Author丨Amy
Recently, Lee Kum Kee China (hereinafter referred to as Lee Kum Kee) held the 2024 Distributor Conference in Guangzhou, with channel partners from all over the country participating in the event.
The 2024 Lee Kum Kee Dealer Conference is not only an inventory of the achievements of the past fiscal year, but also a presentation of the story behind Lee Kum's original intention of adhering to quality. The unveiling of the two newly upgraded product series of "Purple and Red Double Crowns" and the special honor conferred on Lee Kum Kee by the China Space Foundation were the highlights of the conference, which unveiled a blueprint full of confidence and hope for the long-term growth and high-quality development of Lee Kum Kee's dealer partners.
A dealer at the scene praised, "This conference has brought me a great impact. Matching two different product lines for different channels brings independent operating space to retail and F&B, which is not only an innovation of Lee Kum Kee, but also unique in the industry."
Seasoning new "food" generation:
Consolidate quality barriers and help win the market
In the "involution" condiment track, product innovation is crucial, which is not only the key for enterprises to maintain competitiveness, but also can provide more business growth points and help dealers achieve steady development. At the event, Lee Kum Kee's newly upgraded Purple Crown Zero-Added Preservative Soy Sauce series products were unveiled.
From the zero-added preservatives of the whole line of soy sauce for ordinary consumers based on the achievements of systematic quality advantages, to the differentiated positioning of "natural taste and fresher" achieved by relying on Lee Kum Kee's insistence on selecting the highest-grade first-grade non-GMO soybeans, insisting on using first-class water protection, and using Sunshine Paradise 22 degrees north latitude brewery for 3-6 months of raw brewing, to the highly recognizable, The multiple advantages of the new series of highly attractive packaging not only meet consumers' pursuit of healthy diet, but also further consolidate the quality barriers of the brand, provide dealers with a powerful weapon of market competition, and achieve a breakthrough on the track and maintain the growth momentum with stronger brand support.
The upgraded product strength of the Purple Crown Soy Sauce series also reflects Lee Kum Kee's determination to gradually achieve a full line of zero-added preservatives for ordinary consumers and its ability to bring about quality advantages. The establishment of this advantageous barrier is inseparable from Lee Kum Kee's strong quality control ability achieved by 100 years of precipitation and adherence to the original intention of quality.
Over the years, Lee Kum Kee has adhered to the "100-1=0" concept of flawless quality management. Adhere to the whole process of quality monitoring "from the field to the table", and strictly manage every link of the supply chain to support the quality.
It is worth noting that Lee Kum Kee has not only passed the BRC Global Food Safety Standard for more than 10 consecutive years, but has also passed the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) audit for three consecutive years with zero defects, and has sold well in the global market with world quality.
With the recent launch of Shenzhou 18 into space, Lee Kum Kee products have been used as space condiment for astronauts for 10 consecutive times, proving the extraordinary strength of its products and its commitment to high standards in the most demanding space environments.
At the conference, Wu Jie, one of China's first astronauts, shared his experience and insights as an astronaut in his speech, saying that Lee Kum Kee has played an important role in China's aerospace industry and provided delicious meals for astronauts. He hoped that Lee Kum Kee would continue to maintain the spirit of innovation and bring more high-quality condiments to the people of the country.
Mr. Wu Jie, one of the country's first astronauts
As the only strategic partner of China's aerospace industry in the condiment industry, Lee Kum Kee has been quietly contributing to China's aerospace industry. At the conference, the China Space Foundation also awarded Lee Kum Kee a special honor of "Outstanding Contribution Unit to China's Aerospace Industry".
Wu Zhijian, Chairman of China Space Foundation (right)
Lee Kum Kee's commitment to quality is not only a fulfillment of its commitment to consumers, but also a deep guarantee for the cooperative relationship with distributors. This insistence means that each product is a high-quality product that has been carefully developed and strictly screened, which can provide dealers with solid market competitiveness and establish deep trust with consumers. This kind of in-depth cooperation not only brings immediate business benefits to dealers, but also lays a solid foundation for the long-term development of both parties.
A new anchor in the industry: attacking the catering track
Product operation double measures to promote increment
With the upgrading of consumption and the vigorous development of the catering industry, the catering market has shown unprecedented vitality and potential. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2023, the country's total catering revenue will reach 5,289 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%. This huge market space has undoubtedly brought huge development opportunities to the condiment industry.
Catering exclusively for red crown products
However, opportunities and challenges coexist, and how to anchor the catering demand, layout effective single products, and renew the operation mode to allow dealers to reduce costs and increase efficiency is a must-answer question for all condiment companies.
The newly unveiled Red Crown series of products by Lee Kum Kee Catering at the conference aims to help solve the business problems of dealers, continue to consolidate the long-term interests of the channel system, and build a true partnership with dealers to achieve co-construction, win-win and common growth.
Lee Kum Kee Fresh Chicken Juice was also officially announced at the conference, and it has attracted wide attention from the channels and has been sought after by chefs in many provinces and cities by virtue of its ultra-high product strength, stable product quality, wide applicability in various cuisines, and its competitive price system.
In order to reach more types of customers, Lee Kum Kee will continue its explosive product strategy and make full efforts to promote more than 280 single products in the future, covering more restaurants of different grades and tracks, so as to meet the diversified needs of terminals.
Lee Kum Kee will also implement the strategy of "ecological refined operation" in the catering track. The operation of catering and retail is an effective means to ensure the profit of the channel, and the sales system of the catering and retail channels is clearly divided through the differentiation of products and bar codes. In addition, with strong resource tilt and incentive support, more catering recovery and channels at all levels and catering enterprises will be empowered to break through channel increments.
For channels, "Jinli 198" is digitally empowered, binds the relationship between business and approval, and increases terminal incentives to ensure that resource tilt can truly fall into the hands of dealers and end users, effectively stabilizing the upstream and downstream relationships and price system.
For chefs, the Lee Kum Kee Chefs Club has gathered more than 300,000 chef brothers with its rich menu content and bonus envelope benefits, continuously generating sales leads and directly empowering the frontline. In order to land resources, Lee Kum Kee launched the "Food and Beverage Iron Army" team upgrade plan, and the team grew by 6 times, running through efficient terminal coverage.
At the conference, Lee Kum Kee also invited 11 culinary leaders from major cuisines, including Chu cuisine master Lu Yongliang, Su cuisine master Li Yaozhen, Hui cuisine master Bao Xing, Zhejiang cuisine master Dai Guibao, Hunan cuisine master Ren Weizheng, Shandong cuisine master Zhao Xinlin, Fujian cuisine master Luo Bingfu, Sichuan cuisine master Zhao Zhixin, Cantonese cuisine master Tan Guohui, Gan cuisine master Wu Xianming, and Henan cuisine master Chen Wei. The masters gave unanimous praise to the new products such as Lee Kum Kee Catering Red Crown Series and Lee Kum Kee Fresh Chicken Juice.
Chu cuisine master Lu Yongliang
In-depth new cooperation: Deepen the cooperation model
Go both ways with dealers
If quality is the key factor to help condiment distributors lay the cornerstone of the market, then a clear growth path and efficient operating model are important pillars to drive their steady growth and maintain a steady stream of industry-leading momentum. The rise and development of excellent dealers are inseparable from the collaboration and guidance of excellent brands.
As one of the highlights of the conference, Lee Kum Kee held a grand strategic dealer signing, which was a milestone exploration of the manufacturer's cooperation model. Through training and support, dealer partners have a clear growth path and upward channel, and realize the growth from ordinary to gold medal, to diamond, and then to strategy. Establish an operating mechanism that gradually rises to the next level, enjoys more rights and benefits, and empowers more, so that dealer partners can work together with Lee Kum Kee to strive for upward growth. In addition, Lee Kum Kee has also set up dedicated digital support to facilitate the efficient operation of terminals, so that Lee Kum Kee's products and brands can reach more consumers more efficiently.
During the meeting, Lee Kum Kee organized a fruitful "Factory Visit" to the Xinhui Factory, one of Lee Kum Kee's five major production bases in the world, allowing our dealer partners to immerse themselves in Lee Kum Kee's dedication to the highest quality standards of products, forward-looking intelligent manufacturing and production, and social responsibility for environmental protection and energy conservation.
Equally impressive is Lee Kum Kee's commitment to the values of "Si Li Ji Ren". Staying true to his original aspiration, he donated funds to build the school, set up the Chef of Hope charity project, and donated funds to repair roads and bridges, so that everyone could feel the "human touch" of Lee Kum Kee.
Lee Kum Kee Xinhui Factory
After the event, the New Distribution reporter interviewed several key partners of Lee Kum Kee China.
Mr. Zhang of Changsha Hewei Trading said, "Since 2007, I have been cooperating with Lee Kum Kee for 17 years, and because Lee Kum Kee's quality is good enough, it has developed relatively quickly. At present, we need to promote new products with brand value, from sitting in business to business. As a brand where quality is king, Lee Kum Kee is highly recognized by consumers, and its quality is also highly recognized in the food and beverage sector. This year, we will also work together to introduce more new dishes and application scenarios to chefs in the food and beverage channel, so that more chefs can learn more about the characteristics and advantages of Lee Kum Kee. ”
Mr. Du from Guangzhou Congshuai Trading said: "Since 2016, I have been working with Lee Kum Kee and have learned a lot from this company, such as the 100-1=0 corporate quality management concept, including its pragmatic and eternal entrepreneurial spirit, which inspires our condiment distributors to keep moving forward. At this year's conference, we can see that Lee Kum Kee has a dealer training system for our dealers, from ordinary to diamond level to strategic level, and these strategic methods not only provide resource support, but more importantly, will empower our capabilities. ”
Mr. Wong, a member of Fu'an Xingdawang, said, "I was very shocked to attend the Lee Kum Kee Channel Partner Conference today, and I listened to a lot of Lee Kum Kee's plans from the B-end to the C-end, and I very much hope to work with Lee Kum Kee to expand our business. For the retail channel, Lee Kum Kee's quality is very good, which gives us great peace of mind when recommending it to consumers. In terms of catering, we have also done a lot of work together in recent years, for example, the Chef's Club has been very helpful, and Lee Kum Kee will be very active in encouraging chefs to use products to make food. In terms of brand support, Lee Kum Kee's brand and quality have also continued to improve, and advertising investment and brand promotion efforts have also been increasing. Now, we have more confidence in Lee Kum Kee!"
Mr. Chan, a member of the Fujian Good Kitchen Food Trade, replied, "First of all, Lee Kum Kee has performed well in the whole distribution channel. Secondly, I often find that Lee Kum Kee's market share in the condiment market is very high in foreign countries, especially in the European and American markets, and Lee Kum Kee can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in places where quality requirements are extremely high, and this kind of performance of Lee Kum Kee is very attractive to us. Lee Kum Kee's digital transformation has indeed been a catalyst for us. Once consumers and chefs alike are more recognizable of Lee Kum Kee's products, it will be a great synergy for us. ”
The rise and development of excellent dealers are inseparable from the collaboration and guidance of excellent brands. Lee Kum Kee regards dealers as important partners, and empowering dealers and helping dealers make money has always been Lee Kum Kee's business philosophy of "Si Li Ji Ren", and what it has been doing unswervingly.
The experience of the dealers at the meeting is enough to prove the support of the channel market for Lee Kum Kee's series of empowerment measures and confidence in Lee Kum Kee's products.
epilogue
Adhering to the original intention of quality, deploying effective products, and improving operational efficiency have become the keys to Lee Kum Kee's success in helping dealers win the terminal. Relying on its excellent product strength, innovative operation model and win-win cooperation concept, Lee Kum Kee has continued to help dealer partners operate terminals efficiently and seize the market. Relying on the strong support of Lee Kum Kee, the dealers have continuously improved their own strength and achieved steady business development.
In Lee Kum Kee's journey of empowering dealers, the two parties have jointly written a new chapter of win-win cooperation and set a model for industry cooperation. Looking forward to the future, Lee Kum Kee will continue to explore new opportunities in the condiment industry, and open up new space for the development of the condiment industry with quality-led and innovation-led in the context of the evolution of the market from incremental to stock competition.