Customers' new choice

Decades ago, when Chinese restaurants and companies needed to purchase products in large quantities, crowded outdoor food wholesale markets or local grocers were their only choice

When METRO entered the Chinese market in 1996, the company introduced its Cash & Carry wholesale model and adapted its services to the Chinese people.

METRO operates more than 650 wholesale stores in 29 countries. China was its first entry into Asia, but METRO now also has a strong presence in Vietnam, Japan, India and Pakistan.

Liang Jianzhong, procurement director of Beijing Shunfeng Food and Recreation Ltd, is among those who have witnessed the change in wholesale buying habits since METRO entered China.

Shunfeng Cantonese restaurant was founded in Shunde in Guangdong province in 1989. The company now owns more than 20 branches in China.

"In 2006, we began to purchase food materials, wines and cookers from METRO. We purchased from terminal markets before, but it became harder to control and manage our procurement process as we opened more and more restaurants," Liang said.

"Our headquarters recently signed a purchase contract with METRO Cash & Carry China, and we now can well control all the purchasing processes," Ziang said.

METRO also introduced food safety initiatives such as its Star Farm project and METRO own brands to China.

Under the Star Farm program, METRO instructs farmers in safe production and processing procedures. Tracking measures allow consumers to find out information about products, where exactly they come from manufacturing and shipping dates, and other information through traceability code scans.

Star Farm enlarged its range to more than 350 products on June 1, when the nation's new food safety law came into force.

Tailored-made services

To provide more tailored services to wholesale customers, METRO earlier this year launched a large-scale wine campaign to promote wine sales in China.

The campaign includes information materials about wine and also support from store personnel in compiling wine lists for restaurant customers. Seminars and wine tastings also will be part of this year's campaign.

METRO this year also will introduce five exclusive brands to the China market: Aka, Fine Food, Horeca Select, Rioba and H-Line.

"Our brands provide our customers with complete solutions," Zeiske said. "For example, Aka is an entry-level brand, targeting customers who are price-sensitive."

Zeiske said the company will continue to expand in China in coming years and fine-tune its strategies to more closely meet wholesale customer needs in the country.

"We are making adjustments constantly to adapt to the changing market," Zeiske said.