Slums – Beyond the perception

Personally, I am not very fond of the term, slums. I think it is loosely defined term for a type of informal market. However, with all their problems and challenges there is a lot to learn from slums from a business perspective. Entrepreneurism – slum areas are highly entrepreneurial, with a high degree of business [...]

House of Sampoerna

I made a stop last week in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. The city is also home to Sampoerna, the well known Indonesian tobacco and cloves company. The company was founded in 1913 and was the first publicly listed kretek cigarette company on the Jakarta Stock Exchange. The visit included a stop at the House [...]

Cold Chain in Emerging Markets: The Heat is On

For many Chinese and Vietnamese consumers, frozen food is still a foreign concept. Large retailers in China and Vietnam continue to focus on fresh food options such as live chickens and in-store fish tanks. However, consumer shopping and buying patterns are changing. Chilled products, including juice and frozen foods are increasingly becoming popular in emerging [...]

Tsukiji fish market

I recently visited the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. It is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and is also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo. The market handles more than 450 different types of seafood at the [...]

Vietnam’s intellectual property (IP) law

I recently spoke to Patsy Day, an intellectual property attorney from Rouse Legal based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Rouse is a leading global intellectual property firm, with offices in more than twenty countries. Rouse has been handling IP cases in Vietnam since 1997. TN: Which sectors are most infringed? PD: The sectors where [...]

Two-tier distribution in emerging markets – telecom and electronics

What is a two-tier distributor? They buy from manufacturers and sell to resellers. What are their competitive advantages? Two-tier distributors can expand the retail footprint in emerging markets. They normally sell a diverse range of brands and control a large percentage of the local distribution in the telecom and the computer industry. Two-tier distributors understand [...]

Lean: The emerging market challenge

Emerging economies with robust economic growth remain a significant opportunity for companies eager to grow and expand their business. With growth opportunities limited in the U.S. and Europe, these countries will be the battleground for companies in the years to come. Asian companies have improved their skills and practices and are gaining in their ability [...]

Cold chain challenges: Poor electricity supply

How do you create a cold chain in a city with constant power cuts and outages? This is one of the key questions that faced us on a recent project in Guinea, West Africa. Periodic power and water cuts are a daily burden for Conakry’s residents, not to mention the upcountry areas. For consumer goods [...]

Vietnam’s changing retail environment

The Vietnamese retail market has seen significant changes the last couple of years. Neighbourhoods in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been transformed as Vietnamese shoppers demand more from their retailers and retail experience. However, even when compared to other major Asia economies, the retail market remains in its infancy with a great potential [...]

The affects of the economic crisis on the global supply chain

Reuters has an interesting article about the affects of the economic crisis on the supply chain. Recent bankruptcies in China among suppliers pose a serious risk to the global supply chain. PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that 670,000 small companies have closed across China because of the global crisis. When suppliers goes out of business, companies need to [...]

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