In the midst of the Covid crisis in China, the French high-end is more successful than ever
In this store in central Beijing, the flagship product is a high-end French copper boiler, at least five times more expensive than traditional boilers sold in China. With the Covid-19 crisis, many Chinese consumers have reduced their spending, but not everyone. The affluent clientele is always ready to pay the high price and the manager of the premises has no trouble selling his boilers. Laurent Wang Li, the representative in China of the Frisquet brand explains that “of course, with the Covid, it’s not the best time, but it doesn’t bother the high-end products too much, because these are groups of customers who don’t look too much at the price.x”.
“The first thing is the brand”
Confirmation with these two customers, businessmen, who did not hesitate to each pay the equivalent of 13,000 euros to heat their homes. “First of all, I’m looking for quality, I know it’s an old French brand. It meets the needs of high-end customers in China”assures one of them. “France is a land of luxury. It’s a safe bet. Most of the boiler is made by hand. That’s why I chose it.“
The other client explains that “the first thing is the brand. I don’t think the price of the boiler is a particular concern for me. Quality is priority.”
“I had never had so many requests”
Another sector that is not affected by health restrictions, interior decoration, the French way. Françoise Onillon is artistic director in Beijing for major real estate developers and with the covid crisis, she is overwhelmed with work. The rich crave luxury. “With this travel ban, the wealthy Chinese need to regain the luxury they once sought when traveling in Europe and more particularly in France. So much so that I find myself with incredible demands”she explains.
Among these requests, redo “all the art of the table for 18 people, with silverware, porcelain and crystal” or “contemporary designer furniture, a unique piece and it has to be French”says Françoise Onillon. “Before the Covid, I had never had so many requests”, she says. The French decoration here in Beijing usually doubles the price of an apartment.
