A major state-owned conglomerate in China’s far south has joined the battle for high-end seafood sales.
The Nanning Weining Investment Group, which in addition to its main imports business operates a farm in Hangzhou, officially opened “Ning Jia Xian Sheng” – it roughly translates as Family Fresh Life – last month. Nanning is capital of Guangxi Province, one of China’s poorer regions, but the province is also one of China’s fastest-growing in economic terms. In addition, it’s at the center of a smuggling route for seafood brought in from Vietnam to avoid Chinese customs duties.
The 5,000-square-meter Ning store features 6,000 products, including imported lobster and crab as well as salmon. In fact, seafood has been placed in highly visible positions across the store, which is located in San Cha Mall. The store opened with an eye-catching lights display illuminating images of fish in the Nanning night sky.
The high-profile opening of the Ning store in Nanning comes as yet another key player moves into regional cities in China’s north and west. The first branch of the Hema Xiansheng chain in northwest China opened recently in Xi’an. The 4,500-square-meter store features 6,000 products from 100 countries. Shoppers can peruse live product in fish tanks and eat cooked seafood in-store.
