Transnational Retailing in East Asia

This book explores how Yaohan, a Japanese supermarket chain, expanded into Hong Kong in the 1980s and mainland China in the 1990s, and how this expansion evolved from initial success to ultimate failure and the company’s bankruptcy. It outlines the development and structure of the original Japanese company, and considers why it moved into Hong Kong and China. It explores the changing nature of society, consumerism and shopping in East Asia and shows how the company’s expansion fitted in to this. It also discusses the company’s culture and management as it expanded. Overall, the book emphasises what this case study shows about cross-cultural interaction in East Asia, arguing that globalisation of products and consumer tastes is much more complex than simply homogenisation along Western lines, or local adaption as a reaction against Western products and tastes.