Dear Members and Partners,
Please note that the new Director-General for DIT (Department for International Trade) in China has been announced.
Kindly refer to the announcement below made by Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG OBE, Her Majesty's Ambassador to China and Dr. Catherine Raines FRSA, Director-General, International Trade and Investment.
Download JOINT MESSAGE FROM BARBARA WOODWARD AND CATHERINE RAINES
Dear CBI members and partners,
Please find our monthly members success summary for September 2015 attached below for your review.
Members mentioned include:
Download CBI China, Celebrating CBI Member Success in China, September 2015
Dear CBI members and strategic partners,
China Direct would like to share with you a snapshot of CBI members' successes in China through 2014. We hope that you found our new format easy to use, visual and informative and wish you all every success for the forthcoming year of the sheep.
Please do keep sending us your updates and press releases so that your business can also be highlighted in 2015.
Thank you.
On 12 June, the British Ambassador to China welcomed more than 800 British and Chinese guests to the Queen's Birthday Party celebrations in the gardens of his Residence in Beijing.
This year marks the 62nd anniversary of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In 2012, the U.K. celebrated her Diamond Jubilee that marked 60 years on the British throne. She is only the second monarch in British history to reach this milestone.
At the event, guests were able to have their photos taken next to the waxwork model of The Queen, which was provided by Madame Tussauds. Madame Tussauds recently opened a flagship store in Beijing.
This year, the event was sponsored by CBI members including BP, Shell, BG Group, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. In addition, CBI member Diageo helped provided drinks at the event.
Please click here to read the full press release by the British Embassy in Beijing
CBI member Diageo recently released its interim management statement for the three months ended on 30 September 2013, reporting the company delivered 3.1% organic net sales growth. In China, Diageo reported strong continued growth of its super and ultra-premium scotch brands.
Please click here
to read the full results for Diageo.
CBI member Diageo recently
announced that it had received approval from Chinese authorities to acquire the
remaining 47% stake in Sichuan Chengdu Shuijingfang Group Co. Ltd. (SJF HoldCo)
owned by its Chinese partners.
As a result, SJF HoldCo will be converted from a joint venture into a wholly
foreign-owned enterprise owned by Diageo. On completion, Diageo's indirect
interest in the Shanghai-listed company Sichuan Shuijingfang Co. Ltd.
(Shuijingfang) will rise from 21.05% to 39.71%. The total consideration for the
47% of SJF Holdco will be approximately £233 million.
Gilbert Ghostine, President of Diageo Asia Pacific, said, "I am delighted
to have gained approval from the Chinese authorities to acquire the rest of our
Chinese partners' interest in SJF HoldCo. This is a milestone in the journey we
began with our partners six years ago. As the controlling shareholder in
Shuijingfang, Diageo will continue to work with the senior Chinese management
to build Shuijingfang into the leading international baijiu brand. I have every
confidence in the long-term future of the baijiu category in China."
Please click here
to read the full press release by Diageo.
A number of CBI members were busy raising their profile in China in June, engaging in many exciting activities across a wide range of industries.
Please click here to access our latest briefing, which highlights the recent successes of 33 CBI members.
Mr. Keith Barr, the current China Managing Director of Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG), will be relocating to the UK to assume a new role in June 2013. He will be replaced by Mr. Kenneth MacPherson who is General Manager of fellow member Diageo's Shuijingfang business in Chengdu, Sichuan.
China Direct would like to congratulate both Mr. Barr and Mr. MacPherson on their exciting new roles.
Kindly find more information below:
CBI member Diageo recently opened the Johnnie Walker House Beijing, the world's largest embassy for luxury Scotch whisky.
Including a bar, museum, retail outlet, and an exclusive members club, the Johnnie Walker House Beijing is a response to the demand from Chinese consumers for in-depth knowledge, not only of the specific luxury goods they purchase, but also of the broader categories that the brands fall under.
The opening of the Johnnie Walker House Beijing follows on the successful launch of the Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai last year. Since the House in Shanghai began operating in 2011, sales of super-deluxe Johnnie Walker whisky in China have increased 64% year-on-year.
Gilbert Ghostine, President of Diageo Asia Pacific, said, "The Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai has been our most successful experiment in marketing and commercial innovation in Asia to date. This was a journey for our consumers, as well as our business, and we are very happy today to share even
more luxurious offerings through the Johnnie Walker House Beijing.
This experience has brought incredible success and new energy to Johnnie Walker's century-long
story of progress in China."
Please click here to read the full press release by Diageo.
