After industry, Germany exports lifestyle to China
| FEATURE |
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SHANGHAI — Piggybacking on the reputation for quality built by the cars and machines made by their compatriots, German consumer goods brands are feverishly wooing Chinese customers as they try to catch up with their French and Italian rivals in a fast-growing market.
Germany has successfully exported its Volkswagen, Audi and BMW cars to China for years, as well as machine tools and chemicals.
Makers of household appliances, furniture and fabrics are now trying to use the cachet of the “Made in Germany” label to tap into well-heeled Chinese consumers’ appetite for products that show off their prosperity.
“The Chinese market for household goods is the largest in the world,” said Markus Kepka, head of kitchenware maker Fissler.
But German manufacturers’ share of that market stands below one percent, way behind their rivals from France and Italy, who lead the way in luxury and lifestyle products.
Kepka is overseeing the “German Living” fair, which opened in Shanghai on Wednesday in the presence of Berlin’s Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101016com3.html
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