The FINANCIAL — “Toys are the most demanded products among items imported from China,” merchants in Tbilisi said.
“The most popular items in small Chinese shops are the cheapest products,” says Nino Shaishmelashvili, the consultant in a Chinese shop on King Tamar Avenue.
Prices of toys start from 1 GEL and range up to the most expensive at 60 GEL. Hair clips are bestsellers as well.
“A little car toy which costs only 1 GEL is the bestseller in our shop. We sell hundreds of said cars per day. The most expensive toy, which costs 55 GEL, is an airplane with a remote panel which can fly,” said Natia Metreveli, the consultant in a Chinese shop on Dadiani Street.
“For example, this week we have sold lots of Chinese keds. They cost 15 GEL each. We sold about 60-70 keds this week. Toys are also popular and the bestseller items in our shop. All products’ prices correspond with their quality,” Nino said.
“In our shop mostly plastic pots, frying-pans, plates and such things are sold. Their price begins at 10 GEL. Among our other products, hair clips are bestsellers. Ranging from 0.50 GEL to 10 GEL you can buy any sort of hair clips,” said the seller of another Chinese shop on Dadiani Street.
In Georgia and especially in Tbilisi, Chinese shops have been working successfully during previous years. In medium-sized shops approximately 1,000 items are being sold per month.
The only reason why these products have become bestsellers in Georgia is their low price. At the same time, Georgians started to pay attention to the quality. In such a situation, Chinese shop owners are trying to sell not only cheap products but quality ones as well.
“In other shops in Georgia, the prices are too high on different products. This isn’t because the product’s raw cost is higher. But the dealers increase the prices by 40-50%. We don’t increase the prices and therefore we sell the products at their raw cost,” said Jong Mu, the owner of a Chinese shop on Vorontsovi.
Another reason for the successful sales is that the consumer can find almost everything in Chinese shops so they can buy lots of items in one place. “When I need to buy different items and I don’t have enough time to visit many different shops, I always go to a Chinese shop, which is located in my neighborhood. I can buy household items and clothes altogether in one shop and I don’t have to go to Vagzali Bazar for this,” said Lia Maisuradze, one of the users of Chinese shops.
Due to their popularity Chinese shops were located in the very centre of Tbilisi at first. But because of high taxes they had to find places in the suburbs. “Lots of Chinese shops have been closed because of increased taxes while others have changed their location and continued their work. Leaving central districts and moving into the suburbs has slightly reduced our sales, but it didn’t damage the business. We still have at least 100 visitors per day and approximately 50 of them decide to buy items,” said Nino Shaishmelashvili.
According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2,766 Chinese citizens crossed the Georgian border in 2010 and approximately 2,013 of them crossed the border in 2009 and 1,770 of them in 2008.
In the past, the label ‘Made in China’ was associated with inferior quality and cheap prices. The shoddy reputation has been long gone in Europe and America.
The Chinese are increasingly setting up businesses in other countries too. As those Chinese people living in Georgia say: their friends lead similar businesses successfully in Russia as well. Most of the clothes are mid-range and are exported to countries such as Canada, Mexico and Eastern Europe. Even in the land of Armani, Gucci and Prada, Italians are buying Chinese clothes.
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