Interview with Tracy: location is the key words for opening a Chinese supermarket business

Tracy is the manager of Kwong Fatt oriental supermarket which is the largest Chinese supermarket in Preston. She has already operated Chinese supermarket business more than 10 years.

In this interview, Tracy talked about her personal view, experience for a manager of a big supermarket and pointed out "choosing an appropriate location is the key words for opening a supermarket, meeting customers’ need is also important. Most important, facing the trend of supermarket-style deals and establishes a big Chinese supermarket with Chinese restaurant under one roof is their next plan.”

The Gourmet's exclusive Q&A with Tracy

▇ Q1: Could you please introduce some background information for your business, such as when did you begin the business and why did you choose the Chinese supermarket, not restaurant or takeaway?

A: our shop located near the university was opened since year 2000. The other one located in the market was opened since 2010. Chinese restaurants and Chinese takeaways are everywhere in Preston now, so we are taking the advantage because of this reason open a Chinese supermarket instead.

▇ Q2: How do you think your currently business, satisfied, good or bad?

A: our business is getting better and better as we are located in town centre and in the Preston market. Our target customers are not just Chinese students. We also target on western customers, Thai and Philippine.

▇ Q3: If they were not very satisfied, what is the problem in your mind?

A: the only problem in my mind is finding a bigger shop around this area. As we are planning to open a bigger shop and Chinese fast food restaurant under one roof.

▇ Q4: What are threatens or challenges you gonna facing in your currently business, maybe the financial crisis or the increasing VAT, how did you face them and adapt to survive?

A: we always want to keep customers happy and make sure they will come back and shopping with us. All our products are with reasonable price, we sometimes do special offer to attract more new customers.

▇ Q5: As we all know that, you are supposed to have a lot of competitors in Preston and surrounding area, so comparing to other business, what is your difference, competitive advantage?

A: our shop is in a good location, we are located in the market, near bus station, in town centre, and attract more local people. We have another shop located near the central Lancashire University as well, which is convenience for customers who are uclan students.

▇ Q6: So what are the key words or necessary elements do you think of establish a successful supermarket business in UK?

A: location is the main elements for opening a Chinese supermarket. Meeting customers’ need and requirement is also important.

▇ Q7: Lastly, looking for the future, what is the next step for your business?

A: planning to open more shops in different area. Moreover, according to the trend that consumer demand for supermarket-style deals while dining out is delaying a recovery in the UK restaurant business, we are planning to establish a big Chinese supermarket with Chinese restaurant under one roof in the future.

Interview with Huang: increasingly VAT is the scariest beast for Chinese food business in UK

Huang is the boss and also the head cooker of Ming Dynasty which is the largest Chinese restaurant in Preston. He has just accepted the restaurant business from his former boss and get ready to make innovation of their business to become more competitive.

Huang has already working in Ming doing of Chinese food business over 6 years as head cooker. He is specialist with food tasty and makes purchases for resource of Chinese food material. In this interview, Huang discussed that how they are going to make difference and adapt to survive in this economic recession age; talked about his personal view and experience that the issue of purchase Chinese food resource; what did he think for the next to improve the business.

Make an innovation of both price and service to face the scary increasingly VAT:

“Increasingly VAT is the scariest beast for Chinese food business in UK now.” said by Huang. Actually, all kinds of the VAT are increasing, just like food resource, the rent and transaction tax, also because of the economic recession, all the people want to save money and don’t expect too much expensive to diner out.

As a result, Huang proposed that cutting price, improving service, adding Chinese Sichuan cuisine and providing variety choices of dishes and tasty to face the recession challenge. To be specific, on the one hand, cutting down the general price of all dishes, increase the number of waiters and providing the good service for customers. And at the same time, make an innovation of menu and providing variety choices for dinners of dishes and tasty in same price.

The issues of resource for purchase Chinese food materials:

“The core of the restaurant business is tasty, so that purchase the traditional and standard food materials should be the key words.” Said by Huang.

According to the view of Huang, actually issues could generally separate four points: firstly, cannot directly purchase traditional Chinese food materials in UK, most of the resources can’t reach the standard; secondly, the single manufacturer cannot providing completely materials, they should purchase goods from different place of different manufacturers; lastly, just like Ming Dynasty, they don’t have the direct manufacturers who can import very traditional materials from Chinese, they really need dealer in China who can deal with importing material from China.

The next steps of Ming Dynasty:

“For the future, we are going to focus on adding more entertainment equipment, just like KTV; we also gonna to establish the Ming Dynasty take away for both Chinese and British; finally, I still think that we could become the first one to do canoness breakfast cuisine in preston.” Said by Huang.

 

Interview with Louis ---- What are the key words to be successful of Cantonese cuisine business in UK?

Louis is the manager of Taiwu Cantonese manager and he also has already doing Chinese food business over ten years as a manager. Taiwu is one of Manchester’s biggest Chinese restaurants, largest and most successful Cantonese specialist of Chinese restaurant in Manchester.

In this interview, Louis answered that how can Taiwu become the best and outstanding in Manchester; talked about his personal view, experience for a manager, how to well control a big restaurant as; what did he think the threaten and challenge of Chinese business, what the next step is and how to improve the industry.

Q1: WHEN ---- did you begin to do Chinese food business, could you please introduce some background information of Taiwu?

We established the business in 2003 and already do the Chinese food business over 7 years. We choose the location between university and city town, I think it’s quite good position for our business.

Q2: WHY ---- are you choosing Cantonese cuisine this kind of business at the beginning, because you know some other Chinese food business is popular?

Even though, there are so many different cuisines of Chinese food, but Cantonese food is always the best. It is most famous, variety and tasty. Also, there are so many Cantonese people in UK, we gonna have huge audience. This is why we mainly do Cantonese cuisines.

Q3: WHAT ---- did you do, what is your business focus?

To be honest, we can’t stay here and does nothing change, because there are a lot of competitors in Manchester. Actually, we import the very traditional Chinese food from Hong Kong, Taiwan. We mainly do the Cantonese food, also Sichuan food and hot pot, always changing and try our best to maintain the quality.

Q4: WHO ---- are the major customers or audiences do you think for Taiwu? Chinese, British, or both? If Chinese are major, do you think how to attract the British customers?

I have to see everyone. But just like you see, our major customers are Chinese, because we do very traditional Chinese food, and Chinese people are always expecting nice meal. But it really difficult to attract local people, cause English don’t have the requirement as high as Chinese. Sometimes they just come to have a drink and not interest in food. Fortunately, we have a group of Chinese customers to manage to survive.

Q5: HOW ---- did you do that to become the best, to become outstanding? As we all know that, Taiwu is the largest of Cantonese specialist in Manchester, What are the key words for your successful? What is the difference and competitive advantage for Taiwu?

Firstly, we import resource directly from Hong Kong and China to do the very “Chinese” food. Secondly, try our best to provide the best service and make sure the customers are happy and they gonna coming back. We provide food quickly, you don’t need to wait too long. Finally, I can say that our menu is the biggest one comparing with other restaurants, always changing type of food is our strategy.

Q6: Market target and promotion: how did you target the market? Do you have any special way to promotion, just like advertising, online promotion, focus on the special festival and holidays, just like Chinese New Year?

Actually, we do not do too much advertisement. Pay more attention for the university students and different kind of Chinese society, just like Chinese New Year event, we always have discount for Chinese society and get huge party. We are also doing the online promotion and using social networking just like facebook to publish some truly important news for Taiwu.

Q7: Communicating strategy: as a manager, do you think how to well control and manage a big Chinese restaurant, to make every staffs involved and work as a team. What is the way do you like communicating with your staff?

I have working as a manager more than ten years. Even though I am manager, I am always working with my staff. Working as a team is very important, we need to work together and become effective. Do it by myself is very important for me as a manager. That is different comparing with other managers.

Q8: Threaten and Challenge: lastly, what is the limit and threaten for your currently business, and what is the next step, the future for Taiwu, how can you improve yourself?

For threaten, it may be the limit of UK law, we cannot import some very special resource just like “Snake Geng” which is very popular in China. It really depends on the macro environment of economic, a lot of people are scaring by the increasing VAT, the unemployment and new policy of remover the student visa from the government, these situations can directly affect our business. We have to look for the always changing UK government, we always following the new policy and waiting what happen for the new situation for the unknown future of UK economic.

 

Interview with Jordan: how can make Chinese food business better involved and participate into UK market

Jordan was born in Manchester whose family has the background that his parents were doing Chinese food over 10 years in Manchester. In this interview, Jordan answered that how you think currently Chinese food business in Manchester and surrounding area in UK. Talked about his personal view, experience, what did he think the problems of Chinese business, what the next step is and how to improve the industry.

Q1: how do you think the current Chinese food business in Manchester, and surrounding area in UK, satisfied, good, or bad?

I think the current Chinese food business in the UK is at the standard level at the normal, maybe five years ago was quiet good but now is the standard level.

Q2: If they were not very satisfied, what is the problem in your mind?

The main reason could probably because the UK is in recession and the economic is falling, VAT has gone up and most of the British people are not willing to go out have meal and they want to save money.

Q3: do you think what are the necessary elements for Chinese food business make living and become more competitive in UK?

To become more competitive as a business in the UK, I think the business should expand on range of products specifically more traditional and get more choice on food, not only offer the same style of food and service.

Q4: who are the major audience or customers for Chinese food business? Chinese, British, or both?

Depending on the area, small town or big city, a small town with not many business and few Chinese people it could be British, but somewhere like Manchester, London, Birmingham which have huge number of Chinese people would be both.

Q5: as you see, most of Chinese restaurants in UK, offer the same style of food and service, the food are not totally “Chinese”, but mixed with British food style, do you think they should make some difference to catch the huge number of Chinese audience in UK?

I think in the main cities like Manchester there should be more restaurants serve the real traditional Chinese food and they could also spread into other town probably with universities it would be successful due to the numbers of international students, such as preston.

Q6: what is the next step, what is the future of Chinese food business in UK, how can they improve?

To improve a business they could become more creative and get events involved with Chinese celebration, such as moon cake festival, Chinese New Year, not only Christmas and traditional British celebration. Bring some more Chinese culture make their business more “Chinese”, because every year huge number Chinese visit or living in UK, they want to enjoy the same situation in UK as similar as in China.

In summary:

As Jordan said above, we pick up the key words of the interview. It is time to change most of the basic, normal, simplex, repetitive business model of Chinese food in UK. Creativity, make difference, become more Chinese to facing huge number of Chinese people in UK, and bring the Chinese culture and improve quality inside into business, realize the cultural difference is most attraction of Chinese food to all around the world, not only the taste.