Thai Retail Giant's Membership Warehouse Makes Promising Start in China.

Byline: Somporn Thapanachai

Oct. 3--The Charoen Pokphand Group has introduced its first membership warehouse store in China to give consumers a taste of modern trade ahead of the country's entry to the World Trade Organisation.

The 10,000-square-metre Zheng Da Wholesale store opened on Sept 29 in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, on the banks of the Yangtze River in Central China.

The store recorded three million yuan (16.21 million baht) of sales on the first day of opening and daily turnover is now about one million yuan.

Membership costs 150 yuan (810 baht) for core members and 50 yuan for supplementary members. Eligible customers are businesses and individuals who have the right to buy products in bulk from the store at very low prices.

To ensure a successful launch, the store's marketing team sold memberships before the opening and also registered walk-in customers. A record of its members has not been made available yet, but one executive said the store drew a very good response.

Thanakorn Seriburi, chairman of Shanghai Kinghill Ltd, who oversees CP's operations in China, said Wuhan was selected because it is a major industrial city. Wuhan and cities nearby have a total population of 30 million.