Several news bits from the electronics retailing space are in the headlines today, reflecting the volatile state of a highly competitive sector where margins are razor thin. US retailing giant Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) leads the headlines, with word that it’s mulling a sale of its China business 3 years after closing most of its own-brand stores in the market. Leading e-commerce firm Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is also reportedly eying a retreat in the China home appliance market, while homegrown player Aisidi (Shenzhen: 002416) is moving in the other direction with its purchase of one of the nation’s top online cellphone retailers. Read Full Post…
A day after I wrote about a conflict that threatened to delay the premier of the new “Transformers” movie in China, media are reporting the commercial dispute in the matter has been resolved. Meantime, leading Chinese private equity investor Fosun International (HKEx: 656) is also catching the Hollywood fever that has been infecting Chinese media companies lately, announcing a major new investment in a start-up production house led by a former Warner Bros (NYSE: TWX) chief. Both of these stories show that the through train connecting China and Hollywood continues to gain momentum, and even Beijing is getting on board to help solve business disputes that could otherwise cost millions of dollars in lost sales. Read Full Post…
Everyone loves to talk about the huge potential of the China box office, but equally noteworthy are behind-the-scenes risks due to the market’s many unique uncertainties. Regulation is one of the biggest risks due to Beijing’s strict censorship policies. Now legal issues are also coming into the spotlight with news that a company is trying to delay the Chinese premier of the new “Transformers” movie due to a business dispute. We’ll have to wait and see if the complaint by a company that paid for promotional space in the film wins its request for the delay, which could translate to big headaches for US film studio Paramount. Read Full Post…
