SHORT-CUTS are at hand for foreign retailers aiming to tap the mainland market without seeking joint-venture approvals, an investment consultant says.
''The easiest way to set up a retail business in China is through co-operation with local department stores,'' said Mr Raymond Xie Rudong, managing director of investment consultancy China Law & Investment.
This meant a foreign investor could establish on the mainland a company which then co-operated with local retailers.
''Once the company is set up, it becomes a Chinese legal entity. So any co-operation with other Chinese companies will be regarded as a domestic co-operation, and does not need to be approved by the Ministry of Commerce,'' said Mr Xie.
He added this was the most popular form of operation for foreign retailers, including the Giordano outlets in Shenzhen and Shanghai.
Last year, China opened its retail sector to allow approved foreign investors to operate retail joint ventures in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dalian, Qingdao and the country's five special economic zones - Hainan, Shenzhen, Shantou, Xiamen andZhuhai.