【Multinational Enterprises in China】
Editor's note:
Walk into a multinational enterprise in China, and listen to the CEO of the foreign enterprise talk about "opportunities for Chinese-style modernization" and explain "the way of economic globalization".
China News Service, November 5th:
Wang Tingting, Vice President of Decathlon China: China's sports market is entering a rapid development cycle
China-Singapore Finance reporter Wu Tao
"The huge potential of the Chinese market and excellent business environment provide necessary guarantees and favorable conditions for foreign-funded enterprises to take root in China and deepen their development. As a trillion-dollar track, China's sports industry will continue to release huge market dividends and opportunities. "Recently, Wang Tingting, vice president of Decathlon China, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China-Singapore Finance and Economics.
Wang Tingting said that the Chinese people are increasingly pursuing a higher standard of living, physical and mental health and well-being.
The Chinese sports market has huge room for growth and is entering a rapid development cycle.
For Decathlon, China is one of the most important markets in the world.
The interview transcript is as follows:
Zhongxin Finance: Decathlon entered China in 1989 and began to purchase and produce sports products. At present, more than 50% of Decathlon's products come from China. How do you evaluate Decathlon's achievements in China?
Wang Tingting:
In the 1980s, Decathlon came to China as a production buyer; in 2003, we moved our Chinese headquarters from Hong Kong, China to Shanghai, and carried out a full-scale integrated product design, production, logistics, branding and retailing in China. Industrial chain business, this is the first overseas market with a full industrial chain layout outside the home country of France.
Decathlon has production and procurement centers in 30 countries and regions around the world, and more than 50% of its procurement share comes from China.
Of the products sold in China, 94.2% are produced in China, and our goal is to increase this number to 100%.
Decathlon started its retail business in China in 2003. By the end of 2021, it has spread over more than 100 cities across the country and opened more than 200 shopping malls. Its online business provides products and services to users in more than 400 cities.
In 2021, we will set up the regional headquarters of multinational companies in Beijing to continue to deepen the development of the entire industrial chain.
The Chinese people are increasingly pursuing a higher standard of living, physical and mental health and well-being.
This era has given us more opportunities to express ourselves.
For Decathlon, China is one of the most important markets in the world.
At present, we are focusing on building a sports ecosystem in China and around the world, expanding the "sports +" industry development frontier, connecting high-level cooperation in various industries, and constantly enriching sports consumption scenarios.
Zhongxin Finance and Economics: As a world-renowned multinational company, how does Decathlon view the development prospects of the Chinese economy and the Chinese market, or what new growth points the Chinese market can bring to multinational companies?
Wang Tingting:
We are very optimistic about the innovation potential of China's economy and expect China to continue to open up at a high level, lead the development of economic globalization, and achieve global sharing and win-win.
We also hope that we can rely on China's stable, high-level open, and well-supported business environment to meet more potential partners, develop more global cooperation projects in China, and develop together with the Chinese market.
We should respect friendship, make good use of the Chinese market, and share the dividends of China's development.
We also believe that the sports industry will play an important role in promoting global trade and world economic growth and promoting the goal of an open world economy.
Zhongxin Finance and Economics: Decathlon launches about 3,000 new products every year. How do you do it? How do you view China's innovation environment?
Wang Tingting:
Innovation is the DNA of Decathlon and the core of product design.
Through innovation, we are able to create the future of the sports industry with a forward-thinking, inclusive and adaptive mindset.
Decathlon's innovative spirit is everywhere. We encourage the team to think out of the box, boldly use new materials, adopt new process technology, and imagine new designs on the basis of ensuring product performance, meeting the needs of users' sports needs and protecting sports safety. Adhering to the commitment to environmental protection, from the beginning of product design, from the perspective of sustainable development, we create sports products and sports solutions that use fewer natural resources and have less impact on the environment.
At present, Decathlon has 850 product engineers, 300 designers, more than 900 registered patents and 10 French design centers around the world.
With strong technical innovation and research and development strength, Decathlon launches about 3,000 new products every year.
At the same time, Decathlon has also extended its global innovative products and experience to the Chinese market, combined with the fitness and sports needs of Chinese nationals, to continuously create products and solutions that enhance consumers' sports experience, and contribute to the construction of a healthy China.
China is home to the world's most dynamic new business models and the most advanced technologies.
Relying on the background of China's total factor market environment, consumption upgrade and continuous expansion of industrial scale, China's sports industry has become a trillion-level track, which has provided a rich soil for Decathlon's innovation and development.
Zhongxin Finance and Economics: China is actively and steadily promoting the carbon neutralization of Carbon Peak. Combined with Decathlon's own business, what do you think multinational companies can do in terms of "double carbon"?
Wang Tingting:
As an enterprise in the whole industry chain of mass sports, Decathlon has built the carbon reduction capability of the whole life cycle from product design, research and development, production, logistics to final sales, so as to promote the green transformation and development of the whole industry chain.
In terms of product design, Decathlon has always been committed to integrating cleaner technologies and reducing the use of raw materials and energy, such as fresh water resources; at the same time, it focuses on reducing the use of chemicals, thereby reducing the demand for natural resources for product production.
Currently in China, Decathlon provides eco-design products accounting for 25% of all our products, and we promise to achieve 100% eco-design in our products by 2026.
In terms of business models, Decathlon has been actively exploring a more environmentally friendly and recyclable business model. By providing services such as leasing, second-hand products and maintenance, it guides consumers to raise their awareness of environmental protection to create sustainable value.
In August this year, Decathlon joined the China Council of the "Sustainable Market Initiative". As a partner of the China Council, Decathlon actively practices the concept of sustainable development, joins hands with partners in various fields to explore more sustainable development paths, and achieves mutual benefits through cooperation and sharing. The commitment to being responsible for people and the earth promotes the harmonious development of economy and ecology.
Zhongxin Finance and Economics: In the past ten years, China has continued to deepen reforms and improve the business environment. What changes do you feel deeply about the Chinese market?
Wang Tingting:
The huge potential of the Chinese market and the excellent business environment provide necessary guarantees and favorable conditions for foreign-funded enterprises to take root in China and deepen their development.
As a trillion-level track, China's sports industry will continue to release huge market dividends and opportunities.
The Chinese sports market has huge room for growth and is entering a rapid development cycle.
In recent years, the social atmosphere of national fitness in China has become significantly stronger, and physical fitness has become a life choice for many people.
The policy has intensified the emphasis on the cause of national fitness and provided strong support for citizens to participate in physical fitness.
New environments bring new opportunities.
Chinese consumers are increasingly choosing sports consumption, choosing emerging sports other than traditional sports, such as camping, paddle board, Lu Chong, Frisbee, hip-hop, etc. At the same time, the Winter Olympics have also stimulated people's curiosity about ice and snow sports. enthusiasm.
The increase in sports demand represents the improvement of the national economic level and the pursuit of quality life, showing that sports health is being integrated into the needs of the public for quality life.
(Finish)