Stressbusters in Demand As Life Gets Hectic

16 | Monday, March 25, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY BUSINESS Trade plaza Stressbusters near the US border may in demand as shape future HOUSTON — Laredo, a major inland port on the US border with life gets hectic Mexico, continues to be in the spot light of trading activity between China and the United States as Sales of antihair loss products, sleeping plans move forward to build a mul pills and aids show market revival timilliondollar free trade center near the city’s downtown. Local company Laredo Lomas By ZHU WENQIAN and Jiangsu provinces. Properties and a Houstonbased [email protected] Online searches for hair care and investor of Chinese origin recently hair growth products fluctuate signed a joint development agree Chinese born in the 1990s, long through the year. In March, they ment that will convert an aban troubled by hectic lifestyles tend to rise a bit; in August, they doned sevenfloor hospital building marked by working till late, heavy tend to surge, and peak in Novem that’s fallen into disrepair and been workload and careerrelated pres ber, the report found. fenced off for nearly 20 years into sures, have a new problem to deal Last year, sales of antihair loss Diners at a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai enjoy food and beverages. WANG GANG / FOR CHINA DAILY the World Free Trade Plaza of Amer with: hair loss. products on Tmall, Alibaba’s ecom ica Inc. But certain manufacturers are merce platform for established The deal to convert the old Mercy sensing a big business opportunity brands, soared 100 percent, accord Hospital Building into a multifunc as products that promise to cure or ing to Tmall. tion commercial center of show prevent hair loss are seeing some For instance, Hairmax, a high Japanese cuisine tickles taste rooms, office, hotel and warehouse thing of a revival. tech comb that boosts hair growth space will cost at least $50 million Last year, among consumers who through use of laser beams, was and take around a year to finish, bought hair care and hair growth launched last year. It proved to be according to Gao Long, the Houston products on ecommerce platforms one of the bestselling items during buds, spins money in China investor. of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, 36 the Singles Day shopping festival on In addition to drawing up plans percent were born after 1990, and Nov 11. An antihair loss shampoo for the renovation of the building, more than 38 percent were born made in France, priced 888 yuan By LIU YUKUN boom in highend Japanese res the team is in the process of apply between 1980 and 1990. ($132.50), sold out fast. [email protected] taurants, with more being set up ing for parts of the building to be 40,800 Middleaged and senior consum In addition, sales and marketing in central business districts of cit designated as a free trade zone, ers showed lowerthanexpected efforts of hair transplant special Japanese cuisine is such a rage number of Japanese ies, according to a Qdaily report. allowing companies to bring goods restaurants on the Chinese demand for hair care products, ists have deepened concerns of among Chinese consumers these mainland at the end of 2017 But only a decade ago, cheaper into the zone without duties. according to a report by AliHealth, consumers troubled by hair loss. days that some of them are willing Japanese quick service restau The center, once completed, the health and medicine unit of Ali From 2016 to 2017, firms specializ to spend more than 1,000 yuan rants such as Pepper Lunch and would provide a venue to showcase baba Group. ing in hair transplants saw an aver ($149.70) for a lunch/dinner com makes the business profitable. Yoshinoya were more commonly products such as food, electronics, “With steady income growth of age annual sales growth of over 100 prising superfresh authentic Only a decade ago, Japanese cui seen all over city street corners in clothes from abroad, serving as a young Chinese, more people are percent. ingredients, including sixpiece sine, which costs relatively higher China. platform for sellers and buyers. paying attention to the quality of Beijingbased Yonghe Hair Trans sashimi, or raw fish, specially than many other foods, was much Today, traditional Japanese Once dismissed by some as noth products, and they are willing to plant has 33 outlets nationwide. Its imported from Japan. less popular among Chinese con restaurants with new concepts, ing more than a small border city in spend money on products that can advertisements mark broadcasts of Small wonder, Japanese restau sumers.” different decoration styles, cul the US state of Texas, Laredo is now help improve appearances,” said popular TV series in China, and rants are mushrooming on the Feng Enyuan, deputy head of tural themes, and innovative a busy international trading center Neil Wang, president of consultancy adorn walls of several subway sta Chinese mainland to ride con the China Cuisine Association, menus are more common, Bai with the world. Frost & Sullivan in China. tions. sumer demand. said changing Chinese consum said. Tens of thousands of trucks cross “Fueled by the promotions featur “With the development of hair Their number surged from ers’ lifestyles also contributed to Noriko Shinohara, 29, who the border on a daily basis, carrying ing film stars and internet celebri transplant and hair care technolo about 10,600 in the beginning of the trend. operates a threebranch restau billions of dollars worth of goods. ties online, young consumers are gies, and amid growing anxiety of 2017 to 40,800 at the end of the “A growing number of Chinese rant chain under two brands in Laredo owns the busiest inland increasingly seeking ways to appear consumers suffering hair loss, stra year, according to data from the consumers prefer light meals like Beijing’s posh lifestyle zone Sanli port along the US southern border, more beautiful. Losing hair is some tegic marketing is helping hair Japanese External Trade Organi salads that are healthy. Many Chi tun, will open her fourth venture which is also the second busiest port thing they can’t stand. Expenditure transplant agencies to post continu zation, which is known as JETRO. nese consumers associate Japa — an izakaya — next month. overall in the country, trailing only toward better looks reflects the ous growth,” Wang said. Data from Japan’s Ministry of nese cuisine with good health,” Her existing three restaurants the Port of Los Angeles, California. ongoing consumption upgrade Stressinducing lifestyles are cre Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Feng. are popular among youngsters as China is the city’s secondlargest trend in China,” he said. ating demand for other kinds of showed that among the 31,000 “Foods like sushi are getting she fuses traditional Italian/Mexi trading partner, with neighboring Besides, on social media plat products as well. A large number of Japanese restaurants opened out increasingly popular among both can food styles with postmodern Mexico the first. China’s trade vol forms such as Weibo and Little Red young Chinese consumers reported side of Japan from 2015 to 2017, young and senior people as they elements. ume with Laredo increased 5.23 per Book, a Chinese online platform to ly suffer from insomnia. About 75 half of them were in China. are less oily and contain more On top of that, her planned new cent to $4.02 billion in 2017. share lifestyle tips, a large number percent of those born after 1990 According to Qdaily, a news healthful ingredients.” restaurant will offer diners interi “We believe the market is ready of internet celebrities and makeup have a habit of staying up late. Inad website, Japanese restaurants in Although the overall number of or decor novelties like steep for this kind of infrastructure in bloggers recommend or discuss equate sleep makes them use medi China reported total revenue of Japanese restaurants in China is sloped rooftops with spectacular Laredo, connecting not only the products (like hair line powder and cine like sleeping pills, like in the 161 billion yuan in 2016, taking the booming, growth has been slowing views, and posters of anime char existing trade between the United postnatal hair recovery oil) they United States. fourth place in newlyadded num in firsttier cities in recent years. acters that trigger childhood States and Latin American coun think are good or useful. There, the incidence rate of insom bers, and outperforming even In contrast, China’s second and memories. tries, but also bringing in wholesale “Internet celebrities and some nia is around 32 percent to 50 per domestic Cantonese and Jiangzhe thirdtier cities have seen rapid “Today, young people like me goods from all over the world, KOLs (key opinion leaders) share cent, and the sleeping economy has (Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces) expansion of Japanese restau are really into some cool and nov including China,” said Sunny Zhang, user experiences and give good rat created businesses worth tens of bil cuisines, which figure among the rants, according to JETRO. el experiences, and I want to cre president of Z LAB USA LLC, the ings for some niche products, so lions of dollars. most popular Chinese food. “Not just Japanese restaurants, ate that experience for our Houstonbased global marketing consumers get to know them, and In China, the incidence rate of JETRO said a rising number of a majority of restaurants opened customers while serving tradi firm that conducted a feasibility young consumers tend to consider insomnia is around 38 percent, and Chinese travelers to Japan enjoy in China are switching their focus tional authentic Japanese food,” analysis and investment report for such recommendations.

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