Int'l retail sales association to set up regional headquarters in China

The International Grocery Association (IGA) has decided to set up its China headquarters in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province.

Thomas Haggai, a leading official with the IGA, made the announcement in Beijing in early November, disclosing that the association will found a special school in Wuhan within this year for training retail sales personnel, the first of its kind in China.

Haggai said Wuhan boasts many market advantages, citing the central government's strategy to boost its central region, where Wuhan is situated.

Benefits along with joining the IGA include cheaper commodity prices and advanced consultation services, said Haggai, but the most valuable thing IGA brings to China is professional training in retail.

Haggai disclosed that the IGA has reached a letter of intent with the Wuhan Software Vocational School, which is expected to be materialized before the end of this year.

Established in 1926, the IGA first stepped into Asia in the 1980s. It now has more than 4,400 members around the globe. Its annual volume of retail sales tops 23 billion US dollars.

The IGA has five members in China and it will recruit 15 more in China in the coming five years.

Source: Xinhua