Parkson’s decline a sign of the times for retail stores

Stiff competiton: File picture showing workers sorting out packages at an express delivery company in Beijing. Like many other traditional retail stores, Parkson has no answer to the rapid rise of e-commerce. Apart from AliBaba, there are many other websites that cater to e-shoppers. – AFP

IT came as a shock when I was told that an Indonesian masseur based in Petaling Jaya orders baby napkins for her newborn online. That to me was the ultimate testament of the fate of Parkson and its travails in China.

For the longest time, the Lion Group’s greatest success story in China was breaking into the retail market through its Parkson chain of outlets. Since it started operations in the 1990s in Beijing, the operations of Parkson in China have been a roaring success.