A Mexican’s China journey: Canton Fair as a bridge

With the opening of the 134th Canton Fair, Juan Ramon Perez, a Mexican and general manager of Liverpool Asia, is ready to lead his team to seek business opportunities at the fair once again.
Liverpool is the biggest department store chain in Mexico, and has been sourcing products from China for many years, establishing a very deep cooperation relationship with China. In 2010, Liverpool set up a branch office in Shanghai, and since then Juan has been on his own journey to China.
This is Juan’s 11th time to attend Canton Fair. He recalls that the first time he came to Guangzhou was in 2009, and since then, Guangzhou has grown all the way, becoming cleaner and better organized. He is amazed that this ancient city full of history is so modern.
He said that every time he comes to Canton Fair, he finds new surprises. “The products in China and Canton Fair are of very good quality, very good design, and good prices”.
He shared that one memorable thing at Canton Fair is that locals are very friendly and enthusiastic, so he really enjoys talking to them.
This time at Canton Fair, his company needs to purchase a variety of products, including kitchen utensils, clothing, electronics and toys.
He said that Canton Fair serves as a crucial platform that helps them find suitable sources of goods. During the fair, they not only establish a solid relationship with their suppliers, but also makes many friends.
He said he trusts products from China and also believes that the long-term cooperation with Chinese suppliers is successful.
Liverpool has frequent business dealings with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area market. When they come to Guangdong for procurement, they will also go to Hong Kong and Macao to visit the products on display. He says that he and his team go to Hong Kong at least once a month.
As for the expected turnover at this session of Canton Fair, he is full of expectations, especially confident in the Chinese market.
Having lived in Shanghai for almost eight years, he has witnessed the development of the Chinese economy and the changes in the Chinese market.
He and his colleagues have visited many cities in China, such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Beijing, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
He couldn’t help but marvel at how fast the development of China is, how hard-working the Chinese people are, and how diversified the way of doing business is, and how better the quality and design of the products are. He said that his boss had told him, “every time I travel to China is like traveling in the future, because everything is new and everything is well organized”.
Finally, he expresses his deep gratitude to the organizers of Canton Fair and to the suppliers he has worked with over the years by saying “we look forward to continued success in the future and wish you all a successful fair.”