior legal expert.
2008-03-31 Hong Kong
Commenting on the news that the single-day price rise of imported rice from Thailand reached approximately 30 percent recently, a spokesperson for ParknShop said that the supermarket will do its best to prevent its prices for rice from rising. However, the spokesperson confirmed that there is great price pressure due to rising costs in sourcing. In contrast, Wellcome, another supermarket in Hong Kong, said that it does not exclude the possibility of price rises for rice in months to come. To protect the stability of the rice market, experts urged the Consumer Council of Hong Kong to tighten supervision over rice supply in the city.
2008-03-31 Beijing
The central part of China, including Hubei province, is also facing great shortages of workers, mainly because factories in South China are aggressively scrambling for laborers in the region. Some companies are even forced to raise or prepay salaries to attract and retain workers.
2008-03-31 Beijing
To deliver on its promise to create a smokeless Olympic Games, the Beijing government has released several regulations concerning no-smoking areas, whereby smoking will be banned in public places such as restaurants, gymnasiums and Internet bars in the city starting from May, and smoking areas will be gradually eliminated.
2008-03-31 Beijing
A Dragonair A330 passenger plane departing from Beijing to Hong Kong suffered an engine failure shortly after it took off, resulting in heavy smog in the cabin and scaring the 291 passengers onboard the plane. The plane was forced to return to the Beijing airport and made a safe landing at last. The carrier has apologized to all the passengers.
2008-03-31 Hong Kong
China Shipping is carrying out a large-scale expansion in South China. The company will invest RMB 5 billion in building a vessel maintenance facility in the region, and form a joint venture in Hong Kong with Baosteel, which is expected to deliver Baosteel an annual traffic of 16 million tons. China Shipping chairman Li Shaode said China Shipping and Baosteel will hold 51 percent and 49 percent stakes in the joint venture, respectively.
2008-03-31 Hong Kong
A survey found that two large chain supermarkets in Hong Kong usually sell goods at higher prices than small stores. The price of POLIDENT, for example, is 60 percent higher than a drugstore. In addition, large supermarkets in Hong Kong are often exposed for marketing stale foods or for marketing oilfish as codfish. For such cheating behaviors by them for profiteering, the Consumer Council is asked to take countermeasures.
2008-03-31 Shanghai
In view of the upcoming summer Olympics in Beijing, sportswear brands are fiercely battling it out in China to find the right mix of Western and Chinese elements in their designs. Two of the biggest players Nike and Adidas are experimenting with new design elements to find that uniquely “Chinese” style. Nike has recently introduced a new line called 1984, which commemorates the first year China participated in the Olympics under the Communist government. The company is also playing on nationalistic sentiment with its slogan of “rise and advance”. In terms of spokesmen, Nike’s face for the Olympics is Liu Xiang, the gold medal hurdler and one of the most familiar faces on the streets of Shanghai.
2008-03-31 Hong Kong
The Center for Food Safety of Hong Kong yesterday called on citizens to stop drinking the Green & Black’s Organic Hot Chocolate Drink from the renowned UK-based chocolate manufacturer Green & Black's, as glass fragments were found in the product, while asking the manufacturer to stop selling the product. The problem product has “Lot code: L7348, Best before: Nov 2009” printed on the lid. It is learned that Hong Kong’s ParknShop and Great Food Hall don’t have the above mentioned product.
