Lotus, the Buddhist-tinged flower, symbolizes purity, faith and hope in Thai. As Thailand is rife with Buddhism, CHIA TAI Group crowns its chain shopping centers “Lotus Super Center”, linking with the name and shape of the flower, to seek common development of the society and the group.

CHIA TAI Group is a world renowned larger transnational corporate group, called Charoen Pokphand Group outside China. Ranking among the world top 500 enterprises, CHIA TAI Group was chosen by the noted financial and economic magazine Far East Economic Review as the top Thai enterprise on the “200 Leading Asian Enterprises” chart. It boasts over 400 branches and subsidiaries operating in over 20 countries and regions, among which a dozen of the companies are listed on world major capital markets such as in New York, London and Hong Kong.

Founded in 1921, starting from selling crop seeds, CHIA TAI Group has walked a way from seed improving, cultivating and popularizing through feed and crop production to livestock breeding and agricultural and animal husbandry product process to product sales and import and export, forming a complete modern agricultural operational chain and resolving into a model of the industrialization of modern agriculture and animal husbandry. The process is also an evolution from the traditional agriculture operation to a modern one.

CHIA TAI Group adopted “vertical integration” strategy in the multiple industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry, particularly in the following sections such as grains, feeds, livestock and marine lives breeding and raising, animal quarantine and epidemic prevention, meat processing and deep processing, and retail and distribution network.  The “vertical integration” added more profit and competitive edge to CHIA TAI Group.

CHIA TAI Group entered into telecommunication sector in the form of BOT. Having installed 2.6 million sets of program-control telephones in Bangkok, CHIA TAI Group becomes the largest telecom operator in Thailand. By taking telecoms at core and using telecom network resources, CHIA TAI Group extended its business into cable TV, PHS communication, internet service, e-commerce, cinematography and television production and telecom terminal unit sales, etc., having greatly improved telecom technology and service in Thailand, formed industry group including related up and down stream industries and augmented the competitive edge of CHIA TAI Group’s telecom industry.

CHIA TAI Group entered into retail trade by adapting to the commercial development trend of “warehouse-type mart” and 7-11 convenient stores. It has built up complete advanced and fast purchase, storage and distribution and transportation system, and Lotus, Seven-Eleven and other name brands. CHIA TAI Group constructed in Shanghai the biggest independent commercial building in Asia, a 240,000 m² shopping mall “CHIA TAI PLAZA”, opened on July 18, 2002 and guiding the trend.  Presently, by opening a new 7-11 convenience store in Thailand each day, CHIA TAI Group has thus far set up 2711 such stores altogether, estimatedly exceeding 2800 by end 2004. “Lotus Super Center” has come into a rapid expansion period in China and it is estimated that it will hit 100 by the end of China’s “Tenth Five-year” Plan period. Also under consideration is the plan for retail trade development to be brought by agricultural and animal husbandry product sales network in vast rural areas. Such development will grow still faster once policy restraints are further relieved.

Around the three mainstays, namely agriculture and animal husbandry, telecommunications and commercial retails, “Lotus Super Center” has engaged in finance and insurance, real estate, petrochemicals and machinery manufacturing, all being symbioses  and flourishing together, and spurring the fast development of CHIA TAI Group’s business.

After over 80 years’ development, CHIA TAI Group has become a world renowned transnational enterprise. The founder of the Group is Mr. CHIA EK CHOR, who traveled far away across the sea from Chaoshan, Guandong to settle in Thailand in his early years but bears the homeland in his mind constantly. As soon as China began to open to the outside world in 1979, Mr. CHIA EK CHOR led a group of people to make investment researches at his hometown, obtaining the No. 001 foreign investment ratification in Shenzhen. Over past two decades or so, starting from feed sector into other industries, CHIA TAI Group conducted diversified operations in China and did its possible for the homeland.

After over 80 years’ development, CHIA TAI Group has formed a business pattern with agriculture, animal husbandry and foodstuff, telecommunications and commercial retails at core, simultaneously developing aquatic products, seeds, farming chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, motorcycle, real estate, international trade and finance.  With total assets of USD 12.6 billion and nearly 200,000 staffers, it realized the net sales revenue of USD 12.0 billion in 2003.

CHIA TAI Group is very enthusiastic about public welfare activities, giving support to quite a few cultural and educational projects, with TV program“Zheng DA Zong Yi”(The CHIA TAI HOUR) as a typical example.

CHIA TAI Group has always attached great importance to investment in China. It has been continuously growing together with open and reforming China for the past 20 years or so. With aggregate investment in China exceeding USD 4.6 billion and over 80,000 staffers, it has set up more than 170 enterprises all over China except in Qinghai and Tibet.

The next decade will see CHIA TAI Group’s further implementing the overall development strategy “encouraging young people to assume import and management positions, using local qualified personnel and diversifying business engagement”, planned to increase one more billion US dollars investment in China to provide still more and better products and services.

In Thailand, Lotus Super Center is one of largest shopping centres integrating supermarket and department store. CHIA TAI Group has a dozen such large supermarkets in Thailand with annual retail turnover over USD 500 million. Besides, it has about 2,800 seven-eleven convenient stores open 24 hours, sales volume in recent years exceeding USD 400 million. In 1997 CHIA TAI Group had its presence in retail business in China by opening the first Lotus Super Center in Shanghai, warmly received by Shanghai citizens. Shanghai Lotus Chain Super Centre Co., Ltd., an cooperation among CHIA TAI Group, Shanghai Zhong Shang Investment Co., Ltd., Shanghai Greenstuff Corporation and Changjiang Supermarket Investment Co., Ltd., settled in Pudong, Shanghai in 1997 with registered capital USD 84 million and total investment amount USD 99 million.

Lotus Super Center takes “low price and save money every day” as its operational concept to fully satisfy the need for “do shopping at one shot” as pressed by accelerated living rhythm. Equipped with all the facilities for the convenience of the customers and the management, it supplies delicatessen, vegetables, meat, aquatic products, snacks, confections, garment, shoes, household electric appliances, office supplies and daily necessities, enabling customers to get all the necessary items at one shot and saving time. Lotus Super Center commits itself to establishing sound partnership with suppliers to achieve voluminous sales, with which on the other hand it inspires suppliers to improve their product quality. After the opening of Lotus Super Centers, customers can get more high quality commodities with less cost, reducing living expenses and consumption expenditure.

By August 30, 2004, there have been opened in Shanghai area 12 Lotus Super Centers, among which one in Hangzhou and two in Nanjing, and there are 4 under construction. Another 100 such centres will have been opened by the end of China’s “Tenth Five-year” Plan period. It has also been planned to energetically develop supermarket chains. Taking Shanghai as the headquarters of Lotus in China and such regional headquarters and distribution centres as Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xi’an as radiating centres, particularly in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai using the existing logistic centres and good market image, Lotus Super Center will further bring its advantages in chain management into play and strive to have the chain supermarkets of “low price and save money every day” in major cities and cities with certain market potential. Unified management will be carried out to ensure consistent service quality.

Shanghai Lotus Chain Super Centre Co., Ltd. stands ready to make sustained efforts to improve Chinese people’s quality of life.