Every Scandinavians childhood memory is coming to China. The popular Danish-owned ice cream-truck company, Hjem-is, has agreed to a begin an icy business adventure in China.
In cooperation with the Chinese company, Zouping Fukai, the adventure aims to open 500 ice cream-cafés within a few years. There are currently no plans to copy the concept from Scandinavia and establish a fleet of cream sales trucks drivning around and ringing their bells in the streets of China.
Six months ago the danish ice cream manufacturer was contacted by Zouping Fukai. The company was very eager to develop a joint concept selling ice cream-cones, soft-ice, lollies and other Hjem-is products in China. They soon settled on a café-concept with desks, menus and seating with Hjem-is’ well-known logo and pale blue colors.
“A Dane in China will definitely recognize that Hjem-is behind the concept”, Per Roth, Co-owner and Director of Operations at Hjem-is, tells the Danish online media Fødevarewatch.
10 to 15 cafes are expected to open in Shandong, a province of Jinan, serving the first soft-ice already in May or June this year. Afterwards the plan is to get the avalanche sliding all over China.
“Our partners are expecting us to open approximately 500 stores within the first 3 to 4 years but we have to be sure to keep track of things as well. Its a great economic challenges, but a challenges that we should be able to face”, Per Roth tells Fødevarewatch, adding that the concept could double the current revenue of Hjem-is only within these first years.
The Chinese-adventure might just be the start of a further expansion to a global market, as the Hjem-is company are already considering to establish the concept in more countries outside of Denmark.
(Source: Fødevarewatch)
