Domestic

Holiland looks to new strategies in online market

By Bao Chang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-26 10:51

Luo Hong, president of Holiland, one of the largest bakery chains in China, taking pictures in Africa. He spends most of his waking day on photography and participating in charity activities around the world. [Provided to China Daily]

BEIJING - When Luo Hong couldn't find a decent cake for his mother's birthday he made a rather extravagant gesture.

The 23-year-old bought a bakery to ensure the problem would never happen again.

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That was 18 years ago. Now, at the age of 41, Luo is president of Holiland, one of the largest bakery chains in China, and controls more than 1,000 cake shops in 70 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Chengdu. They specialize in cakes, breads and dim sum and control 85.7 percent of the market.

This year the company is moving some stores from their original homes in the suburbs to downtown areas where the footfall is high enough to bring in even more customers.

Unlike other Chinese entrepreneurs whose names are often connected with their business, Luo is better known as a photographer, environmental campaigner and social activist.

He has spent most of his time during the last decade taking pictures and participating in charity events around the world, including the establishment of an environment protection fund for the UN Environmental Program.

Having just brought to a close an exhibition of his photographs at the UK's Cambridge University, he is now back in Beijing and keen to devote more time to his business.

"I can only award myself 50 points (out of 100) for the company's operation over these past 10 years and now it's time to return and work on Holiland's further development," Luo told China Business Weekly.