Bringing Vietnamese goods to work sites: An efficient retail model

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with about four million workers in industrial zones and export processing zones, the demand for consumer goods is large. Through goods demand-supply connection activities, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has focused on bringing Vietnamese goods to these areas.

To promote implementation of the national trade promotion program, localities have also organized activities to bring Vietnamese goods to rural areas, industrial zones and export processing zones. These activities have proven efficient.

Nguyen Thi Phuong, managing director of Big C Vietnam in the northern region, said Big C Vietnam organized many points of sales around industrial zones and export processing zones in the provinces of Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang and Vinh Phuc. Items brought to these localities are mainly essential goods, with diversified designs and affordable prices. Big C Vietnam has also organized discount and gift programs to draw customers.

Nguyen Kim Dung, director of the Sai Gon Co.op Hanoi Company Limited, said the company has regularly organized activities to bring Vietnamese goods to rural areas, industrial zones and export processing zones. In addition to goods offered at basic prices, consumers have received support from promotion programs. “Selling goods at their original price has not brought economic benefits for the company. However, it is a meaningful activity, contributing to promoting branding,” Dung said.

Although these activities have proven efficient, businesses need to get more information about workers’ demands in such zones to know what they want and need. In addition, workers should be introduced to these activities to obtain easy access to domestically-produced goods.

Le Viet Nga, deputy director of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that in the framework of the domestic market development project associated with the Buy Vietnamese Goods campaign, points of sales labeled “Proud of Vietnamese Goods” support activities to bring Vietnamese goods to industrial zones and export processing zones. To date, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has established thousands of such points of sales across the country.

The Sao Viet Joint Stock Company in Dong An Industrial Zone in Binh Duong Province’s Thuan An Commune has established a Vietnamese goods point of sales model to help workers get easy access to domestically-produced goods at affordable prices. The model has proven efficient since its establishment in late August 2013, selling more than 800 Vietnamese items, such as rice, vegetables, meat, cooking oil and household goods. Thanks to reduced costs, goods are sold to workers at original wholesale price, while product quality is controlled by the company’s trade union.

Since deploying the model of Vietnamese goods point of sales at Lan Chi Mart, the number of workers coming to the supermarket has increased. They have been able to get easy access to domestically-produced goods, with good quality and cheap prices.

According to Le Viet Nga, in addition to bringing Vietnamese goods to industrial zones and export processing zones, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to encourage the development of points of sales across the country in order to help businesses advertise their products, expand distribution systems, and capture market share.