Underground Lending: China’s Own Subprime Crisis?

Shadow Financing - China's Own Subprime Debt Crisis

We’re still cleaning up the mess from the massive debt-fueled housing bubble in the US when suddenly we’ve got to deal with Europe’s public finances. We haven’t even gotten started on that one when a third debt debacle starts rumbling, in China.

More than 90 businessmen have disappeared, committed suicide or declared bankruptcy to avoid repaying debts to informal lenders in the eastern city of Wenzhou （Chinese: 温州) — renowned for its factories specializing in everything from cigarette lighters to shoes — after borrowing from private lenders at very high interest rates.

Underground lending (Shadow Financing, Chinese: 民间借贷, 民间融资) has flourished in the city and other parts of China in the past 12 months as authorities clamped down on official financing channels and major banks favored large state-owned enterprises.

China’s private lending market, known as the curb market,  is worth an estimated four trillion yuan ($628 billion) — or 10 percent of gross domestic product — fueling concerns about a potential explosion in bad debts.

Nowhere is it more developed than in Wenzhou, whose 400,000 private companies have earned the city a reputation for business savvy in a country where many big enterprises are state-controlled. The city’s credit crisis highlights some of the flaws — and potential risks — of the banking system in the world’s second-largest economy.

Guards keep watch over the factory premises of Zhejiang Center Group, China’s largest glasses manufacturer

Factory bosses in a dire credit crunch

With more than $16 million in debts she had no hope of repaying, Zheng Zhuju did what scores of other business owners in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou have done in recent months — run away.

Zheng was among those who flourished early on, setting up an appliance store which made her an admired businesswoman with a fleet of luxury cars.

With a trusted reputation, she borrowed from more than 300 small business owners, pooling their money and channeling it into lucrative property investments and high-interest loans to other companies.

As China’s economy slowed, however, the scheme collapsed: property values plunged, her borrowers defaulted, and she could not pay back her own creditors.

So Zheng quietly shuttered her store, transferred her remaining assets to her daughter and disappeared in late August. She has since been found and is now in police custody.

Some private entrepreneurs who went into hiding to escape repaying billions in high-interest loans have returned to China. Among them was Hu Fulin, CEO of the Zhejiang Center Group

Business Owners Trapped By Debt

On a recent day, the doors at what used to be the Zhengdeli shoe factory in Wenzhou are chained shut. The only person there is a security guard from the government, which has taken over the facility.

In late September, the factory’s owner, Shen Kuizheng, plunged to his death after jumping from his 22-story apartment. He was facing more than $60 million in debt.

Xu Jianpian, another Wenzhou factory owner, knew Shen.

“[Shen] expanded his business and wanted to be No. 1 in the shoemaking industry. He took out underground loans. And the interest was more than $15,000 a day,” Xu says.

Debt crisis hits China’s cradle of private firms

Dubbed the nation’s capital of private financing, the city of Wenzhou offers a textbook example of how non-bank lending has fueled private-sector prosperity — and risk-taking — in China.

Wenzhou’s private entrepreneurs, scrappy survivors in an economy ruled by state industries, once thrived on a formula of cheap backstreet loans and low-cost manufacturing.

Now, they’re at the center of what some have dubbed China’s own subprime debt crisis, a festering mess of borrowings gone sour that has become one of the weakest links in the economy — at a time when strength is most needed to offset weakness in the U.S. and Europe.

Pyramids of high-interest private lending are collapsing as companies whose profits are dwindling due to rising costs and weakening demand default on their debts.

The true scale of informal lending nationwide, much of it derived from bank loans originally intended for other purposes, is unknown. But such lending has ballooned because China’s banks are not allowed to charge higher interest on riskier loans and mainly lend to other large state-controlled enterprises, shunning small- and medium-sized firms. Many small business owners have no choice but to turn to private lenders for financing, despite the punishingly high interest rates. Interest charged by private lenders can be as high as 90%, inviting comparisons with dodgy investment schemes.

Nearly 90 percent of Wenzhou’s residents and almost 60 percent of the companies engage in private lending, the central bank says, although officially the government says only 20 percent of lending in the city is private.

But slowing demand for exports, the lifeblood of Wenzhou companies, along with rising wages and soaring commodity prices have squeezed already tight margins and left many small businesses struggling to repay debts.

“Shadow banking is needed but the problem is there aren’t enough regulations,” said Sun Mingchun, a Daiwa Capital Markets economist, “They need to be regulated by national regulators as local governments mainly focus on boosting their own economic growth without realizing regional lending risks.”

Kangbashi New Central District, a ghost town due to its new buildings but few people, is an extreme example of Ordos’ locals’ craze for property

China’s shadow banking system spills north

But behind Wenzhou’s woes lie a wider problem in China: many with capital to invest are no longer looking to manufacturing, when real estate, speculating in commodities such as Pu Er tea and high interest lending can offer much better returns.

Barely weeks after Premier Wen Jiabao paid a rare visit to the eastern city of Wenzhou amid an epidemic there of debt-fueled business closures, a similar outbreak is undermining the future of Ordos (Chinese: 鄂尔多斯), in China’s Inner Mongolia, a city that has become so rich it has been called “China’s Dubai”.

The wealth of Ordos is built on vast deposits of coal, which account for one-sixth of the nation’s total reserves, and gas, with proven reserves of about 750.4 billion square meters, or one third of the nation’s total reserves.

Given limited investment alternatives on the mainland, rich and not so rich residents have invested in the property market. With sate-owned banks reluctant to lend as the government seeks to curb property speculation and inflation, many have also earned money by making private loans that can earn an average annual interest rate of 30%.

Kangbashi New Central District, a ghost town due to its new buildings but few people, is an extreme example of Ordos’ locals’ craze for property.

The new district was initiated in 2006 to drive up measurable gross domestic product (GDP) growth – a yardstick for evaluation of the performance of local officials.

It has been equipped with wide highways, endless rows of luxury residential units, government buildings, office buildings, shopping malls, sculpture parks and a theater. But after an estimated investment of 17 billion yuan, only 50,000 people have moved in. The local government has vowed to move schools and enterprises into the town, but has not given further details.

The majority of households in Ordos city, just as in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, are believed to be engaged in private lending.  Private lending may account for 30% to 40% of real estate industry funding and 60% to 70% for the much-fragmented coal mining industry.

“The crisis has come now. If no proper measures are carried out, Ordos is very likely to follow the path of Wenzhou,” said Zhou Dewen, chief of Wenzhou’s association to promote small and medium-sized interprises (SMEs)

温州高利贷危机危机

温州模式是民间金融和中小企业发展状况的风向标，如今，这座城市因为从年初开始出现的温州老板跑路和跳楼事件而吸引了全国的目光。

愈演愈烈的温州民间借贷危机背后，是温州老板一轮的“跑路”热潮。分析资料显示，温州中小企业为应付生产及不断升高的工资与材料成本，被迫转向高利贷，企业主挖东墙补西墙，许多表面风光的企业背后都债台高筑。

温州老板“跑路”，原因并不复杂。企业资金链断裂，内外压力骤增，不得不逃之夭夭。以此番“跑路”领头羊信泰集团为例，信泰乃温州最大眼镜生产厂商，经营 中国市场销量最大的太阳镜品牌。2008年，企业开始进军光伏产业，但其年仅数亿元的产值，根本无法支撑扩张需求。银行信贷管得严，只好在高利贷圈中摸爬 滚打，企业民间借贷已达12亿元，光月息就得支付2000多万元。近来经济形势趋紧，企业因资金链断裂而陷入绝境，老板无奈，一跑了之。

被广泛引述的一个案例是，一位不愿具名的企业主称，自己的工厂有1000多名员工，一年辛苦到头利润不足百万，而太太在上海投资十套房，八年间获利超过3000万。面对此情此景，很多实体经济从业者表示，目前制造业的净利润已经在5%的警戒线以下，只能勉强维持。他们毫不隐晦地指出，很多制造业的老板都参与了民间借贷的生意，将从银行弄来贷款做拆借，实体经济“空心化”已是不争事实。

尽管高增值高回报，一直是温州人追求的终极目标。但在他们逐利成性的背后所隐藏的，是温州企业家族管理制度对现代企业所表现出来的不适应性。由于温州企业大部分为家庭式私企发展而来，不愿意进行垄断、并购，即使是股份制企业很多本质仍然是私营的，至今温州上市的企业仅只有10家，遍地小企业根本无法发展壮大。

而这种以小商品经营为主要特征的传统经营模式，在强大的竞争对手面前显得软弱无力；缺乏诚信、惟利是图，纯粹以赢利为目的的经营理念已与现代社会格格不入。既没有垄断资源又不吸收市场资金以投资进行企业转型，仅依靠资本运作是无法长期发展的，这是“温州模式”的悲剧。

在市场经济先进的土壤之上，温州模式赖以成功的先天优势已经逐渐失去，中国进入了高成本时代，尤其廉价劳动力的时代已经一去不返。没有了低成本，温州制造何以生存和发展？

房产泡沫标本 鄂尔多斯民间借贷危机

在温州老板密集跑路之际,在千里之外,与江浙、山西等地资金有复杂关联的内蒙古鄂尔多斯市,也深陷高利贷泥潭,局部危情显现。9月24日，鄂尔多斯市中富房地产开发责任有限公司法定代表人王福金自缢。这成为鄂尔多斯民间借贷危机爆发的标志性事件。父亲借钱儿子放贷，近九成家庭或个人参与到民间借贷市场里。在资金流向上,温州因拥有众多出口型企业,而显得较为分散;鄂尔多斯则过度集中于房地产和煤炭行业,若资金链大面积断裂,有可能进一步引发行业(以房地产业为主)危机,危及地方经济发展。

尽管公众对鄂尔多斯民间借贷危机的关注程度，远不及温州，但其影响也较严重。如同温州一样，鄂尔多斯也是民间富裕程度较高、民间资本较为集聚、民间借贷 较为活跃的地区。据不完全统计，鄂尔多斯资产过亿元的富豪在6000人以上，资产上千万元的富人则至少有几万人。这些民间资本大量参与民间借贷，鄂尔多斯 民间资本规模超过2000亿元。

康巴什是个原本仅千余人的荒漠村落，如今这个地图上的新地名成为鄂尔多斯市耗资50多亿元打造的新城。据康巴什新区政府网站数据，截至今年6月18日，康 巴什地上项目总建筑面积322万平方米，预计到2011年年底，新区本年新增竣工面积达到350万平方米，总竣工面积672万平方米。房产泡沫标本;鄂尔 多斯”空城”面积将再扩两倍。

iPad 2 Available in China’s Gray Markets

The new tablets iPad 2s are selling in China for up to 185% over their sticker price

Chinese Apple fans are waiting eagerly to find out when they will be able to get the iPad 2 after the company announced the device would ship in the U.S. on March 11, a further 26 countries (not including China) by March 26.

Wait No More!

The staff manning the huge crowd that mobbed Apple’s Fifth Avenue Store Friday estimate that as many as half the iPads sold that day were being bought for re-sale overseas.

Many scalpers for China’s thriving gray tech market were paid between US$80 and US$100 to stand in line for iPad 2s at the United States launch, and then to ship the product to awaiting customers in China.

On Taobao.com, China’s largest online shopping platform, iPad 2s are selling for anywhere from RMB 4,800 to RMB 5,500.

Apple has yet to announce when the iPad 2 — which is thinner than the original iPad and offers a faster processor and FaceTime video chat — will be available in its Beijing and Shanghai stores.

Following the United States launch, the iPad 2 will go on sale in a further 26 countries (not including China) by March 26, and “many more countries around the world in coming months,” according to the Apple press release.

Although Chinese Apple fans are excited by the new technology’s arrival in their own country, the world’s second largest PC market, it’s a relatively new market for Apple, which recently made a major push, opening five stores in Beijing and Shanghai.

“Apple’s been doing tremendously well in China, not just with the iPad but as a whole,” said Bryan Ma, an analyst at research firm IDC.

“There has been high demand for the iPad,” he said, adding that he expects to see similar interest in the iPad 2, as tablet sales in general boom.

The company has reduced the price for the original 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi iPad in China to 2,888 yuan, or roughly $440, from 3,988 yuan (3G-capable iPads are not officially available in China, but many consumers use 3G iPads made for other markets). Apple confirmed that it cut prices after the unveiling of the iPad 2, but an Apple spokeswoman declined to say when the new device would be sold in China.

iPad 2水货高配版叫价竟过万

iPad2进京三次加价

iPad2于3月11日在美国上市后，在中国正式亮相的日子却还遥遥无期。不过这个“空当”却让海外的黄牛党借机大捞了一笔。目前在中关村销售的iPad2大多经过了美国代购、香港“水客”和中关村商家的三次加价，就连在美国的中国留学生也纷纷转行“排iPad2”，在里面分到了一杯羹。

第一次加价

中国留学生“转行”排iPad2

据报道，自从iPad2上市后，苹果纽约店门外每天从7点就开始排起长队，最长的时候队伍超过百米。不过，这其中有1/3的人是中国黄牛雇来的“托儿”。

在纽约留学的北京留学生小朱告诉记者，她原本课余时间都是去快餐店打工，但最近她发现周围的同学都在帮中介排队买iPad2，于是她也跟着转行了。

小朱表示，在餐馆打工每小时一般挣5美元，但帮着到苹果直营店或沃尔玛门口排iPad2，一小时就能赚到14美元。买到后每台能得到10美元的提成，目前一般专卖店限购2台。按照一天4小时算下来，收入比原来打工多赚近3倍。

“我在美国认识的中国同学都在排，没课的时候就去。”小朱说，“这比在快餐店打工赚得多多了。”

第二次加价

“水客”偷渡 运回香港港口

据了解，在美国雇人代购iPad2的“中介”，也就是中关村商户们口中的“水客”。他们大多是中国人，自打iPhone系列开始流行，他们就干起了从美国走私电子产品，然后坐船偷渡回国的活儿。

由于通过非法的手段入境，水客可以节省关税和美国到中国的邮费。

基本上每家“中介”付给排队留学生的酬劳在10-14美元/小时左右，等中介从留学生手中拿到iPad2后，他们中的一些人，就会将机器专门从美国运回香港、深圳等一些海港城市。

一般一次能运四五十台左右，而这批货一到港，基本上就直接涨价1000多元，将iPad2的售价推高到近5000元。

第三次加价

中关村商户：这钱不好赚

中关村的销售商从这些港口城市取货后，再加价不到1000元左右出售。目前iPad2 16G Wi-Fi的水货中关村的售价为5800元左右。

虽然是个赚钱的买卖，但商家们却纷纷抱怨这钱可不如“线上”的前两次加价好赚。海龙内一商家周老板告诉记者，当时iPad2刚发行时他们弄来了两台64G的，售价9000块钱，当时整个商城都还没有iPad2，所以特容易就卖出去了。

但才过一周，iPad2的水货价格就基本上降了，因为现在不少商家手里都有三十几台的现货，不会出现断货情况。

中关村商家均表示iPad2的销量远远比不上第一代，不少已经有iPad的人暂时不会购入第二代，而由于二代水货因几次加价，价格太高，没有的人也大多望而却步。

算账

以16G Wi-Fi的iPad2在美售价499美元为例：

●留学生每天花4个小时做代购，按照美元兑换人民币6.5计算：排队费 4个小时×$14=56美元（364元人民币），代购费 2台×$10=20美元（130元人民币）

合计：499美元×6.5（汇率）+364+130=3737.5元

●中介收到货后交给“水客”，水客运到香港后的价格为3737.5+1000（加价费）=4737.5元

●中关村的销售商从港口取货后，再加价1000元左右出售

连线美国

预计水货价格会下跌

记者连线询问了美国洛杉矶一家苹果直营店的工作人员表示，由于目前库存不足，每家店每天只供货400-600台，基本上3个小时全部售光。

这位工作人员表示，他们每天排队购买iPad2的亚洲顾客占总体人数的1/3，有些顾客基本上每天都会见到，但他们目前也没有能够对付黄牛的好办法。

记者了解到，iPad2将于3月25日在澳大利亚、加拿大、法国、德国、英国这五国上市，原本包括在内的日本，因地震推迟上市。何时在中国上市还是未知数。

中关村的商家表示，现在iPad2一直都呈现降价趋势，当它在更多国家上市后，水货价格可能还会下跌。

iPad2 16G 32G 64G

美国 499美元 599美元 699美元

（3250元） （3900元） （4500元）

中关村 5800元 6500元 7800元

iPad2水货高配版叫价竟过万

于3月11日在美国发售的iPad2，由于尚未在中国正式发售，引起“果粉”再次对水货市场的热捧。近日，信息时报记者从广州数码市场了解到，受数量稀少，加上受日本地震影响未来部分配件生产可能停产，iPad2水货的价格水涨船高，目前市场上现货价格与美国相比几近翻番，其中64G 3G版叫价不菲，高达12800元。

3G版被炒过万元

早在一周前，位于广州太平洋数码、广州百脑汇等数码市场内，不少商铺已经打出“iPad2已到货”的招牌。但昨日信息时报记者在走访广州各大数码卖场时发现，水货iPad2虽已到货，但价格却不菲，与美国现货价格相比几乎翻番。记者从广州百脑汇数码广场了解到，目前iPad2水货 16GB WiFi版要价5800元，而64GB WiFi+3G版售价竟高达12800元。

虽然水货售价高企，但水货商表示利润并不高。有水货商告诉记者：“目前iPad2的价格高，主要是请人代购与中间转手加价过高。比如最低配WiFi 版在美国当地售价仅为499美元，折合人民币3300元左右。但是按照目前广州市场iPad2水货的售价虽然将近是美国的两倍，但除去中间的运费、代购费、甚至‘排队费’，经销商的利润也并不高。”

对于近乎翻番的水货售价，有熟悉水货市场人士表示，由于iPad2目前仅在美国市场出售，水货商都雇人在美国尽量多买几台再转手国内。目前 iPad2也在美国专卖店出现缺货情况，尽管苹果官方网站上仍能预订，不过预订或需一月才能到货。“供货紧张，导致国内水货市场价格不菲不足为奇。”该人士如是说。

首批货源售罄 网上预订火爆

尽管水货售价高企，却阻止不了“果粉”们对iPad2的热情。信息时报记者了解到，自iPad2在美国发售以来，广州不少商家刚到不久的货品就被抢购一空，均告售罄。

广州太平洋数码广场水货商张先生告诉记者，“目前大多数水货商店里都没有存货，都是顾客需要的时候再调货，3G版的32G容量iPad2全面缺货，如果有意购买可留下电话另行通知。”

一位上游的渠道商则告诉记者，近日到货量很少，每天只有三四台，前天晚上来了30多台，都被各家商户分走了，全部是现款提货。

由于货源紧张，不少水货商指出，目前水货价格随着货源供应情况每天变化。据预测，受日本地震影响，iPad2元件供应可能会紧张，未来两周不排除有再度涨价的可能。“上游渠道有消息称，苹果及其台湾生产合作伙伴富士康储备的iPad2元件仅供维持两到三周的生产。如果两三周后，日本相关企业的生产状况得不到改善，可能会影响出货。”上述水货商张先生表示。

水货市场的火热，同样催旺了网购。一些精明的网店店主们早已瞅准机会，提供一些价格“较为合理”的水货供顾客预订，有些网店更是称目前已经断货，要到5月中上旬才有货。

有业界人士称，如果不考虑商家自炒人气的行为，通过网络渠道预订和销售iPad2水货的消费数量已经近万台。

苹果iPad2再掀狂潮 4种购买渠道利弊分析

昨天，苹果发言人确认IPad2将如期于3月26日向全球发售，来回应质疑苹果是否有足够的IPad2供应20多个国家。虽然中国并未在首发公布名单内，但编辑相信iPad2也将会在第一时间引入国内市场。据了解，首台IPad2进入北京中关村时要价高达9000人民币，而在美国售价仅仅为499美元，折合人民币仅3300左右。去除运费、代购费、排除费等等，经销商暴利还是非常丰厚。那么IPad2的购买渠道就成为了众多网友关注的焦点，为此编辑给大家介绍以下四种购买渠道，喜欢的朋友不妨参考参考。

一、官网订购

优点：免除排队的繁琐、价格便宜

缺点： 需等上4-5周发货时间、需要美国当地地址、要过海关

二、国内卖场

据了解，一亚洲黄牛党团伙付费雇人排队购买iPad 2，当天在第五大道旗舰店外排队的人数约达200人，开店几分钟后便将店内的iPad 2一扫而光，从而拉开了iPad2“引渡”回国的序幕。首批抵达中关村的IPad2售价竟高达9000元。

优点：直接购买、无需等待

缺点：售价不是一般高，原因：支付高昂的人工排队费，缴纳当地税率，发至香港/深圳地区的运费，关税。最后发至全国各地。

三、网上代购

伴随着互联网支付的愈发完善，加之发达的快递以及更低的价格，通过网络销售平台购买，成为了很多新时代买家的首选。

优点：售价比实体店便宜

缺点：大部分网店无存货，存在交易风险、发货容易出现丢失或受损情况

四、美国代购

海外侨胞的代购最实惠，即便是相同的网络代购，价格也有着很大差异，所以美国代购成为了最为实惠的购买方式。

优点：价格最便宜，入门版iPad2（16GB Wifi）的代购价格只有4900元左右：

物品售价：￥3,403

销售税费：￥250

国际运费：￥120

手续费用：￥365

保险费用：￥120

“Label Lust”: China’s Booming Luxury Goods Market

“Label Lust”: China’s Booming Luxury Goods Market

China has experienced a relentless surge in consumer buying power after three decades of blistering growth. The world’s now second-largest economy has led to an explosion of millionaires with most of them under 40 years old.

And they love the glitz and glam: donning Louis Vuitton handbags and Richemont watches, sipping Dom Pérignon champagne, and cruising around in Lamborghinis.

Three Chinese shoppers make luxury purchases at Harrods in London - 三名中国妇女在伦敦哈罗德百货购买奢侈品

• China to be world’s largest luxury market by 2015

China is poised to become the world’s largest market for luxury goods by 2015, as rising affluence, urbanization and increasing competition stimulate demand, according to a new McKinsey report “Understanding China’s Growing Love of Luxury” released on March 8, 2011.

China is currently the fastest growing and second largest luxury goods market in the world, second only to Japan.

With fatter paychecks and stronger desires to display new wealth, Chinese consumers are building their appetites for designer handbags, watches, cars, fine jewelry, perfume and cosmetics and clothing. They’re pushing up profits at high-end retailers, such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès, and are expected to increase to about 180 billion yuan (US$27 billion) in 2015 from 80 billion yuan (US$12 billion) last year. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Hermes International are among luxury goods makers expanding in China as the nation overtook Japan to become the world’s second- largest economy last year.

McKinsey forecasts that most of this growth will come from an explosion of wealth among what it describes as ”upper middle class” households — homes whose annual incomes are between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan (US$15,000 to US$30,000).

Far from saturation

“Even with the proliferation of luxury stores in recent years, China is far from reaching saturation,” said Yuval Atsmon, the author of McKinsey & Co.’s report, “Hermes’s footprint in China still falls well short of its 45-store presence in Japan. This is true for other leading brands.”

Shoppers line up to enter a shop of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton in a mall in Shanghai. China is already the largest market for Louis Vuitton.

• Louis Vuitton, Chanel top China’s most-wanted list

China’s ever increasing economic clout has again been reflected in a survey by Bain & Company on consumer tastes in luxury goods which has shown the nation not only knows what goods it wants, it most certainly now has the means by which to buy them.

Bain & Company surveyed around 1,500 mainland Chinese consumers and found that those families living in “first-tier” cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and earning between 5,000 and 15,000 yuan (547 and 1,642 euro) per month, would spend 21,000 yuan (2,300 euro) on luxury goods each year.

In response to this growing lust for spending, the 15 high-end luxury brands polled in the survey revealed they had between them opened 80 new outlets across China in the past 12 months. And it appears the majority of the money being spent is by consumers ages between 25 and 44 whereas in Japan and Europe most of the cash is splurged by those over 40.

According to this report, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci are the most lusted-for brands.

China’s most popular brands
1.  Louis Vuitton (路易威登) – 46%
2. Chanel (香奈儿) – 36%
3. Gucci (古驰/古琦) – 22%
4. Armani (阿玛尼) – 20%
5. Christian Dior (迪奥) – 17%
6. Rolex (劳力士) – 14%
7. Cartier (卡地亚) – 11%
8. Hermès (爱马仕) – 8%
9. Prada (普拉达) – 8%
10. Lancôme (兰蔻) – 5%

“Louis Vuitton’s biggest customers are already Chinese … Greater China represents 28% of sales for Swatch, 22% for Richemont, 18% for Gucci, 14% for Bulgari and 11% for Hermes.” said Leo Lui, president of Hermes China: “Men’s ready-to-wear is … a top seller, which is quite unusual. In most other markets, it’s women’s ready-to-wear that sells. China is still a men’s market, and more traditional.”

Whereas the market for luxury goods in other countries is typically dominated by women, in China the men fill the tills with nearly equal abandon. They buy both for themselves and for other men, since gifts lubricate business in China. They are often willing to pay a large premium over the list price for desired items—many believe, for some reason, that the more something costs, the better it is.

French Fashion Label Chloé (蔻依) Doing Well in Chinese Luxury Market

• Chloé Positions Itself to Cash In on China’s Appetite for Luxury

French fashion house Chloé (蔻依), owned by Swiss luxury group Compagnie Financiere Richemont  SA (which also includes high-end jewelry and watch behemoths Cartier and Piaget), plans to expand from 10 boutiques in China to 14 by the end of the year, including stores in the eastern city of Nanjing and the central city of Xian.

Chloe’s expansion plans will position it to gain a larger share of China’s luxury-goods market.

“China isn’t just catching up with the world, it’s leading it,” said Geoffroy de-la-Bourdonnaye, Chloe’s president and chief executive, who joined Chloe last year from a London department store, Liberty.

As a small brand for Richemont, the world’s second-largest luxury goods group by sales behind French rival LVMH group, Chloe is joining a growing roster of high-end labels, such as Prada and Fendi, that are wooing famed Chinese actresses and wealthy businessmen.

Recently, Chloe streamed live its first-ever online runway event in Shanghai on a Chinese-language website it rolled out in December for China’s luxury lovers. The brand is hoping to fetch younger customers who aspire to own one of its handbags for 13,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan ($2,000 to $2,300), chiffon skirts for about 10,000 yuan, and black leather ballet flats for 3,500 yuan. Chloe isn’t the only luxury brand to notice that China’s shoppers are taking to the Internet. Late last year, Emporio Armani and Gucci announced plans to hit China’s Web.

Chloe — which counts fashion heavyweights Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo among its former artistic directors — is currently helmed by British designer Hannah MacGibbon, who has assisted Philo. The fashion house specializes in ultra-feminine, casual clothes in muted colors designed to go straight from the catwalk onto the street.

Chloe’s products will be made available to China’s online shoppers in 18 months.

• China’s Luxury-Car Love Affair Goes On

China became the world’s largest car market in 2009, selling nearly 13.6 million vehicles and surpassing the U.S’s 10.4 million sales that year. China has also staked a sizable claim in the luxury-car sector. The appetite for high-end autos seems insatiable in the world’s largest car market.

Lamborghini

China became the second-biggest market for Italian luxury sports car maker Lamborghini （Chinese: 兰博基尼). Lamborghini, owned by Volkswagen, sold 178 sports cars to Chinese customers in the first three quarters, a 200 percent growth from a year ago. Lamborghini was expected to sell 200 cars in 2010, up from the 80 cars it sold in 2009.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 Superveloce at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show 兰博基尼中国限量版车型LP 670-4 SV车型亮相2010年北京车展

The company hopes to have 20 showrooms in China by the end of 2011 and offer more limited editions. It launched a limited edition of the Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. Although it has a limit of only 10 cars worldwide, the 8 million yuan ($1.2 million) models were sold out during the seven-day event.

Bentley

The British automaker Bentley (Chinese: 宾利) has 13 dealers in China and sold 815 Bentley cars in the mainland last year.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne - 2011款宾利新旗舰车型Mulsanne

Bentley plans to launch the Continental GT and Mulsanne in China shortly. While its product positioning will not change, Bentley will determine engine type based on local regulations and tastes, according to Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and CEO of Bentley, who is extremely bullish on the Chinese market. The company also has considered introducing high performance hybrid luxury cars.

2011 Bentley Continental GT is arguably one of Bentley's sexiest machines ever 宾利2011款Continental GT，此系列车款是宾利旗下最具宾利特色也是销售最好的车款

Bentley is expanding its sales network to 30 by the end of 2014, mainly targeting places with strong economic growth in second-tier cities of Shenyang, Dalian, Taiyuan and Xi’an.

While the U.S. is currently Bentley’s largest market, China is expected to replace the U.S. as the new market leader.

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. (Chinese: 劳斯莱斯), Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s luxury nameplate, plans to sell 800 cars in China in 2011 as it aims to raise sales eightfold in two years in the world’s largest auto market.

A Rolls-Royce Phantom starts at 6.6 million yuan in China 劳斯莱斯幻影

The exclusive marque, which competes with Volkswagen AG’s Bentley and Daimler AG’s Maybach, is selling more of its Phantom and Ghost sedans in China as rising incomes in the world’s fastest growing major economy boost sales of luxury cars.

A Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at 4.1 million yuan in China 劳斯莱斯古思特

A Rolls-Royce Phantom starts at 6.6 million yuan ($990,000) and buyers pay 4.1 million yuan for a Ghost in China where consumers pay higher taxes on imported luxury models. In the U.S., the Phantom starts at $380,000. Yet demand remains strong. Chinese customers ordering a Phantom will have to wait until late May to receive their cars.

Ferrari

Italian luxury-car maker Ferrari (Chinese: 法拉利)  sold nearly 300 sports cars in China in 2010, a 50-percent increase over 2009 sales and a record since it entered the Chinese market six years ago.

Ferrari 599 GTO at the Beijing 2010 Auto Show 2010年北京国际车展首发的法拉利599 GTO

Rather than luck, Ferrari credits the sales increase to several key investments it has made in recent years. It culminated in 2010 with the introduction of special initiatives and such crowd-pleasing events as the display of the HY-KERS laboratory vehicle at the Shanghai World Expo and the launch of the 599 GTO at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, Ferrari’s first-ever world premiere in China.

2012 Ferrari FF (Ferrari Four) is the company's first-ever four-seat, four-wheel-drive model 法拉利FF2012

To further demonstrate its commitment to this strategic market, the automaker announced that it will increase the number of dealerships in China from the current 10 in the next few months, as well as start the first Asian championship in the Ferrari Challenge single-make racing series in 2011.

The Maserati Quattroporte is a luxury four-door saloon made by Maserati in Italy 玛莎拉蒂总裁

Maserati

The Italian luxury car maker Maserati (Chinese: 玛莎拉蒂) saw a 60 percent sales growth in the first three quarters of 2010. The company now has 11 stores in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian and Qingdao.

BMW 5 Gets Even Longer in China: All-New 2011 Brilliance-BMW 5 Series 宝马5系旅行车

BMW

Record results by luxury automaker BMW (Chinese: 宝马), which also owns the Rolls-Royce and Mini brand, highlighted the power of the German export machine as China emerged as a bigger market for German industry than the United States.

BMW posted record revenues and net profit for 2010, in part owing to an 85.3 percent jump in sales to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan while Germany as a whole saw total exports soar 24.2 percent in January.

BMW shipped 183,328 vehicles to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan last year, putting the region in third place behind Germany, with 267,160, and the United States on 266,580.

2012 Audi A6 sedan - 2012款奥迪A6

Audi

German carmaker Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi (Chinese: 奥迪) expected to stay ahead of the competition in fast-growing China.

Audi’s volumes, revenue and operating profit all set a record in 2010 due mainly to China where sales moved to within 1,000 vehicles of its home market total.

Audi is the world’s third biggest luxury carmaker behind German rivals BMW and Mercedes.

The company wants to increase sales by 10% this year to 1.2 million as it aims to topple BMW as the world’s leading luxury carmaker.

• In Wine Circles, It’s All China

A Bordeaux Bubble

Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 is the world's most expensive wine sold for $232,692 a bottle in 2010 by a Chinese bidder, far eclipsed the previous record of $168,000 for a Lafite 1787 - 最贵葡萄酒1869Chateaux Lafite-Rothschild,每瓶美金232,692 元

The Chinese are also rapidly emerging as wine aficionados. Late last year, at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, an anonymous Chinese phone bidder paid $232,692 each for three bottles of 1869 Château Lafite Rothschild (Chinese: 拉菲酒庄/拉斐酒庄), a Napoleon III — era wine that was already maturing nicely when the Boxer uprising stymied European imperial ambitions in China. That price smashed the previous record of $156,450, paid in 1985 by the Forbes publishing family for a 1787 Lafite bottled for U.S. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. What really shocked the wine cognoscenti was the $70,000 paid at the same auction, not for another rare trophy bottle of Bordeaux but for a case of 2009 Lafite — a wine so young it has yet to be bottled. Prior to the auction, the much hyped 2009 vintage was being priced at around $18,000 a case.

More than 60 per cent of Sotheby’s entire wine sales in 2010 were made in Hong Kong. The price of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild, China’s favorite brand, has risen by 60 per cent in the last 12 months. Over the past decade, the price has risen by 1,000 per cent, largely thanks to the insatiability of the Chinese market.

While Chateau Lafite remains a firm favorite among Chinese wine aficionados, others including Mouton-Rothschild, Margaux, d'Yquem and Haut Brion are snapping at its heels.

Thanks to Lafite’s halo effect, wine merchants around the globe are already marking up prices of Lafite’s main Bordeaux rivals, including Chateau Latour (拉图酒庄), Chateau Margaux (玛歌酒庄/玛高酒庄), Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (木桐酒庄/武当王), Chateau d’Yquem (伊甘酒庄/伊甘堡) and Pessac-Leognan producer Chateau Haut Brion (奥比昂酒庄/奥比康庄园). The index of 100 top wines maintained by Liv-ex rose 40% in 2010.
China is now the largest export market for Bordeaux wines, according to Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, a promotional agency, which says sales of the wine in the country have doubled in each of the past five years

Chinese Labels

Chinese painter Xu Lei Creates 2008 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Label 中国画家徐累为木桐•罗斯柴尔德酒庄2008年份创作酒标

The 200-year-old vineyard Château Lafite Rothschild last year put the Chinese symbol eight (八) on its 2008 vintage bottles, a lucky number in Asian culture, while Château Mouton Rothschild , known for bottle art by a different artist each year, selected an image by Chinese artist Xu Lei (Chinese: 徐累) for its 2008 label.

Wine comes and goes to China

A model shows a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (about US$20-30,000) at an auction preview in Hong Kong

According to Robert Beynat, CEO of wine-trade show Vinexpo, Chinese wine consumption doubled in five years and the country is now seventh-largest in terms of volume and the eighth-largest in value. Of that wine drunk, the Chinese overwhelmingly prefer red wine: 90% of consumption was red. While counterfeiting could undermine confidence in the market, China will price the rest of the world’s wine lovers out of the top end of the market. Last year, more fine wine was sold in Hong Kong than in New York City and London put together, and by some estimates 1 in 4 bottles of the world’s greatest wine is now in Chinese hands.

• China’s Cuban Cigar Lovers

Opened by Castro's former Chinese translator, Casa Habana Cigar Club (哈瓦那之家雪茄俱乐部) offers the finest imported Cuban cigars in Beijing

Cigars seem to be the latest object of desire for the growing number of wealthy Chinese, according to Habanos SA, the worldwide distributor of Cuban cigars. The company said that China has now replaced Germany as the world’s third biggest cigar importer.

Habanos’ total global sales edged up 2 per cent to $367m in 2010 despite smoking bans  and recession, with smokers in China and the Middle East providing most of the uplift.

Spain and France remain the biggest markets, but following the opening of Cuban cigar shops in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai, China is catching up. Brands such as Montecristo, Cohiba and Patargás offer an image of luxury and sophistication, qualities sought by China’s burgeoning middle class.

As the number of wealthy customers in China grows, Habanos is beginning to put more resources into its presence in China. Currently four of Habanos’ 142 Casa del Habanos, or Cigar Houses, where cigar aficionados can sample a variety of Cuban cigars, are in China – two in Beijing, and one in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Groupon Launches deal site Gaopeng.com in China 腾讯Groupon合资高朋网正式上线

Groupon has aunched its China site at GaoPeng

Groupon Inc., owner of the biggest coupon website, said it started an online group-buying service in China as consumers in the world’s fastest-growing major economy increase spending over the Internet.

The Gaopeng.com website will initially cover Beijing and Shanghai before expanding to other major Chinese cities, Chicago-based Groupon said in an e-mailed statement today. Tencent Holdings Ltd., China’s biggest Internet company, and Yunfeng Capital, a private equity fund started by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chairman Jack Ma, are other investors in Gaopeng, according to the statement, which didn’t provide details of the shareholding.

China had almost 19 million group-buying users at the end of 2010, according to government statistics.

Groupon’s Gaopeng.com will face competition in attracting Internet shoppers from Chinese group-buying services including Lashou.com, Meituan.com and Manzuo.com. Taobao, China’s largest consumer e-commerce website, launched a group-buying website last year and popular portal websites such as Tencent’s QQ and Sohu.com have also launched group-buying websites. Online retail sales in China almost doubled last year to 513.1 billion yuan ($78 billion) and will probably double again in the next two years to 1 trillion yuan, Xinhua News Agency reported Jan. 18.

Groupon, which rejected a $6 billion takeover bid from Google Inc. in December, plans to increase the number of employees at its China venture to 1,000 in three months from 120 staff, Danny Yeung, head of its Hong Kong unit, said Feb. 10.

Alibaba Group, controlled by Ma, is China’s biggest e- commerce company. The Hangzhou, eastern China-based company’s Alibaba.com Ltd. unit last week said David Wei resigned as Chief Executive Officer after an internal probe found more than 2,300 vendors used its website to defraud global buyers.

Groupon腾讯合作中国网站高朋今日正式上线

高朋留下的联系地址正是腾讯原深圳总部的所在地

由团购网站鼻祖，全球最大团购网站Groupon与腾讯合资，面向中国市场的团购网站高朋网 (gaopeng.com)今天正式上线。目前该网站仅开放邮箱注册，还未提供具体团购活动。

2月15日高朋曾经短暂上线后存在不到24小时就立刻无法访问，有媒体引述消息人士言论称，合作网站突然下线问题可能出现在沟通环节上：负责 Groupon在华业务拓展的德籍负责人期望早点亮相做出业绩，而腾讯方面则希望等待更好时机，据说双方高层当时已经紧急会见协商。

另有消息称，15日的页面上线有可能是工程师的一次“误操作”。

值得注意的是，15日上线的页面下的ICP信息注册地为北京，今日上线的新页面ICP注册地已经变为深圳，ICP注册号“粤B2-20100347”与腾讯旗下的小游戏网站3366.com一致。而且在联系我们一栏中所留的“深圳市南山区高新南一路飞亚达科技大厦”正是腾讯原深圳总部的所在地。

另外，高朋经营方深圳市世纪天游科技有限公司也首次曝光。工商登记信息显示，深圳市世纪天游科技有限公司由腾讯互动娱乐系统人力资源总监唐毅斌及腾讯高级副总裁奚丹各出资500万元成立，唐毅斌担任总经理及执行董事，奚丹担任监事。

分析人士认为，尽管Groupon与腾讯出资各半建立新公司，但是之前在运营管理上则几乎全部由德国方面说了算。此次在网站细节上的变化可以看出，腾讯已经在一定程度上获得了高朋的主导权。

高朋CEO欧阳云发内部邮件：员工规模已达300人

由Groupon、腾讯产业共赢基金和云锋基金共同出资成立的高朋网 (gaopeng.com)今日接受用户邮件注册，随后高朋网CEO欧阳云发布内部邮件，透露一个月时间内员工规模已达300人。

以下为邮件全文：

各位高朋的兄弟姐妹们，

今天，2011年2月28日，是值得所有高朋人铭记的日子，因为今天是高朋诞生的日子！

在我在周末的深夜写这封信的时候，办公室还是与工作日一样忙碌。年轻、朝气、充满热情和笑容的身影，从我身边匆匆走过。一个多月的时间里，高朋 人从零开始，茁壮成长为今天三百多人规模的生力军。一个多月的时间里，我们从狭窄的临时办公室，搬到了今天宽敞明亮的写字楼。一个月的时间里，我们在业务 的各个方面都取得了非凡的进展！一个多月的时间里，高朋这个还未出生的婴儿在外界引起了太多的关注和猜测，高朋人也因此有过困惑，有过误解，有过委屈，甚 至有过泪水。一个多月的时间不长，只是弹指一挥间，但这些在创业初期大家一起度过的日日夜夜，这些我们用强大的凝聚力克服的困难和收获的成绩，是每一个高 朋人智慧和汗水的结晶，也是每一个高朋人都将引以为自豪的人生经历！ 大家辛苦了！

高朋呱呱坠地的这一天，我们也感到了更多沉甸甸的责任。高朋是一家由Groupon，腾讯产业共赢基金和云峰基金共同投资的本土的团购网站。高 朋的身上，既有全球团购鼻祖的基因，又流淌着对中国互联网民最深刻洞察的血液；我们被众目注视，我们被寄予厚望。我们同时又要牢记：高朋是一家创业公司， 像所有的创业公司一样，我们前进的路上会有艰难险阻，会有风雨需要经历，会有挫折需要品尝。但是千里之行，始于足下，只要我们一步一个脚印地走下去，谦虚 谨慎，在自己的本职工作上更上一层楼，我们就会很快在风雨之后见到彩虹！

让我们继续发扬高朋人在短短时间内建立的开放、平等、高效和责任的文化。精英的高朋人，来自五湖四海，来自各行各业，出生在不同的年代。在高 朋，国籍和文化的差异不是障碍，而是互相学习和进步的源泉：我看到来自遥远的南美洲的外籍员工，与本土的销售经理之间，从不会发音对方的名字到很快变成称 兄道弟的好朋友。在高朋，没有官僚作风和过多的层级，就像我们的办公室里没有隔断的办公空间，涌动着平等和透明的音符。在高朋，也不存在年龄的代沟，因为 60后、70后的高朋人与80后一样青春、活跃和新潮J 高效的执行力更是高朋与生俱来的DNA，需要高朋人一刻也不能松懈地保持和发扬。高朋人的责任感，则不只是体现在自己的本职工作，而是有更高的境界：从离 开办公室时关一下隔壁的灯，到大胆提出自己对公司发展的创意，到对目之所及的错误的不容忍，还有对兄弟部门的无私援助。

让我们举杯庆祝高朋的诞生；这个婴儿从蹒跚学步到长大成人，需要我们所有人共同的呵护。让我们马上投入到为高朋团购业务上线的准备工作之中！

再次谢谢你为高朋诞生所付出的辛勤工作！

我们自豪，我们是高朋人！

欧阳

2011年2月28日

Best Buy, Home Depot and Carrefour find China market a tough sell

Best Buy shuts all China stores

Three foreign retail giants, and one supersized marketplace, have not added up to business success in China. Best Buy (Chinese: 百思买), the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is closing all of its branded stores in China, one weak after the largest foreign retailer, Carrefour (Chinese: 家乐福 ), began winding down franchises across China and one month after home-improvement chain Home Depot (Chinese: 家得宝) shut down its last Beijing outlet due to operational difficulties.

U.K.-based Kingfisher PLC, Europe’s biggest home-improvement chain by sales, has also struggled with western-style sales models in China. In contrast, Chinese shoppers have enthusiastically embraced modern supermarkets and discount stores operated by leading international retailers including Walmart, Metro and Tesco. And some U.S. firms such as KFC and General Motors report record sales in China.

Five years after entering China, Best Buy is shutting all nine of its branded stores, and its retail headquarters in Shanghai, Best Buy Asia President Kal Patel said Tuesday. Abandoning the self-branded “big-box business model,” the company will instead invest in expanding its wholly owned Chinese subsidiary Five Star, he said. “We are really committed to China, and we are trying to figure out the business model that is going to work for us in China,” Patel said.

In China, Best Buy offered “a concept ahead of the consumer,” said retail analyst Paul French of Shanghai-based firm Access Asia. Unlike the warehouse style of top Chinese electronic chains Gome and Suning, where sales personnel push particular brands to earn commission, Best Buy provided “a much nicer retail environment,” said French, at prices no higher than its competitors.

But popular perception was otherwise. “I like the environment of Best Buy, but the products there are too expensive,” said Tian Ye, a self-confessed IT-geek in Beijing. Tian, 27, bought his iPhone 4 at Suning, and several other appliances online.

The Nanjing-based chain Five Star is “profitable” and boasts “a lot of the essence of Best Buy,” said Patel, without divulging figures. A statement on Best Buy’s China website Tuesday said Five Star would expand by 40 or 50 stores to 210 by the end of next year. That compares with Gome’s 704 stores in more than 200 Chinese cities as of June 30, with another 370 stores run by billionaire founder Huang Guangyu’s Gome Group. Suning had 1,206 outlets in 223 cities in the country as of Sept. 30. As independent shops and plazas, not chains, still dominate electronics sales, “the pie is going to get cut very thinly,” French cautioned. “Profit margins are great if you are Apple,” he said. Elsewhere, “There are too many brands and not enough people buying the high-margin items.”

Best Buy expanded too slowly, offered few discounts and failed to exploit its advantages, said Liu Buchen, an independent electronics retail analyst. “The company’s service style, whereby customers can test products, was quickly copied by others, and left them with no unique competitive strength,” he said. As a U.S. company, bound by U.S. laws, Best Buy also failed to utilize the “gray channels” Chinese firms use to secure government or business favors, Liu said.

Best Buy has been under increased pressure after its US sales during the critical holiday period between Thanksgiving and Christmas failed to match Wall Street’s expectations.

Home Depot Shuts Last Beijing Store

On Jan. 21, Home Depot shut its last Beijing store, the fifth Home Depot closure in China in the past two years, and leaving just seven of the 12 stores it acquired in 2006 by buying local chain Home Way.

The Atlanta-based Home Depot entered China in 2006 with the purchase of a Chinese home-improvement chain called Home Way that had 12 stores in northeastern China, including two in Beijing. It has since closed several of those stores, and senior Home Depot executives have said repeatedly in recent years that they were looking for ways to retool their China strategy.

Home Depot now operates a total of six stores in Tianjin, an eastern port city that is one of China’s biggest municipalities, and Xi’an, capital of the central Chinese province of Shaanxi, a company spokesman said. The spokesman added that Home Depot will conduct a trial for a smaller format store in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China’s Henan province. Worldwide, Home Depot has more than 2,200 stores.

Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake said last month that the company’s business in China remains “problematic,” and the company is working to build a profitable business model by focusing on “select” Chinese cities.

Inflation Is Driving Carrefour Franchises Out Of Business

Last week the largest foreign retailer in China, Carrefour, not Walmart, began winding down franchises across China because of shrinking margins. Employees in Changchun and Shaoxing say they have stopped replenishing stock and will be closing soon, according to Global Times. Along with other store closings, this would represent Carrefour’s biggest shutdown in 16 years in China.

On a store level, Carrefour has an especially loose franchise structure, where owners rely on sales commissions and entrance fees for profit, Wal-Mart doesn’t franchise in the same way, but the corporation will still eat the cost of Chinese inflation — on both sides of the Pacific.

百思买宣布关闭中国内地9家门店和中国零售总部

百思买徐家汇店昨大门紧闭，不少顾客拨打客服电话询问详情

全球最大家用电器和电子产品零售集团——百思买集团昨日突然宣布关闭全部在华零售自有品牌门店，并转而发展旗下的五星电器。虽然之前已有过要撤出国内市场的征兆，但“百思买”这个零售品牌的瞬间消失，还是出乎很多人的预料。有业内人士分析，一方面根深蒂固的国内低价模式，使得主打服务体验的百思买发生了严重的“水土不服”；另一方面，其对于在华发展战略定位的摇摆不定，更削弱了其在中国的竞争力，最终导致该品牌“黯然离去”。

脱胎换骨 五星电器将接盘中国市场

在昨天上午宣布关闭所有门店后，百思买旗下的五星电器于昨日下午两点，在南京召开战略发布媒体沟通会，公布百思买零售业务的整合方案与五星电器未来的扩张方案。除一系列的人事变动外，五星电器业公布了2011年的详细发展规划，包括将于2012年内新开50家左右的五星门店的扩张计划，以及在未来有可能重开两家百思买自有品牌门店的设想。

百思买正大店的工作人员昨日做关闭准备

百思买全球执行副总裁兼亚太区总裁唐思杰，下午在五星电器南京总部公布新的人事变动：五星电器的创始人王健将出任公司首席执行官、百思买全球副总裁。在王健之后，黄寿宝、薛青及徐晓明三位副总裁将分别担任第一、第二、第三大区总经理，协助总裁管理五星电器17个分部的日常经营。其余的四位副总裁则是分管供应链的宋镁、分管市场和营运的景星、分管人力资源和行政法务的万琼以及分管财务和信息的雷勇慧。之前从百思买加入五星电器的原运营总裁郑天和，被调到百思买亚洲业务发展就任副总裁。

在发布会上，百思买方面表示，新的战略将从关闭所有自有品牌零售商店和零售总部开始，所有其在中国的经营业务将被整合到旗下五星电器品牌中。但值得注意的是，五星电器将不会占用原来的百思买店面，据王健透露，这是为了让百思买的自有品牌门店有机会重开。

另一方面，根据发布的最新规划，五星电器将于2012年内在中国新开50家左右的新门店，将使五星电器店数量在2012年底时增加到210家左右。目前，五星电器的门店主要分布在江苏、浙江、安徽、山东、河南、四川、云南7个省份，在上海暂无分店。王健透露，在这7个省份做强后，五星电器将会进入其他省市，其中可能会通过并购其他地方家电连锁店，顺利进入新市场。

“百思买积极地扩张五星电器品牌，以更好地满足中国零售市场上日益增长的需求，这也秉承了我们对于中国市场持续并且长期的承诺。 ”唐思杰表示。

痛定思痛 运营模式在中国市场有些超前

“对于公司的管理层而言，关闭百思买在中国的门店是一个非常艰难的决定，但朝前看，我们对自己的商业战略非常有信心，将始终致力于服务中国市场，大力发展五星电器。 ”百思买亚太区总裁唐思杰在公告中，使用了“一个艰难的决定”这个流行词汇，但与那些一夜做出的“艰难决定”不同，关闭全部自有品牌门店这个决定确实让业内人士都感受到了其中的艰难。

唐思杰在昨天下午的发布会上解释了为何会做出这个决定。他坦言，关闭所有自有品牌门店，是因为在调查后发现，百思买的运营模式确实不适合中国市场。

与国美苏宁直接向厂商出租场地的运营模式不同，百思买先自行向厂商购买产品，再出售给消费者，赚取其中差价。相比之下，百思买的模式需更多的资金支持。五星首席执行官王健解释道：“百思买的模式是高成本的，但也需要高销售和高毛利的支持，就目前中国市场而言，有点超前了。即便在上海，也有不少用户是价格敏感型的。 ”

回顾百思买在中国市场的发展，与其在美国的发展速度不成正比，百思买在五年的时间内只开出八家门店与一家店中店，并一直面对能否盈利的困境。与此同时，被百思买并购的五星电器也在并购后被扔在一旁，四年内只开出30家新门店，与国内的一些大型电器连锁店相比，这个数字几乎只是个零头。

唐思杰说，从去年百思买进行全球架构的调整开始，自己上任放的第一把火便是要求中国区的团队，就百思买模式能否适应中国市场进行论证。在得出结论之后，他迅速做出现在这个艰难的决定：关闭百思买所有自有品牌门店，重点发展五星电器。

在反思之外，唐思杰也表示，百思买未来还会在中国市场进行一些新尝试，其中就包括网络销售模式、提供移动解决方案以及更好的店面体验服务。

员工安置 大多满意补偿方案，部分或转入五星

2月22日，消费者在已关闭的百思买上海中山公园店前查看张贴的“顾客服务”告示。

昨天一早，大批百思买员工从徐家汇店的后门涌入店内。当时，大部分员工还不知道这将是他们在百思买工作的最后一天，一些员工甚至还在奇怪上班为何不打卡了。

在早上9点召开的员工会议上，当百思买高层宣布解散全体员工时，与会者中传来阵阵喧嚣，甚至连店外都能隐约听到。这项决定意味着百思买的1000多名员工将在这一天内“集体失业”，还是在毫无心理准备的情况下。

“我们之前就接到通知，说今天要开会，但完全没想到会是这事情。 ”百思买徐家汇店几位员工表示，解散全体员工这个决定对他们来说实在太出乎意料了，“前几天也没什么异常，之前有传言说百思买要撤出市场时，上头还出面辟谣。 ”这几名员工说，因为之前没有任何迹象，突然听到要解散时，感到相当的茫然。

在会议之后，每位员工收到一份补偿方案：无论新老员工，全部补偿N+5个月的工资，N为工作年份，而工资底数为3500元/月。同意接受这份补偿方案的员工，将被要求签署解除劳动合同协议。对于每月工资2000元不到的普通员工而言，3500元/月的底数十分有吸引力，这让大部分员工迅速做出决定。

“上面说这笔补偿费用将在一个月内到款，我准备先休息一周，再去找其他工作。”一名在百思买工作了两年的年轻员工表示，对于这份补偿方案基本满意，而有一些签完协议离开的员工，神情自若地结伴逛起马路。不过，也有员工对于突然辞退感到愤怒，“之前不说，今天搞突然袭击，钱倒是其次，之后工作怎么办？ ”

对此，在百思买的对外公告中也提供了一项解决方案。据了解，百思买将会给优秀的员工提供在五星电器零售业务和其自有品牌业务方面的工作职位，也将保留部分团队成员以支持接下去的业务开展，其中就包括负责延保服务的“安心保”部门。公告中提到，百思买对于相应受到影响的员工会提供完善的遣散计划和新职介绍帮助。

“我们所有的员工都非常优秀与专业，我们非常感激他们辛勤的工作和付出，感谢他们所带给百思买的一切。”最终，在百思买亚洲区总裁唐思杰的致谢中，1000多名员工开始各奔东西。

◎反思

“美国模式”疏远本土供应商

五年壮志一朝浮云，随着百思买黯然退去，家电业界对其失败的原因几乎发出同一声叹息：水土不服。

“自置物业、自购商品、自己派员工销售，这样的模式前期投入很大，承担更大经营风险的同时必然需要更高的利润来支撑。”易观高级咨询顾问陈灿表示，百思买本以为可以同时获得供应商和消费者的欢心，让供应商脱离低价模式的压榨，让消费者获得合理的购物引导。

但问题是，从中国的现实来看，供应商和消费者真正在乎的是什么？

百思买用退场给出无声的答案。

“从某种程度上说，百思买的销售模式不太像是厂商和顾客之间的桥梁，反而更像一堵墙。 ”某数码厂商的一位渠道管理负责人昨天表示。

上述的抱怨，来自于百思买对合作供应商采取的“买断式”经营，即向供应商采购并全额付款，自己拥有商品的定价权。百思买拒绝厂商的促销员入场，全部由自己的员工亲自上阵带领消费者体验产品，以防止厂商“误导”消费者。

然而在国内，国美、苏宁等大部分家电卖场将销售区域分租给不同的家电厂商，并由厂商派驻促销员在卖场销售，卖场从中收取租金，并从产品的销售额中抽取一定的比例作为利润。

陈灿表示，更重要的是，百思买的需求量并不够大，供应商没必要为此得罪国美、苏宁等大主顾。

家电专家罗清启则指出，百思买在无形中“得罪”供应商还有另一原因。由于其常要求供应商提供差异性的特殊定制产品，以与其他竞争对手拉开距离；但对家电厂商而言，差异化定制会导致成本上升，百思买稀少的门店数量注定了商品销量的限制，无法帮助供应商摊薄成本。

单一模式“绑架”国内市场

2月22日，一些消费者在已关闭的百思买上海中山公园店门前驻足。

对于百思买模式遭遇滑铁卢的根本原因，陈灿认为是家电零售业先入为主的“低价模式”早已在中国扎根。

“低价模式在中国的流行有着深刻的历史原因。”陈灿表示，2000年左右，正是大的家电卖场兴起的时候，当时，国民购买力还很低，低价需求非常强烈，绑架供应商的低价模式应运而生。随着卖场规模不断扩大，开店脚步的加速，供应商对卖场的依赖越来越强，也开始难逃这种模式的“绑架”。“不得不说，百思买模式的失败长期来讲对行业不是个好消息，中国的低价模式已有些积重难返了。 ”陈灿称。另有业者认为，百思买借五星之躯继续战斗，可以说是对苏宁、国美模式的一种妥协。

体验VS价格 顾客更青睐后者

一道关于“鱼和熊掌”的选择题：对于国内消费者而言，完善的购物体验和实惠的促销价格，哪个更重要？在绝大多数人看来，这个决定根本不艰难。

“中国消费者最在乎的是‘低价’。”陈灿分析称，百思买引以为荣的“更严格的品类管理，更合理的购物引导”在“低价”面前，都无足轻重。在国美、苏宁、永乐等卖场贯穿全年此起彼伏的“亿元大单保低价”、“节日疯狂大促销”的吆喝声中，顾客的选择显而易见。

购物体验到底重不重要？在论坛中，外企白领小乙坚决站在“挺百派”一方：“对很多骨灰级数码粉丝而言，产品间细微的参数差别只有亲身体验后才能得到答案。专业导购给出的建议，往往起到临门一脚的作用。 ”他还援引苹果旗舰店的成功来为百思买加分：“苹果产品虽然贵，照样有大批果粉埋单，这恰恰证明导购模式的成功。 ”

但一位家电业人士认为，上述言论只能代表国内为数不多的高端消费群，对于大部分顾客而言，一两百元的差价足够“枪毙”体验带来的加分。陈灿还指出，本土连锁卖场的购物体验也不差。 “中国的消费者看重购物氛围，苏宁国美的促销员带来的热热闹闹无形中增加了购物的享受感。 ”

沉疴已久积重难返

有业内人士指出，决策流程太长，导致战略定位摇摆不定也是导致百思买退场的原因之一。

腾驹达猎头董事长、国际人力资本网总裁景素奇昨日在微博上表示，百思买进中国一直步履蹒跚，“我和一些百思买中国区的经理人聊过，主要原因是水土不服，决策流程太长，考核激励体系不切实际等。百思买中国也常换将，一换一大拨，任何企业组织都受不了这种经常批量换血。 ”

家电专家罗仁宵表示，百思买在进入中国市场前，对国内消费市场进行了两年半左右的谨慎研究，按理说应该做好应对国内低价模式的相应策略。但当其真正入华后，其战略定位却相当模糊，似乎百思买的领导层一直在犹豫，到底是走体验服务路线，还是走低价路线？

罗仁宵表示，低价路线可以一蹴而就，体验服务则需要长期营造，百思买的门店却时常在两者间摇摆不定，维持了几个月的服务路线，觉得收效不大，便马上换成低价路线。无论是经营模式还是地利人和，低价路线都比不过本土的大型家电连锁，此路不通后，又再次换回服务路线。由此百思买的战略定位就变得非常模糊，使得原本作为特色的服务体验理念，不但没给消费者留下深刻印象，反而暴露了自己弱点——在消费者心中只留下了姿态高调、价格较贵的“高贵”印象。

Renren, China’s Facebook, Plans IPO in US 社交网站人人网计划赴美上市

Renren, China's largest social network, plans US IPO

Renren.com, China’s largest social-networking service and China’s answer to Facebook, is seeking to capitalize on strengthening demand for the nation’s Internet stocks with a U.S. initial public offering that could raise up to $500 million, potentially making it the first social-networking site to go public.

Estimated to have 160 million registered users, renren – which means “everyone” – is the largest site of its kind in China. It was founded in 2005 by three graduates of Tsinghua University in Beijing under the name of Xiaonei, or “inside school”, and is now the most popular social network among Chinese students. The site was sold to holding company Oak Pacific Interactive in 2006 which renamed the service Renren in 2009 and has grown to expand its user base beyond campuses. Softbank Corp., Japan’s fastest-growing mobile-phone carrier, is the biggest shareholder in Beijing-based Oak Pacific.

Though conceived as a Facebook knockoff, Renren has displayed remarkable innovation and adaptation, launching new features and offerings that are tailored to Chinese users and distinct from those of Zuckerberg’s site.

The IPO would follow successful recent debuts by other Chinese tech stars. The online TV company Youku.com listed on the New York Stock Exchange in December. Its shares closed up 161% on the first day of trading and have performed well since. Shares in the e-commerce site Dangdang jumped 87% on the first day and have continued to increase in value. Baidu, China’s answer to Google, has been listed on the NYSE since 2005 and its shares have risen 4,660% to date.

Research by Quid.com, a Silicon Valley analyst and consultant, shows that in the fourth quarter of 2010, $2.5bn of new investment went into tech firms, the majority into e-commerce sites. Of the top 20 investments by size, 10 went to Chinese companies, including a $425m investment led by Walmart in online retailer 360buy.

Whereas Facebook is virtually without peer in the United States, China has a slew of social networking services, from Twitter-like microblogging sites to bulletin board systems buzzing at all hours with activity, all battling for their share of the world’s populous web market. Renren faces competition from a host of other “Facebooks of China,” such as Kaixin001 and 51.com, and new rivals are constantly joining the playing field: Major portals, such as Sina, Tencent and Baidu, will frequently clone successful startups, rather than acquire them, then drive traffic to their own versions of properties like Twitter and YouTube.

Competition may be fierce, but Renren and its rivals all stand to benefit mightily from China’s huge and growing online population. The world’s most populous country now boasts around 457 million Internet users — roughly one and a half times the total population of the United States — and more than any other nation.

人人网计划赴美上市 或成全球首个上市社交网站

人人网计划赴美上市 或成全球首个上市社交网站

据国外媒体报道,社交网站人人网计划今年赴美国上市，募集约5亿美元资金。如果IPO成功，人人网将成为全球首家上市的社交网站。

中国最大的SNS网站

人人网原名为校内网(xiaonei.com)，成立于2005年12月，较另一全球知名社交网站Facebook晚了一年，是中国最早的校园SNS（社交网络）社区。2006 年，校内网创始人王兴将其出售给千橡互动。2008年4月，千橡互动公司将35%股份出售给包括软银在内的投资者，获得4.3亿美元的注资；而在这次融资所用的一份PPT中，九成内容均与校内网有关。2009年，校内网更名人人网。据易观国际统计，目前人人网拥有1.6亿的注册用户，是中国最大的SNS网站。

“中国Facebook”概念亮眼

ChinaVenture投中集团研究总监李玮栋表示，人人网如能成功IPO，将对目前是否上市持浓厚观望气氛的中国企业带来极大地带动作用。他认为， 人人网上一次融资是在3年之前，现在启动IPO也是一个合适的时间点，加上其抢在Facebook之前成为全球第一家上市的SNS网站，相信届时会吸引足够的眼球。同时，人人网一直定位于“中国的Facebook”，这种“讲故事的方式”类似于优酷去年上市时的“中国的Youtube+Netflix”， 很容易让美国投资者接受。而且“社交网络”这种创新型的互联网概念本身就是一个很大的卖点，相信会起到带旺市场的作用。

Top executives at China’s largest e-commerce site Alibaba resign over fraud probe 马云重整阿里巴巴 CEO卫哲引咎辞职

Alibaba CEO David Wei has stepped down amid fraud probe

Alibaba.com, the largest e-commerce site in China, announced today that two senior executives had resigned after an internal company investigation determined that thousands of fraudulent sales were taking place, sometimes with the help of Alibaba sales staff.

Chief Executive Officer David Wei and Chief Operating Officer Elvis Lee Shi-Huei were not involved in the rise in fraud but were taking responsibility for the “systemic breakdown” in the company’s “culture of integrity,” Alibaba Chairman and Founder Jack Ma said in a statement (PDF). The company, which is publicly traded, is largely owned by the Alibaba Group.

Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma speaks at a news conference in Beijing

Over this past month, I’ve experienced a lot of torment, a lot of frustration, a lot of anger…This is the pain we suffer as we develop, a price that we pay as part of our growth, and it hurts!,” wrote Alibaba.com and Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma in an internal email to employees–called Alirens–today, which you can see below.

More than 2,300 fraudulent storefronts registered on the site in 2009 and 2010 as “Gold Suppliers,” offering inexpensive electronics for sale to buyers overseas. However, no goods were delivered after payment was received, Ma said. The average buyer claim against fraudulent sites was less than $1,200, he said.

About 100 company sales people out of the company’s approximately 5,000-member staff assisted the storefronts in evading the company’s verification methods, Ma said.

“Our company has determined that the vast majority of these storefronts were set up to intentionally defraud global buyers,” Ma said. “The methods of the perpetrators suggest that they have engineered an organized and systemic attack on the integrity of the Alibaba.com platform for illegal gains.”

An Alibaba Group Holding employee walks in front of the company's operations center in Hangzhou, China.

Taking over for Wei is Jonathan Lu Zhaoxi, who is currently chief executive of the unlisted online retailer Taobao,
The departure of David Wei, chief executive, who joined Alibaba in 2006, is a major blow to the reputation of a company that, together with Baidu, the search engine, and Tencent, the social-networking site, has formed an “oligopoly” in the fast-growing Chinese internet, according to the Chinese media.

The developments also raise questions about management oversight at the business-to-business site as it seeks to expand. In addition to Taobao, Alibaba owns Yahoo’s China operations and Alipay.com, an online payment service. Founded in 1999, Alibaba.com has become one of the world’s largest business-to-business platforms in the world, linking sellers of Chinese manufactured goods to millions of wholesalers overseas. The company, which has 53 million registered users worldwide, is about 40% owned by Yahoo.

Here is an internal email to employees–called Alirens by Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma.

Fellow Aliren:

As we have announced today, the B2B board of directors has accepted the resignations of B2B CEO David Wei and COO Elvis Lee. Additionally, former senior VP of B2B HR Kangming Deng has resigned his post as Chief People Officer of Alibaba Group in acceptance of responsibility and will be demoted to a different post.

Several months ago, we discovered that some of our B2B China Gold Supplier (CGS) members were suspected of fraudulent activity. What made it shocking was evidence indicating that certain members of the CGS sales team knowingly allowed, or in some cases even helped, these fraudulent companies join the Alibaba.com marketplace.

We formed a special task force to investigate the situation. According to the preliminary results of a month-long inquiry, we found 1219 CGS (1.1% of all Gold Suppliers) who joined in 2009 and 1107 CGS (0.8% of Gold Suppliers) who joined in 2010 were engaged in fraudulent activity. These fraudsters had joined the Alibaba.com marketplace for the sole purpose of exploiting the platform that we’ve labored to build up over the past 12 years to defraud overseas buyers. At the same time, the investigation confirmed that nearly 100 CGS sales staff knowingly allowed fraudsters to become CGS members so that they could “make their numbers” and receive commission income.

Any tolerance of this type of affront to business ethics and company values is a crime against the rest of our customers and Aliren who remain honest. We must take measures to safeguard the values of Alibaba! All the colleagues who were directly or indirectly involved must be held responsible; more importantly, B2B’s management team must assume primary responsibility. We have already terminated the storefronts of all 2,326 CGS members suspected of fraud, and we have asked law enforcement authorities to assist us in our investigation.

Since the day that Alibaba was established, pursuit of profit has never been our main goal. We have no interest in turning the company into a mere money-making machine. Rather, we have long held firm to our mission of “making it easy to do business anywhere.” When we say “customer first,” we mean that we’d rather sacrifice growth than do anything that would jeopardize our customers’ interests, much less be a part of any blatant fraud.

Over this past month, I’ve experienced a lot of torment, a lot of frustration, a lot of anger…

This is the pain we suffer as we develop, a price that we pay as part of our growth, and it hurts! But we have no choice. It is not possible for us to be mistake-free; we may from time to time commit errors of judgment, but we will absolutely not err by compromising our principles. If we do not face up to reality and find the courage to take painful action, Alibaba will no longer be Alibaba and our pursuit of our 102-year dream and mission will become nothing but a joke!

This world does not need another Internet company, much less another company that can make money;

What this world needs is a company that is more open, more transparent, more sharing, more responsible, more global;

What this world needs is a company that is grounded in society, serves the interests of society, and accepts the responsibilities of society;

What this world needs is a culture, a soul, a belief and an acceptance of obligation. Because these are the only things that will allow us to go further, do better, act with confidence on the challenging path of entrepreneurship.

What comforted me is learning that the overwhelming majority of our CGS sales colleagues upheld their principles in the face of temptation. To these colleagues, I salute you! More importantly, we thank the colleagues who have the courage to stand firm and fight against what is wrong. From their actions we witnessed the courage and power of upholding integrity and principles. In them we see Alibaba’s future and hope! And we need more Aliren like them! Those who do the extraordinary must assume extraordinary responsibilities!

The resignations of David and Elvis are tremendous losses to the company. For me this is extremely sad and hurtful. But I think their willingness as Aliren to step up and accept responsibility is most admirable. On behalf of the company, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the both of them for their unrelenting dedication and contribution to the company.

Fellow Aliren, the B2B board of directors has appointed Jonathan Lu as B2B CEO; the Group has appointed Lucy Peng as Chief People Officer of Alibaba Group. I hope everyone will fully support the work that lies ahead and believe we can make a difference!

This is an era full of promises and an era that no one wants to miss out on. Only through holding onto our ideals and our principles will we be able to become the pride of this era!

If not now? When?

If not me? Who?

Jack Ma
2.21.2011

上千商家涉嫌欺诈 阿里巴巴CEO卫哲引咎辞职

马云刮骨疗毒 阿里两高管卫哲李旭辉引咎辞职 （附马云公开信、卫哲内部邮件）

在发现销售人员帮助创建了欺诈性网店后，全球最大的企业间在线交易平台――阿里巴巴更换了两位高管。

阿里巴巴表示，阿里巴巴B2B公司首席执行官卫哲（David Wei）与首席运营官李旭辉（Elvis Lee）已于周一双双辞职，以为“我们公司诚信文化的全面崩溃”负责。

阿里巴巴表示，一项内部调查发现，在其“中国金牌供应商（China Gold Supplier）“中――经过阿里巴巴认证的合法可信的企业，超过2000家参与了对买家的欺诈，且约有100名现场销售人员帮助行骗者逃避了阿里巴巴的稽核措施。

这些涉嫌欺诈的网店成立于2009与2010年，不到这两年间阿里巴巴签约金牌供应商总数的1.1％与0.8％。

更换管理层的严厉回应，突显出电子商务公司多么容易受到下述怀疑的影响：买家能否依赖它们确保供应商的质量与诚信。

阿里巴巴发言人约翰.斯佩里奇（John Spelich）表示：“这让我们非常痛苦。创始人非常痛心。”

阿里巴巴集团（Alibaba Group）未上市消费者电子商务附属企业淘宝（Taobao）的首席执行官陆兆禧（Jonathan Lu）已取代卫哲，出任CEO一职。但他将保留在淘宝的职位。

分析师表示，陆兆禧可以将在淘宝的反欺诈经验用于阿里巴巴。

业内人士表示：“在淘宝，陆兆禧扩大了判断卖家信誉的基准，将用户体验纳入了进来。这也可以用于阿里巴巴。”

阿里巴巴去年公布在网站上发现了欺诈事件，但它此前并没有说有员工参与。在这些问题出现之际，阿里巴巴正在进行积极的扩张。其员工总数去年增加了近三分之一，从1.17万增至近1.4万名。

2010年第三季度，阿里巴巴营收同比增长40％，至14亿元人民币（合2.13亿美元）。截至9月30日，其注册用户数已超过5600万，付费会员超过75万。

阿里巴巴表示，去年一发现问题，该公司就已着手打击欺诈行为，欺诈供应商账户数量已开始下降。

马云公开信

马云：阿里巴巴绝不做赚钱机器

各位阿里人：

大家已经看到了公司的公告，董事会已经批准B2B公司CEO卫哲、COO李旭晖引咎辞职的请求，原B2B公司人事资深副总裁邓康明引咎辞去集团CPO，降级另用。

几个月前，我们发现B2B公司的中国供应商签约客户中，部分客户有欺诈嫌疑！而更令人震惊的是，有迹象表明直销团队的一些员工默许甚至参与协助这些骗子公司加入阿里巴巴平台！

为 此，集团迅速成立了专门小组，经过近一个月的调查取证，查实2009、2010年两年间分别有1219家（占比1.1%）和1107家（占比0.8%）的 “中国供应商”客户涉嫌欺诈！骗子公司加入阿里巴巴平台的唯一原因是利用我们十二年来用心血建造的网络平台向国外买家行骗！同时查实确有近百名为了追求高 业绩高收入明知是骗子客户而签约的直销员工！

对于这样触犯商业诚信原则和公司价值观底线的行为，任何的容忍姑息都是对更多诚信客户、更多 诚信阿里人的犯罪！我们必须采取措施捍卫阿里巴巴价值观！所有直接或间接参与的同事都将为此承担责任，B2B管理层更将承担主要责任！目前，全部2326 家涉嫌欺诈的“中国供应商”客户已经全部做关闭处理，并已经提交司法机关参与调查。

阿里巴巴从成立第一天起就从没以追逐利润为第一目标，我们决不想把公司变成一家仅仅是赚钱的机器，我们一直坚守“让天下没有难做的生意”的使命！客户第一的价值观意味着我们宁愿没有增长，也决不能做损害客户利益的事，更不用提公然的欺骗。

过去的一个多月，我很痛苦，很纠结，很愤怒……

但这是我们成长中的痛苦，是我们发展中必须付出的代价，很痛！但是，我们别无选择！我们不是一家不会犯错误的公司，我们可能经常在未来判断上犯错误，但绝对不能犯原则妥协上的错误。

如果今天我们没有面对现实、勇于担当和刮骨疗伤的勇气，阿里将不再是阿里，坚持102年的梦想和使命就成了一句空话和笑话！

这个世界不需要再多一家互联网公司，也不需要再多一家会挣钱的公司；

这个世界需要的是一家更加开放、更加透明、更加分享、更加责任，也更为全球化的公司；

这个世界需要的是一家来自于社会，服务于社会，对未来社会敢于承担责任的公司；

这个世界需要的是一种文化，一种精神，一种信念，一种担当。因为只有这些才能让我们在艰苦的创业中走得更远，走得更好，走得更舒坦。

令 人欣慰的是，这次调查中我们发现绝大多数直销同事面对诱惑坚守住了原则，我很欣慰，在这里向他们致敬！我们更要感谢在面对这类事件中勇于站出来抗争的同事 们，在他们身上我们看到了坚持诚信的勇气和原则的力量。我们看到了阿里的未来和希望！我们需要更多这样的阿里人！成非凡之事者，必须有非凡之担当！

卫哲和李旭晖的辞职是公司巨大的损失，我非常难过和痛心。但我认为作为阿里人，他们敢于担当，愿意承担责任的行为非常值得钦佩。我代表公司，衷心感谢他们对公司付出的不懈努力和贡献。

各位阿里人，B2B董事会任命陆兆禧兼任阿里巴巴B2B公司CEO；集团任命彭蕾兼任集团CPO。希望大家全力配合工作，相信我们可以让自己的公司更与众不同!

这是一个好时代，这是一个谁都不愿错过的时代！坚持理想，坚持原则能让我们成为这个时代中的时代！

If not now？ when?!

If not me？who?!

此时此刻非我莫属

马云

2011.2.21.

卫哲内部邮件:阵痛是必要的

2011年2月21日 18:32

各位B2B的同学，

今天B2B董事会批准了我的辞职申请。我申请辞职的原因是我作为CEO没有起到阿里巴巴价值观捍卫者的最重要的职责，反映在2009年和2010年阿里 巴巴十多万中国供应商中混入了近3000家欺诈分子，对海外买家造成了伤害，尽管已经清除并将其中首恶分子绳之以法，但我作为CEO的失察职责我理应勇于 担当！

我的辞职对公司内外一定震动很大，但我相信这样的震动甚至阵痛是必要的，健康的。没有这样的震动，不足以重新唤醒我们的使命感和价值观，没有这样的阵痛，不足以表明我们为客户第一愿意付出的代价！

我加入阿里巴巴四年多，已经是三年的阿里人，正在走向五年阿里陈！这四五年里，我刻骨铭心的体会到到以客户第一为首要的阿里巴巴的价值观是公司存在的立 命之本！尽管我们是一家上市公司，但我们不能被业绩所绑架，放弃做正确的事！阿里巴巴公司存在的第一天就不在乎业绩多少，业绩是结果，不是目标！我学习到 作为阿里人要勇敢地面对并承担自己的责任。正是基于对客户第一的使命感，和阿里人为了组织的健康的责任感，我才提出辞职申请。

很难过给同学们写这封信。我难过的不是我个人的得失和荣辱，而是难过没有更早地去和同学们一起捍卫我们最重要的价值观体系，坚持客户第一！坚持诚信！难过的是现在不能和同学们一起去重树我们的价值观，和大家一起去为中小企业的生存和发展做点事了！

我看到了阿里巴巴事业的意义，看到了我们团队的文化，我深深爱着阿里巴巴的事业，深深爱着阿里巴巴的团队。2009年十周年B2B的全体员工会议上，我 向同学们承诺阿里巴巴是我此生中最后一份事业！我今天虽然辞去B2B CEO一职，但我继续祝福阿里巴巴的事业，祝福阿里巴巴的团队，我会用一段时间来反思和反省，也会用我的方式为阿里巴巴的事业和阿里巴巴的团队，一如既往 的努力！并期待着将来的某一天，能和阿里巴巴的同学们继续我们的事业！

David

2011年2月21日
背景：
卫哲1993年毕业于上海外国语大学，曾就职于普华永道和百安居，2006年加入阿里巴巴集团，担任阿里巴巴B2B公司总裁及阿里巴巴集团执行副总裁。在2009年度香港上市企业(内资)老总薪酬排行榜中，38岁的他，以6479万港元名列榜首。大他8岁的联想CEO杨元庆，比他少了整整840万港元。

李旭辉来自台湾，并且来自阿里巴巴的竞争对手。他是做销售出身的，2000年底正式加盟阿里巴巴。原来挖他来是为了开拓台湾市场，阿里巴巴实施三个“B TO C”战略之后，他被调到大陆参与销售培训，后来又被李琪留在大陆参与指挥销售之战至今。李旭辉的职务是中国供应商副总裁，工号730。销售大战初期，李旭辉负责华东地区，后来负责全国。

淘宝商城网超市上海试运营 可24小时送货上门

淘宝商城网上超市正式上线

淘宝商城网上超市(chaoshi.tmall.com)正式上线，首选上海开展试运营。此次网上超市试运营的商家有200多家，涉及的品牌有数百个。

据了解，淘宝商城网上超市筹划已经有半年时间。此次试运营首先针对上海淘宝用户开放，且可以24小时之内送货上门。此外在网上超市页面市民还可以享受支付宝生活助手的部分应用，如充手机话费、交纳水电燃气费等。

“选择上海作为网上超市的首发站，是因为这里商业氛围比较浓厚，消费需求也非常明确，同时也有着成熟稳定的淘宝用户群。”淘宝商城网上超市项目总经理马学军表示，上海试运营之后，淘宝商城将继续在全国其他城市诸如北京、广州、深圳、杭州等城市推出网上超市。物流配送时间也将缩短在12小时之内，并增加夜间配送，解决网民的急需。“

马学军表示，淘宝商城对于进驻的商家都会有严格的审核机制，需要提供国家食品和生活用品等相关质检部门的认证，经销商也需要提供其代理产品的合格证书才能够申请入驻商超馆。

目前，试运营的商家有宝洁、联合利华、苏菲、纳爱斯、可口可乐、百事可乐、九阳、金龙鱼、博洋家纺等，涉及食品饮料、美容洗护、母婴用品、家居用品、厨房用品、家纺针织、生活电器等多个类目。

“产品价格一般不会高于线下价格，由于商家直销，部分产品将以促销价出售，价格更加吸引消费者。”马学军表示。

淘宝商城网上超市是继数码城、名鞋馆、家装馆、美容馆上线后又一重要的垂直B2C平台，意味着在涉及民众生活的网上生活用品零售市场中有了更加规范、品质、标准化的产品和服务。

事实上，关于超市网络化的尝试很早就已经开始。此前包括物美旗下的美廉美超市、联华超市的联华OK网络购物中心、欧尚网上商城等在内的各种网上超市早已上线，但由于下单复杂、无实物图片、物流较慢等诸多原因，网上超市一直被人们评价为“看上去很美”。2010年10月银泰网正式上线，传统百货超市进军网络的步伐加密。

百货业看中的是日益庞大的网上消费群体。据最新资料显示，截至2010年6月底，我国网民规模达4.2亿人，2009年淘宝网交易总额突破2000亿元。

Taobao Opens its First Online Supermarket in Shanghai

Taobao opens its first online supermarket in Shanghai

Taobao, China’s largest online shopping website, has just launched its own online supermarket at chaoshi.taobao.com. Currently on trial in Shanghai, the service is expected to go live in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the upcoming weeks.

Working with more than 200 merchants in the fast moving consumer goods industry such as Unilever, P&G, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and Guangming, Taobao’s online supermarket will offer everything from coffee and biscuits and toiletries to utensils, home electronics and home textiles.

As with most products that you’ll find on Taobao, the pricing is extremely competitive. Delivery is free for purchases above RMB100 and there is a 24 hour delivery guarantee. Seriously, why make your way down to Carrefour when you can now log on and have stuff shipped to you the next day! Think of all the time, cab fares and frustration you’ll save yourself!

The online supermarket concept is not new. The web is littered with failed attempts to combine the convenience of Internet shopping with an old-fashioned grocery store deliver service. The fate of Taobao’s venture may hinge on how successfully the company can warehouse, manage and quickly distribute a diverse inventory of low-margin, high-volume products to thousands of customers. It remains to be seen if consumers will accept Taobao’s estimated 24-hour delivery time, especially for perishable food items. Taobao is “aiming to reduce delivery time to within 12 hours of order placement,” said Ma Xiaojun, the supermarket’s general manager. The company also plans to “increase capacity for evening deliveries in order to meet the lifestyle needs of Chinese consumers,” he said.

A wider selection of grocery items is also planned. “We are aiming to offer fresh (goods) such as seafood, fruits and vegetables after Chinese New Year,” he said. Taobao is currently in talks with additional partners to secure specialized warehouse and delivery capabilities needed to handle fresh produce.

Shaolin Temple builds commerical empire

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin temple in the central province of Henan, was awarded an SUV worth 1 million Yuan (US$150, 000) for his contributions to the local tourist industry in 2006

China’s famed Shaolin Temple has set up over 40 companies overseas as it hopes to spread Buddhist-inspired martial arts around the globe, state press reported.

But the announcement of a vast business plan to send the temple’s famed warrior monks abroad has been met with criticism over the commercialisation of Buddhism, the Global Times said on Monday.

NBA superstar center Shaquille O'Neal poses with Abbot Shi Yongxin during his promotional tour to the Shaolin Temple in Henan province in 2009

“We currently operate over 40 companies in cities across the world, such as Berlin and London,” the paper quoted Shi Yongxin, the temple’s 30th abbot, as saying at the 8th cultural industry forum at Peking University Saturday.

“The Shaolin Temple is also participating in the operation of some other companies related to the same industry,” he said, adding that the companies have bought land and property overseas.

As the first head of state to visit Shaolin temple, Russian then-President Vladimir Putin received a grand welcome by Abbot Shi Yongxin in 2006

Shi, the first Chinese monk to earn a master’s degree in business administration, denied the businesses were profit-motivated, insisting that the temple was fulfilling an overseas infatuation with “Shaolin culture”, it said.

The temple, which was established in 495 AD, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu.

Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province is the birthplace of Chinese kung fu

Shaolin warrior monks have held legendary status for centuries throughout Asia, while over the last 50 years films and television have spread their reputation worldwide.

Besides teaching martial arts around the world, the Shaolin centres also include Zen meditation workshops and Chinese language training, Shi said.

The temple has nearly 130 martial arts clubs in the United States alone, while Shaolin monks are already capable of teaching in English, German and Spanish, he said.

Shaolin Temple launched its first overseas Shaolin Kung Fu Cultural Center in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2004

Shi, known as the “CEO of Shaolin” since taking over the temple a decade ago, has developed commercial ventures such as kung fu shows, film production and online merchandise sales. He established Warrior Monks Group to perform in 1989. He set up Henan Shaolinsi Television Co in 1997 and Shaolin Temple Industrial Development Company in 1998. His was the first Buddhist temple to open a website.

The movie Shaolin (新少林寺) started filming in Shaolin Temple On October, 22, 2009. Martial monks tried to obstruct the passage of reporters.

Last year he denied the temple planned to participate in an initial public offering with a Hong Kong travel company, while a Beijing court turned down an application to put a Shaolin trademark on consumer goods like instant noodles.

Shi’s business efforts have been widely criticised as a naked attempt to commercialise Buddhism, the report said.

“To many people, a temple is a reclusive place outside the bustles of the material world,” but “when a monk like Shi travels frequently by plane to promote his businesses, secular society cannot keep up,” the paper said in an editorial.

“While spreading ideas has been the traditional theme of most religions, Shaolin’s ventures abroad also help China spread its traditional culture and thinking, and gain more understanding through a civil channel.”

释永信：少林寺海外买地建房 开办40余家公司

2006年河南登封奖励少林寺方丈释永信价值100多万的豪华越野车，表彰他为旅游做出贡献

嵩山少林寺方丈释永信透露说，少林寺(在国内)都不是法人单位，媒体却在说我们商业化，但少林寺在伦敦柏林等地直接办了40多家公司。

柏林伦敦等地开办公司

据《新京报》报道，在北京大学文化产业研究院举行的“第八届文化产业新年论坛”上发表演讲时，释永信表示，少林寺目前发展的重点是在海外，“在国内没有做太多，重点主要在海外，我们的武僧和法师都用英语、德语、西班牙语在当地传播，海外发展壮大了，才能在国内有话语权。”

据他透露，目前少林寺在柏林、伦敦等地直接办了40多家公司，另外还间接办了一些公司。释永信还表示，少林寺的海外联系还包括举行剧目，“不到三年就在29个国家的50个城市演出，但不做一般性商业演出。”

他在昨天的演讲中透露说，少林寺直接办的公司(海外中心)就是要融入当地，每个地方都有少林寺的僧人任教，其中包括禅修、功夫、语言等。譬如在美国就有130多家武馆。“间接办的公司也不少”，释永信介绍说，各大洲都有少林寺的联谊会，当地申请了几百家与联谊会有关的公司，少林寺也认可了不少。

释永信定制云锦袈裟 仅金线就价值5万元

少林寺海外买地建房

但释永信也解释说，少林寺最初在海外的发展都是先花几万美元在当地租房子，收徒弟，最多的场地能收到几千人次，“有点钱就希望在那里按揭买房，再有点钱就买地建房子，我们就是要融入海外，这也不能算少林寺资产。”

侧重在海外发展的释永信感觉到，国外对佛教的研究重视程度超过了中国。有一次在美国国会图书馆，馆方向释永信展示了明代清代的中国佛教文献，还向释永信展示了少林寺的拓片。

释永信还表示，少林寺促进了河南登封第三产业的发展，“每年200万游客，其中包括15万境外游客，周围有60多家武校，其中有6万多学生”，也参与了电影、电视的拍摄和一些图书的出版，“这可能与文化产业有点相关。”

普京与方丈释永信合影。2006年3月，“武林高手”、时任俄罗斯总统普京参观少林寺，他是第一个到少林寺参观的在任外国元首

少林寺否认海外开40家公司 澄清:在弘扬”国粹”

这两天，关于《释永信称少林寺在海外开办40余家公司》和《少林总经理否认“少林寺海外开办40家公司”》的两篇新闻报道，让嵩山少林寺和释永信方丈再次成为舆论焦点。真相到底如何？

不是公司是文化中心

针对社会上热传的海外开办公司一事，少林无形资产管理有限公司总经理钱大梁说，关于少林寺海外40家公司的报道是一种误读和误导。

由于海外的法人机构登记体系与中国大陆多有不同，在中国，“有限公司”在工商局登记，公益类的“基金会”则在民政部门登记注册。但海外许多国家，二者统一使用“有限公司”作为机构“后缀”，少林文化基金会在当地自然要注册成为“少林文化基金会有限公司”，现在盛传的40家公司在国内只是叫做文化交流中心。钱大梁说：“少林寺从来没有说是公司，简单说它就是文化中心。”

2008年方丈释永信接受李湘采访时称少林寺永不上市

部分房产已付款买下

关于少林寺在海外是否有房产，钱大梁回应说，这种所谓的房产有很多种不同方式。“有些是别人捐赠的，有一种是别人租的房子，有些是政府提供给你的，这种文化别人接受了，逐渐生根，付款就买下来了。”钱大梁说。

钱大梁认为，像少林寺、少林文化这些有代表的中国传统文化、民族文化在向海外发展过程中，有文化产业的发展，更多的是一种文化的传承，可现在很多人是简单地把文化产业和文化传承相互替代。