Yum Brands, owner of brands like KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, has been on a scary roller coaster ride in China. The highs were really high—the Chinese loved KFC so much that China became Yum’s largest market in terms of profits globally. Things were so good that Yum even ventured into uncharted territory: a western brand offering Chinese food to Chinese customers. But 2012 onwards Yum China has been running into trouble. The troubles have grown so big that the parent company finally succumbed to investor pressure and split the China operations into a separate company. Post the split, can Yum China get its mojo back?
China Roundup: Apple inches ahead of Samsung in China; China’s Staggering Debt; and a New Food Scandal
The week that was: Apple is making a comeback and beating Samsung in China; China has a debt-to-GDP ratio of a whopping 251%; and fast food giants find themselves battling a new food scandal. Will Apple eat Samsung’s pie? Although the earnings report of Apple’s third fiscal quarter of 2014 (Apple’s fiscal quarter runs from end […]
China Roundup: China Powers US Business Growth; Fosun’s Silicon Valley Venture Arm; and China’s Manufacturing Woes
The week that was: China’s manufacturing activity is still in contraction; US multinationals report robust growth in Chinese operations; and Fosun sets up $100 million venture capital arm in Silicon Valley. China April flash PMI still below 50 A sneak peak of China’s manufacturing activity in April by Markit and HSBC shows that the sector […]
China Roundup: China’s manufacturing activity falls; Alibaba launches crowdfunding platform; and KFC’s makeover
The week that was: China’s manufacturing activity continues on its downward trend; Tencent acquires a 28% stake in South Korean gaming giant CJ Games; Alibaba launches crowdfunding product for the entertainment sector; and Hong Kong banks worried about China exposure. China’s manufacturng activity hits eight-month low China’s manufacturing activity continues to contract—and has hit an eight-month […]
Yum! Brands in China: Colonel Sanders’ Recipe Gone Wrong
Have Chinese consumers lost their appetite for Yum! Brands? The KFC in the food court at Shanghai’s New World Department store has seen better days. The yellow stuffing of a dingy vinyl booth has broken free of its casing, and someone has patched it with tape. A stool is minus its seat, and faded promotional […]
Download the March 2013 issue of CKGSB Magazine: Tapping homegrown innovation
You are invited to download the March issue of CKGSB Magazine. You’ll enjoy articles and interviews like: COVER STORY: Innovation: Incubators tap homegrown innovation in China. With close similarities to incubators in Silicon Valley and an arsenal of China-specific tactics for start-up success, Chinese incubators are moving beyond the traditional role of incubators. They are creating […]
China’s Fourth-Tier Cities: The Road Less Worn
China’s fourth-tier consumer markets come into their own. If you travel to China’s poorest fourth-tier-cities such as Jiangsu Province’s Taixing in the hope of leaving behind the international brands that dominate the major coastal cities, then you will be disappointed. The familiar grin of KFC’s iconic Colonel Sanders is there to greet you outside the […]
Customer Service in China: Upping the Ante
Companies need to step up their service in China to satisfy the new sophisticated customer. Lining up for a table at the Hai Di Lao Sichuan hotpot restaurant in Beijing is not such a bad experience–you get served tea and snacks and can even opt for a manicure while you wait–a welcome reprieve from other […]
Chasing its China dream: Burger King’s dilemma
Burger King’s ambitious plan to roll out 1,000 new restaurants in China is out of sync with reality
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