Wal-Mart will open 15 new stores in China this year, amongst which two supercentres in Beijing and Shanghai . The US retail giant has been active in China since 1994, although its start there was not always easy. The turning point came last December, when the Chinese government - which then joined the WTO - was obligated to allow foreign retailers to invest in cities of their choice.

In spite of this, there are still enough obstacles for foreign retailers to tackle. It is difficult to find qualified managers and new locations due to heavy (local) competition. Wal-Mart has, however, succeeded in finding out what Chinese consumers want: small portions, noise, freshly-prepared lunches, live frogs and retailtainment.