120th Anniversary of Weifang's Opening | "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" of Department Store
Lu Wang, May 22 (reporter Wang Yulong) The wheels of history roll on, raising dust all the way, rolling clear ruts.
One hundred and twenty years of port opening history, two years of great changes. It has been 120 years since Weixian was opened as a port in 1904.
In May 1904 (April of the lunar calendar in the thirtieth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), the Qing government approved the joint declaration of Yuan Shikai, the governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, and Zhou Fu, the governor of Shandong, agreeing to turn Jinan, Weixian County, and Zhoucun into "public ports for trade between China and foreign countries". Since then, Weixian has become a port city for trade in modern China, opening the door to the outside world for the first time. This is a major event in the modernization process of Weifang and even Shandong. Since then, fundamental changes have taken place in the commercial structure and capital composition of Weixian County (Weifang), laying the foundation for future urban construction, industrial development, business prosperity, etc., and contributing to the great changes of Weifang from "opening the city gate" to "going global".
(I)
It retains the good memories of generations.
For Weifang people after the 1980s and before, Weifang Department Store is definitely the "white moonlight" in their hearts.
The terrazzo floor in the building, the old-fashioned glass counter, the colorful silk counter, the daily necessities counter, the old Beijing cloth shoes, enamel washbasin, friendship brand hand cream, wedding supplies, etc., as well as the prosperous sales scene, are the most profound and long-standing memories of Weifang people in that era.
Established in 1955, Weifang Department Store is one of the first batch of state-owned enterprises in Weifang. At that time, its business place was a two-story building with a building area of about 400 square meters. It is located at the intersection of Shengli Avenue and Heping Road in Weifang, with the beautiful Bailang River to the east and convenient transportation. It is an important concentration of business flow, logistics and people flow in Weifang, and also the commercial and cultural center of Weifang. With its unique geographical advantages, it has become the first large-scale comprehensive commercial retail enterprise with high commercial reputation in Weifang.
Since its establishment, Top 100 has grown from small to large, from weak to strong, from a single department store to a diversified commercial enterprise integrating department stores, supermarkets, cars, catering and distribution. In 2004, Weifang Top 100 was listed as the municipal key circulation enterprises by the municipal government, and in 2008, it was listed as the key service enterprises by the municipal government. It was recognized as "Weifang Time honored Brand" by Weifang Trade Bureau in 2009 and "Shandong Time honored Brand" by Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce in 2011.
Looking at the development process of nearly 70 years, a main line runs through it - single-minded development and solid supply guarantee.
(II)
The predecessor of Weifang Department Store can be traced back to the establishment of Dahua Trading Company, the earliest state-owned comprehensive company in Weifang after the liberation of Weifang.
In March 1950, the Government Affairs Council issued the Decision on Unifying the National Financial and Economic Work and the Decision on Unifying the National Measures for the Implementation of State run Trade, according to which, on the basis of the General Affairs Department of Dahua Trading Company, the "Weixian Branch of China Department Store Shandong Branch" was established.
In March 1953, "Weixian Branch of China Department Store Shandong Company" was changed to "Weixian Purchasing and Supply Wholesale Station of China Department Store Shandong Company". At the same time, a "Weixian Department Store" directly under the leadership of the station was established. In September of the same year, according to the instructions of the superior, the "Weixian Purchasing and Supply Wholesale Station of China Department Store Shandong Company" was merged with "Weixian Department Store", which was called "Weixian Store of China Department Store Shandong Company".
In January 1955, the "Changwei Branch of China Department Store Shandong Company" was established on the basis of Weixian Department Store, with one office, seven departments, three wholesale departments and one retail sales department. This retail sales department is the predecessor of the Top 100. In 1955, it was called "Weifang Department Store Retail Department"; In May 1959, the former retail department of Weifang Department Store was renovated and opened at its current location, known as the "retail department of Weifang Department Store Building"; In 1961, it was called "Weifang Shengli Street Store"; In 1984, it was called "Weifang Department Store"; In 1993, it was reorganized as "Weifang Department Store Co., Ltd.", and in 2000, the state-owned shares were withdrawn and transformed into private joint-stock enterprises.
In 1959, the business place of the enterprise was still a small two-story building, with 10 rooms at the top and 10 rooms at the bottom. The building area was about 400 square meters, and there were three offices of about 40 square meters in the hospital. It was the only commercial enterprise in Weifang City whose business place was a building structure at that time. There are 38 employees. The store has 9 counter groups including department stores, cotton needles, clothing, shoes and hats, cloth, stationery, hardware, non-staple food, new drugs, and 2 counters for overseas Chinese remittance labor protection. The overseas Chinese remittance store is the first overseas Chinese remittance franchise store in Weifang City, specializing in famous cigarettes and wine, first-class tea, bicycles, watches, etc., and the most popular commodities are purchased with overseas Chinese remittance vouchers.
From the beginning of its establishment to the period before the reform and opening up, it belongs to the planned economy period in China. As a state-owned business, Baida serves as the main channel of commerce and is the "reservoir" of Weifang's commodity supply. In terms of commodity procurement, it shall be distributed in proportion in strict accordance with the plan approved by the superior, with the local area as the main part and the non local area as the auxiliary part. All planned commodities are sold to secondary wholesale stations in the city, and the purchase is organized according to the plan. For unplanned goods, according to the actual needs, the store will go to the municipal secondary station or the provincial company to organize the source of goods. In terms of sales, in addition to collecting the prescribed tickets according to different commodities in different periods, the rest of the supply price liberalization shall be subject to the unified provisions of the state. In particular, the festival supply. In the four festivals of the Mid Autumn Festival, the National Day, the New Year's Day and the Spring Festival every year, the commercial department has planned in advance to organize the purchase, arrange the festival market supply, and reasonably supply the limited commodities to thousands of households to meet people's festival supply. This form has been used for more than 30 years.
With the in-depth implementation of the policy of "reform, opening up and invigorating" and the reform of the circulation system of "three more and less", the business mode of stores has changed from the closed type to the open type in the past, vigorously developing horizontal economic ties, striving to expand the purchase of goods from factories inside and outside the province, widely carrying out a variety of sales forms such as consignment, exhibition, joint marketing and wholesale, and actively invigorating the business.
(III)
Development is the absolute principle. With the spring breeze of reform and opening up, the time-honored Weifang Top 100 ushered in the spring of its rapid development.
During the planned economy period, the development of enterprises was very slow. With the continuous development of the market economy and the continuous growth of the social purchasing power, the original second floor business premises of Baida were small in size and backward in facilities, far from meeting the needs of the development of the situation.
Approved by Weifang Municipal Government, the old building was demolished and rebuilt in 1981. During this period, the employees had no fixed business place, and they were led by the leader, who pulled the goods with the platoon, and sold goods everywhere, as far as Dongying. The whole reconstruction period also did not stop operations.
On the New Year's Day of 1984, the new building that the top 100 employees expected for three years was completed and opened. Mr. Shu Tong, the former secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, inscribed the store name. The main building of the business building is four floors high, and the auxiliary building is two floors high. The building area is 6700 square meters, and the business area is 3975 square meters. It was the largest commercial retail enterprise with advanced facilities and complete functions in Weifang at that time. The overall design of the building is magnificent, magnificent and full of modern flavor, and it became a landmark building in Weifang at that time. Standing in the building, you can have a panoramic view of the whole city of Weifang.
With the expansion of the business scale of the enterprise, the commodity business has been continuously upgraded, showing a pattern of scale, serialization, specialization and branding. The business categories include general merchandise, non-staple food, knitwear, clothing, shoes and hats, cosmetics, hardware and electrical equipment, sporting goods, watch glasses, gold jewelry, transportation tools and other 15 major categories, ranging from household appliances to daily necessities, from precious gold jewelry to cheap needles and thread, high, medium and low grade commodities are all available, which can meet the needs of consumers at different levels.
Reform is an inexhaustible source of power. In 1987, Top 100 was the first company in the same industry in the city to implement the contract management responsibility system, which fully mobilized the enthusiasm of cadres and workers; In 1992, it was the first company in the same industry in the city to carry out the "four liberalization" reform of management, employment, price and distribution, consciously accept internal and social supervision of enterprises, and expand the autonomy of enterprises; In 1993, the enterprise took the lead in implementing the joint-stock reform in the same industry in the city.
After the restructuring, the 100 largest companies improved the corporate governance structure of the shareholders' meeting, the board of directors, the board of supervisors, and the managers, transformed the business mechanism of the enterprise, and further strengthened the cohesion of employees and the centripetal force of the enterprise. In 1993, the sales volume of the enterprise took the lead in breaking the 100 million yuan mark in the retail industry of the city, and was awarded the title of "One Hundred Best Benefit Retail Stores in China" by the Ministry of Internal Trade, ranking 33rd. With the increasingly fierce market competition, a number of "time-honored brands" have disappeared, but the landscape of the top 100 companies is unique and has reached a new level with each passing year.
(IV)
In order to enable enterprises to win a larger share in the market competition with numerous merchants and make "small sampans" become "aircraft carriers", Top 100 has successively carried out large-scale expansion and decoration, and enterprises have achieved extraordinary leapfrog development.
On October 1, 1995, the Phase II expansion project was put into operation; On October 1, 1997, the third phase of the expansion and decoration project was opened. In 2002, the new leadership of the Top 100 led the staff to innovate and start businesses, strive to become strong, pay close attention to the people-oriented team building, develop a diversified development idea of focusing on one industry and developing multiple industries simultaneously, establish the strategic positioning of the Top 100 culture of "integrity and aspiration", implement the brand strategy, highlight the business characteristics, create a popular boutique, and make the Top 100 achieve a new leap forward, From a single industry, it has gradually formed a diversified operation pattern of focusing on one industry and simultaneously developing multiple industries. In 2003, Weifang Wujiaohua Company, a bankrupt enterprise close to the north of the building, was taken over, and its scale was further expanded. After continuous expansion and decoration adjustment, business scale, commodity grade, shopping environment, business facilities and service quality have all reached a new level.
In October 1999, the first large-scale supermarket in Weifang, Baida Wanjiafu Supermarket, was opened in Beigong West Street, which has convenient transportation in the urban fringe, with a business area of 12000 square meters. One hundred Wanjiafu supermarkets were the first to introduce a new concept of supermarket management to Weifang citizens, challenge the traditional shopping methods, and lead the new shopping fashion of Weifang citizens. In order to accelerate the pace of supermarket expansion, in recent years, small and medium-sized supermarket chains have been developed in Fangzi, Hanting, Kuiwen and other places, bringing convenience to the life and shopping of local urban and rural residents. At present, it is actively and steadily extending to the surrounding areas.
Taking improving people's life quality as its own responsibility, Top 100 took the lead in jumping out of the traditional business circle and entering the automobile industry. In January 2002, we cooperated with DPCA Automobile Co., Ltd. to set up Dongfeng Citroen 4S store in Weifang Economic and Technological Development Zone, becoming the first car business in Weifang and the only car business in Weifang shopping malls. After the opening of Dongfeng Citroen's top 100 auto franchise stores in 2002, Dongfeng Nissan, SAIC Skoda and SAIC Roewe 4S stores were opened one after another. After brand integration, they currently operate Nissan, Skoda, Roewe and Pickup brands, forming a pattern of complete high, middle and low-end, and integrated operation of family, business and official vehicles. Automobiles have become one of the top 100 important economic growth points.
In December 2004, the city's first large-scale indoor ecological catering plaza located in Weifang Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Hundred Oasis Ecological Park, was completed and opened. With its beautiful environment and exquisite dishes, it has become a beautiful landscape of Weifang's catering industry and a new business card of urban catering.
In 2006, Top 100 introduced CIS corporate culture strategy in enterprises. It has established a new service concept of "making service in the heart of customers", and put forward a series of corporate culture concepts such as "offering high-quality goods to the public, creating value for customers", "creating a famous boutique for the public, making fashion consumption top 100", "carefully focusing on quality, focusing on the public", "beautiful top 100, taste life", "fine everything, safe every day".
In September 2018, according to the concept of new retail and new business type, Weifang Top 100 opened a new Top 100 Yueshang Life Supermarket, which integrates online shopping malls, e-commerce distribution and community integrated services. Whether it is the operation mode, supermarket layout, category design or store positioning, Top 100 Yuet still has distinctive characteristics, and has become a new supermarket model store that Weifang Top 100 is trying to build. In 2020, Yueshang Minnie Fresh Food Community Supermarket will be added, creating a community supermarket brand with temperature and heavy experience.
At present, Top 100 is fully promoting the business center project. The project is located in the north of the current department store, covering an area of 5332 square meters, with a total planned floor area of about 53848 square meters, which is another transformation and upgrading of Weifang Department Store. The 1-7 floors of the podium building are planned as shopping malls, and the 8-21 floors of the main building are planned as office buildings. Among them, the podium building will be independently operated by the department store after completion and connected with the business building of Weifang Department Store. The podium building mainly focuses on increasing the supporting functions of the business circle, and gathers brand catering, high-end entertainment, children's theme park and other business forms to create a "one-stop, all age, multi business" business life hub, and promote the transformation of Weifang Department Store from traditional department stores to modern shopping centers. At present, the project has entered the stage of interior decoration and is expected to be put into use by the end of the year.
Editor in charge: Wang Yulong
