Category Archives: News

ActuRetail | Sandrine Zerbib (Full Jet): “The strength of Chinese companies lies in their ability to listen to their consumers”.

With nearly thirty years’ experience in China’s consumer sector, Sandrine Zerbib is a keen observer of the business and retail news shaking the Middle Kingdom.

In August 2022, she published Dragon Tactics (Dunod Editions), which deciphers the tactics implemented by certain Chinese champions, from Huawei and Xiaomi to Alibaba and Tencent. Sandrine Zerbib answers Actu Retail’s questions on the differences in business models from one continent to another.

The blues of China’s middle class

Crowds line up to taste once again the pleasure of a steaming xiaolongbao (steamed ravioli) swallowed on the spot. The 3.5% rebound in retail sales in the first two months of the year, the first since September, confirms the giant’s awakening after the abrupt lifting of health restrictions in December, and the dazzling winter epidemic wave.

But “there’s a Canada Dry effect”, warns Sandrine Zerbib, “Shanghai is no longer Shanghai. There’s no longer the appetite for tomorrow, and for innovation.