Buyer power is certainly not the only factor that defines the success of a business. Just as Andrea had said in her blog, “the average Chinese consumer has buyer power against the supermarket giant”.

Having lived in China for the past decade of my life, I can say with certainty that Walmart is not a key player in the supermarket industry in China as it is in America. With such a large demographic and so many supermarket options, most Chinese housewives and supermarket-goers would pick alternatives such as Carrefour and Century Mart due to familiarity and brand loyalty.

Even so, it has been aggressively opening stores in China since 1996 with its abundant resources. To set a point of difference apart from other supermarkets, Walmart frequently donates money to charities. But while Walmart is surviving in the immense market that is China, it is not flourishing.

China has been a greatly coveted market to enter in the past few years for many multinational companies, but it takes more than just great finances to thrive there.

Resources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2013/11/06/how-walmart-will-fight-to-be-successful-in-china/