Le chocolat belge à l'assaut du marché chinois ?
The main chocolate exporters in the world are all European, with the four largest, according to World Trade Organization statistics, being Germany (US$1.5 billion exports in 2003), Belgium ($1.4 billion), France ($856 million) and the Netherlands ($821 million). But until now, little of this has gone to China. Despite the size of China, its growing affluence and changing tastes, it remains a relatively small market for imports. According to WTO figures, chocolate imports grew from $17.7 million in 1999 to $49.2 million in 2003: impressive enough, but still leaving China roughly equivalent to countries like New Zealand and Slovakia in terms of import market size. For the moment, this hardly indicates enormous levels of business.
Europe's exporters to China, as opposed to those who produce there, tend to be concentrated at the top end of the market. For these producers, China is considered a market of great potential. This was demonstrated recently at the Beijing Hyatt hotel, which hosted the city's first-ever "salon de chocolat" (a kind of chocolate fashion show with models draped in confectionery) with the aim of promoting high quality chocolate products. Some producers, such as Ferrero Rocher of Italy, Lindt of Switzerland and Leonidas of Belgium have been in the market for a number of years, and many others are now rushing in.
|