The challenge for chairman Zong and Wahaha - Paul French

Paul French

Chairman Zong Qinghou is not only the richest man in China, according to the latest Forbes China rich list, but has been a successful leader to his Wahaha, China beverage giant. Forbes asks retail analyst Paul French why.

Forbes

Q.  What are some of the challenges that Wahaha faces in the next three years, and how is Chairman Zong addressing them?  What are Wahaha’s prospects compared to Tingyi, Coke and Want Want? 

A. Competition, competition, competition. Five years ago Wahaha was clearly the leader of the pack but it has to be said that other local beverage companies like Want Want. Coke and Pepsi have the obvious advantages of extremely strong brands and iconic products.  Wahaha, nor any local or regional players, have not managed to build such strong brands. This is the challenge for the future – creating long lasting high value brands, like Coke or Pepsi.

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