China Resources Vanguard facts for kids
Logo on refurbished Mainland stores
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Logo on Hong Kong stores. An identical design, with the name in Simplified Chinese, was formerly used on Mainland stores
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| State-owned enterprise | |
| Industry | Supermarket |
| Founded | 14 February 1984 |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
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Area served
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China |
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Key people
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Chairman Chen Lang
CEO Hong Jie Chief Operating Officer, Chen Shuo Vice President Qin Dongsheng, Wang Weiyong, Lan Yi and Tang Hongtao Chief Financial Officer, Min |
| Products | Food, beverages, and daily necessities |
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Number of employees
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14500 (Hong Kong accounts for 1000) |
| Parent | China Resources Holdings |
China Resources Vanguard, also known as Vanguard, is a very large company that runs many supermarkets. It's part of a bigger company called China Resources. You can find their stores all over China and in Hong Kong.
Vanguard is the third-biggest supermarket chain in Hong Kong. As of 2014, they had almost 5,000 shops! These stores are in many places, including big cities like Shanghai and Beijing.
In Hong Kong, Vanguard has about 7.8% of the supermarket business. Other big chains like Wellcome and PARKnSHOP have a larger share. But Vanguard is still a very important place for people to buy their groceries.
In 2013, Vanguard teamed up with a famous British supermarket called Tesco. They decided to create a new company together. This new company would run different kinds of stores, like big hypermarkets, regular supermarkets, and even small convenience stores. China Resources Enterprise owns most of this new company (80%), and Tesco owns the rest (20%).
Contents
How Vanguard Started and Grew
Vanguard has been around for a long time and has grown a lot!
- 1984: The company started as "China Resources Supermarket."
- 1991: They opened their very first store in mainland China.
- 2001: China Resources bought a big part (72%) of another company called Shenzhen Vanguard Super Department Store. Then, China Resources Supermarket joined with this new company.
- 2002: China Resources bought the rest of Shenzhen Vanguard Super Department Store. They changed its name to China Resources Vanguard Shop.
- 2005: Vanguard got a new logo that looked like a sunflower.
- 2007: China Resources Holdings bought another supermarket company in Tianjin.
- 2010: The first "blt boutique supermarket" opened. These are fancy stores!
- 2012: Vanguard launched a new brand called "V+ urban boutique supermarkets."
- 2013: They started their joint company with Tesco.
- 2015: Vanguard sold some of its supermarket business to help the company do even better. They also opened the first U Select by Tesco store in Hong Kong.
Different Kinds of Vanguard Stores
Vanguard has many different types of stores, each for different needs!
In Hong Kong
- Vanguard: These are the regular supermarkets where people buy their daily groceries.
- VanGO: These are smaller, quick convenience stores, perfect for grabbing something fast.
- U Select: These stores are special because at least one-third of their products are from Tesco, the British supermarket.
- Voi_la!: This is a special store that sells only wine.
In Mainland China
- Vanguard: Just like in Hong Kong, these are the standard supermarkets.
- VanGO: Small convenience stores for quick stops.
- V+: These are fancy, upmarket supermarkets in cities. They are made for China's growing middle class.
- blt: These are upmarket supermarkets that focus on fresh food. They are designed to feel like a farm market.
- blt Express: These are smaller versions of the blt stores.
- Ole': These are upmarket supermarkets that focus on imported foods from other countries.
- 乐购express: These used to be Tesco Express stores before the joint venture.
- Voi_la!: Like in Hong Kong, this is a store dedicated to selling wine.
