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POPULAR Modern started exporting its first batch of Chinese books in June 2004.To date, we have shipped almost 9.25 million books, worth some $200 million, in the past 11 years. The average annual shipment is 20,000 cartons.
China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (“CNPIEC”) and CNPITC underwent a restructuring in 2009, with the former taking over the latter’s share in POPULAR Modern but all operations were not affected during the transition.
Direct Delivery to POPULAR Stores in Singapore and Malaysia
POPULAR Modern has drastically reduced the cost of importing Chinese books to Singapore and Malaysia, along with the reduction of the corresponding logistical and warehousing costs. The books are packed according to the specific requirements of the POPULAR stores in Singapore and Malaysia, the shipments are transported directly to the respective stores once they have reached the local ports. This arrangement not only eliminates the need to store the shipments in the local warehouses, it has also shortened the time between placing an order and receiving the books considerably. This efficiency has enabled POPULAR Modern to handle the increasing number of outlets in Singapore and Malaysia from 25 and 38 stores in 2004 to 45 and 80 stores in 2015, respectively.
Since establishing the Beijing office 11 years ago, POPULAR has sent five capable staff to fill the important position of the
procurement manager: Stanley Chew (2004- 2005), Lee Thiam Teck (2006-2007), Chong Chiew Lee (2008-2009; 2012-2013), Loo Yoke Lian (2010-2011), and Pang Li Yong (since 2014). Procuring Chinese books for Singapore and Malaysia requires a staff who is familiar with the two markets,with most of the procured books falling under the genres of Chinese literature, business management, lifestyle and healthcare. POPULAR Modern has built such a strong rapport with Beijing’s private bookstores that it has enabled us to procure the latest high quality books at the best prices.
Hard Work and Passion
The assiduousness and diligence of the procurement managers left a strong impression on their Chinese counterparts; their passion for their work spreading to those who have worked with them. In CNPITC’s export centre, POPULAR Modern is recognised as the most efficient and hardworking team with the heaviest workload. With just eight staff, the POPULAR Modern team has efficiently managed the entire exporting process, from order fulfillment to shipment arrangement.
POPULAR Modern has weathered financial crises – obstacles resulting from the changes in the taxation for bookstores, as well as many other challenges like the increasing labour cost – and has continued to grow from strength to strength. All this was only possible because of the strong support from the headquarters of POPULAR and CNPITC.
2. Popularworld (Beijing) (“POPULAR Beijing”)
POPULAR Beijing had just celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2015. It was a fruitful journey,having overcome various challenges along the way. Our hard work has delivered success in all aspects of our operations, be it good feedback from our satisfied customers, excellent working relationship with our agents and partners, strong esprit de corps, or outstanding offerings from our product development teams. Let us look at some of the highlights from the past 10 years.
Localisation with Strong Emphasis on Quality
POPULAR Beijing started off with just seven staff focusing on copyrights management in an office within the Guangming Daily Press building. In 2008, we began localising Educational Publishing House’s children’s books for the Chinese market. To maintain the high standards, experts in early childhood education were brought in to provide professional guidance. They included Professor Pang Lijuan from the Faculty of Education in Beijing Normal University and former President of OMEP (World Organisation for Early Childhood Education and Care) China; Professor Liu Zhanlan, Head of the Research Centre for Basic Education in National Institute of Education Sciences; the late Professor Margaret Wong Ngai Chun from the Department of Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong Institute of Education; and Dr Wong Waiyin, previously from the Department of Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong Institute of Education. Under the dedicated guidance of these experts, POPULAR Beijing published the premium quality Creative Learning Package (CLP).
In just two years, CLP was recommended by the education departments in seven provinces for use in their pre-primary education syllabus. Currently, CLP is used in 18 provinces across China and is accompanying millions of children growing up, making it POPULAR Beijing’s bestselling pre-primary learning material in China.
In addition, POPULAR Beijing has also been organising training seminars and promotional events, inviting experts and scholars to share their knowledge and conduct training. Organising these events, numbering in excess of a thousand over the past 10 years, has become an important part of POPULAR Beijing’s work.
POPULAR’s Group CEO, Mr Chou Cheng Ngok, at the launch of the joint training programme with Beijing Normal University for preschool teachers 北京大众的教师培训项目与北京师范大学正式签约,该校教育学部部长与大众集团总裁周曾锷先生(右) 交换合同
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