Back in 2012 we had the surge in sales of milk powder into China, now the latest must have product for the savvy Europhile Chinese shopper is Alpecin’s caffeine based anti-hair loss shampoo.
Big Trouble In Little China
Back in 2008 6 babies died in China from drinking tainted baby milk, another 300,000 were hospitalized. There was a national outcry and no doubt scrutiny of the manufacture of baby products will have been in the spotlight. Some immediately resorted to importing their milk powder from abroad and that demand grew and grew. Four years later, in 2012, the Telegraph became the first newspaper to pick up on the trend. Following more recalls of product by Chinese manufacturers there was another spike in demand and by 2013 imports were accounting for more than half of the market. By the Spring of 2013 the BBC reported that UK supermarkets were rationing customers to just two tins per customer… the reason given that demand from China had grown exponentially and was effecting their ability to keep the product on the shelves. The same problem surfaced as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and even Hong Kong – where travellers were only allowed to leave the territory with 1.8kg.
Follow The Milk!
Milk simply turned out to be the catalyst for a wave of imports, the Chinese suddenly realising the ease with which they could use their newfound financial muscle to acquire goods from around the world. Today’s news reported that for the first time a train had made the journey from China to London pulling 34 containers.. at half the cost of flying them and in half the time a boat would have taken. What makes the story interesting is that that train will return with full containers too. The market for imported goods is opening up at a fantastic pace.
Victims Of Success
Germany’s largest business newspaper recently ran an article pointing to retailers in Germany without stock of Alpecin and blaming the issue on the huge spike in demand from China. Therein lies the issue. A product does not have to become that popular in China to have a catastrophic effect on the normal supply chain, such are the numbers involved. This is a country that 20 years ago possessed a few hundred miles of expressways. Two decades later it has more than Europe, or even America – the home of the motor car. The staggering pace of growth and expansion of the new middle class, now counted in tens of millions, means these new appetites for our products are only likely to continue. And grow.
HIS Hair Clinic
We are confident the team at Alpecin will get their manufacturing geared up to meet this new demand… and the Chinese will be able to smear all the caffeine they want into their hair and scalp.
For those looking for a proven solution for their own hair loss there is no better place to start than a consultation with one of our friendly team of experts. Simply complete the contact form at the side of this page or click here to find your nearest clinic.
