A string of new initiatives based in Shanghai is letting the British-based Inchcape Group carve out a niche in China.
Paving the way has been the recent opening of a five-storey car maintenance centre and launch of a 52,000-square-foot container terminal.
The company also secured a rare licence to provide distribution services - a sector previously tightly regulated and closed to foreign participation.
Paul Cheng Ming-fun, chairman of Inchcape Pacific, the group's operating arm in China, said: 'With a population of 15 million, Shanghai is a major market in its own right.
'Using the experience gained here, Inchcape hopes to establish similar operations elsewhere in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan.' The jewel in Inchcape's Shanghai crown is the state-of-the-art car service centre, the Shanghai Yalian Automobile Maintenance Co, opened in November 1994.
Built to complement a similar base set up in Nanjing five months earlier, the 13,000 sq ft centre serves a variety of cars, including Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Jaguar, Peugeot and Rolls-Royce.
Inchcape group chairman Sir David Plastow said: 'These are two of the most advanced facilities of their kind in China today. Through them, we are setting a new standard for vehicle service and maintenance in the region.' Shanghai Yalian is 51 per cent owned by Inchcape subsidiary Nanjing Hong Kong Changjiang Co, with the remaining shares held by Japanese, Hong Kong and Chinese concerns.
