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Article: Supermarket sweep: as a downturn affects their home territories, big western retailers are looking to spread their risk overseas. But, as Scott Payton reports, securing a foreign foothold is rare y straightforward.(Company overview)
- Article from:
- Financial Management (UK)
- Article date:
- July 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If you are British, paying a visit to a branch of B&Q in China can be a bewildering experience. The bright orange logo is the same as in the UK, but inside the store things are completely different. British B&Q outlets are stark warehouses stacked high with paint, screwdrivers and electric drills. Their Chinese equivalents are glamorous, two-storey showrooms stuffed with soft furnishings and carefully staged model living spaces, just like you'd find at an Ikea store.
Chinese B&Q stores will not only sell you everything you need to furnish your home; they'll also fit it all for you and even paint your walls. Why? Because China ...