How Chinese piano brand Pearl River is making a play for world domination, looking to rival the likes of Yamaha, Steinway
- With its new Kayserburg brand, Pearl River has created what it calls ‘an ultimate piano’ for the international market, where it is trying to ramp up its sales
- Domestic piano sales in China have plunged since April 2023 because of shrinking numbers of musical instrument learners, one media outlet reports
Unlike long-established piano brands such as Steinway and Sons and Yamaha, the Chinese company Pearl River Piano Group is just beginning to leave its mark on the global market despite having long been one of the world’s biggest makers of the instruments.
The Guangzhou-based company, founded in 1956, has traditionally been able to rely comfortably on its huge domestic market, and Chinese customers still account for 95 per cent of its total sales.
But with growth slowing at home, the company recently hired a marketing specialist to help boost international sales to 30 per cent of its revenue.
The main challenge is to convince the rest of the world that China can make really good pianos. For a long time, Pearl River pianos were synonymous with poor quality; they were low-cost and China did not have expertise in making components such as strings and hammers.
Just as other Chinese companies have done, Pearl River brought in the needed expertise by acquiring a German company.
In 1999, it took over piano maker Ritmüller and began flying over German designers and craftsmen to work at the Guangzhou factory and pass on their knowledge.