Samenvatting

The relationship between China and the Netherlands can be situated on a dynamic scale. Chinese entrepreneurs are finding their way to the Netherlands, thereby continuously renewing and shaping this relationship. Currently, there are about 300 Chinese companies in the Netherlands, which amounts to approximately 6000 Chinese employees. According to the Dutch Central Planning Bureau, China will surpass the United States in amount of foreign investment in Europe after a couple of years. A young Chinese company called Wesmo industries ltd was established in Guangzhou, which is located the southern part of China near Hong Kong. Wesmo exports bathroom accessory products to various countries in Oceania, South and North America, the Middle East and some parts of Europe. During the year 2015-2016, Wesmo would like to expand their business to the Netherlands. The Dutch market is a good way to start this expansion in Europe, mainly because of the company’s strong connection to the Dutch company, Wesko. Wesmo intends to build on the Dutch business to retail market. This market can be segmented into three groups: the fast moving consumer goods retail, the do-it-yourself stores and the web shops. Each of these business to business customers is active in selling bathroom accessories. The field and desk research have shown various interesting targets for Wesmo in the aforementioned categories. During this research, a functional survey was executed by 75-80 Dutch households and expanded positioning research was conducted among business to business customers. The research has yielded valuable information on a lot of potential business to business customers. A field study within the business to retail market was conducted to ensure the positioning of each business to business customer. The following fast moving consumer goods stores were analysed: Bijenkorf, Vroom and Dreesmann, Blokker, Hema and Markskramer. The following do-it-yourself stores were analysed: Praxis, Gamma, Karwei and Formido; and the following web shops were analysed: Bol.com, Wehkamp.nl, Sanitairwinkel.nl and Slimkopen.nl. The consumer prices of each retail store were analysed to show the positioning of each retail store in the Netherlands. The field research has resulted in a market positioning of the retail stores, do-it-yourself stores and the web shops. The valuable information from these analyses will help Wesmo to realise potential customers in the Dutch market. The buyer analyses have shown a variation of potential customers for Wesmo. This will help Wesmo in entering the Dutch market. The competitor analysis has shown a transparency competition level in the Netherlands; the analysis showed high class, middle class and lower class competition. This analysis has shown the favourable position of Wesmo. The result of the buyer analysis showed the number of stores in the Netherlands and helped to calculate the estimated market size in the Dutch market. The fast moving consumer goods stores and do-it-yourself stores in the Netherlands have shown a drop in sales, but the web shops in the Netherlands have shown a huge rise of stores in the Netherlands. The competitive analysis showed three important competitors in the Dutch market: Spirella, Zone Denmark and Inno Essentials. All the three competitors have their own strategy in the Dutch market and operate on a different scale than Wesmo. The manufacturer of bathroom accessory products like Spirella and Zone Denmark are cooperating with the Dutch companies Smartwares and Brigd to sell their products in the business to business market. Smartwares and Brigd are operating like a wholesalers and importers of bathroom accessories. Inno Essentials operate as a manufacturer and importer of bathroom accessories and sell to the business to business market. The strengths and weaknesses of all these competitors can be compared with those of Wesmo. A variety of important analysis models also helps Wesmo to market itself in the Dutch market. The analysis of Porter and Treacy and Wiersema, for example, leads to a clear strategy for acting in the Dutch market, and the SWOT confrontation matrix highlights the threats and opportunities for Wesmo to enter into the Dutch market. The Porter analysis showed a positive situation for Wesmo in the Dutch market, and the Treacy and Wiersema analysis showed that the best strategic option for Wesmo is to use the “Operating excellence” strategy due to its production efficiency. To enter the Dutch market, Wesmo should cooperate with the Dutch Wesko Group to export products to the Netherlands. From a strategic point of view, the distribution of products to the Dutch city of IJsselmuiden can be considered a very efficient way to supply the business to business customers in the Netherlands. The SWOT analysis has shown all kinds of positive reasons to enter the Dutch market. The strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats are all visualised in a graph for a clear overview. Strengths like having their own warehouse in the Netherlands, the low overhead cost and the extensive range of products gives a clear overview of Wesmo’s strengths and offers a lot of perspectives. Also, such opportunities as the booming of online shopping in the Netherlands and the young bathroom accessories market improves Wesmo’s chances to operate in the Netherlands. To enter into the Dutch market, Wesmo should use an operational marketing plan which is explicitly targeted to this purpose. This new marketing plan should show how Wesmo can operate in the Dutch market. A whole new marketing plan with new marketing tools, as such, would indicate how to attract the business to business customer and, finally, the Dutch consumers. The recommendations from the study also imply that Wesmo should collaborate with Wesko in order to effectively enter the Dutch market and avoid other problems relating to the initial stages of product exportation. Furthermore, Wesmo should use promotional tools to increase its activity in the Dutch market.