A successful entry strategy into China is the holy grail for many companies. Nestlé, the world’s biggest food group by sales, is there already, but sold just Sfr2.8bn worth of its products in the country last year – about the same as its sales in Australia. Given that China’s population is about 60 times greater, the opportunity is obvious. Nestlé’s latest attempt to expand in China involves Hsu Fu Chi, a Chinese confectioner worth about S$3.2bn, which sports a handy domestic distribution network. On Monday, Hsu Fu Chi requested a trading halt on its shares, indicating talks of a possible deal between the two may be advancing quickly.
成功打入中國的戰略，是許多公司渴望得到的「聖盃」。全球銷售量最大的食品集團雀巢(Nestlé)已經在中國市場立足，但去年在華銷售額僅爲28億瑞士法郎，與在澳洲的銷售額大致相當。考慮到中國人口約比澳洲高60倍，這中間的機會顯而易見。雀巢在中國擴張的最新舉動與徐福記(Hsu Fu Chi)有關，這是一家價值約32億新元的中國糖果生產商，在中國擁有健全的分銷網路。週一，徐福記的股票暫停交易，暗示雙方的談判也許進展得很快。