February 2007

Wal-Mart has purchased a 35 percent interest in Bounteous Company, which operates hypermarkets in China under the Trust-Mart banner.

Leroy Merlin, the world's fourth largest home furnishings retailer based in France, has recently reached an agreement with Beijing Chemistry Industry Company to open a new store in Beijing in August 2007.

Suguo Supermarket Company has achieved sales of RMB800 million during the Spring Festival holiday, which the company says symbolizes that the standard of living and consumption of Chinese citizens has improved.

North America's largest home appliance chain retailer Best Buy announced that it will open more stores in China at the rate of about 10% a year.

Papa John's International continued its aggressive development in Asia by recently opening its 50th restaurant in China.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Grace Construction Group have signed a franchise agreement to operate a hotel in Hsinchu County, Taiwan.

Whale Inside, Asia's first "dark restaurant", has opened its first China outlet in Beijing's Jianwai SOHO compound and will open about ten other Whale Inside restaurants in mainland China in the next two years.

Jinan Yinquan Technology Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of China VoIP & Digital Telecom continues to expand its presence in China's growing "telephone café" industry with the announcement of 11 additional retail cafe outlets in…

Ace Hardware, one of the world's largest hardware chain retailers, has set up its first outsourcing and storage center in China at the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park in Pudong.

Chinese fast food chain Yonho is now seeking to transfer its operations from a franchising to a directly-run business model.