What is your greatest professional achievement?

I think my biggest accomplishment during my professional career has been to grow Tassels – a high-end men shoes store concept currently featuring some of the world’s finest shoe brands – from a start up to one of the most prominent players in the luxury footwear retail segment in the Asia Pacific region.

Why did you choose to join the Fair Play team?

First of all, the people at Fair Play. I always believed that work is about doing something that I enjoy with the people I like; I saw in the Fair Play Team a good combination of professionalism, commitment and high-quality experience. Second of all, I am certain that there is a demand for consulting work in the Greater China region from the medium-sized enterprises, which is Fair Play specialty in terms of company size.

What will you bring to Fair Play from your career?

I will bring over 15 years of international consulting experience and an in-depth knowledge of characteristics, opportunities, strategies and business insights on the retail market in the Greater China region.

What is the economic outlook for your market?

Due to the downward economic growth rate and the latest financial outcomes, in recent times the economy has been slowing down both in Mainland China and in Hong Kong. Despise the temporary outlook, I believe that in the long term, there is still great potential for business, trade and economic development in Mainland China which will simultaneously involve Hong Kong as well.

What are the greatest development potential for Italian companies in your area?

I think that nowadays the development potential for Italian companies wanting to compete in China lies in the small and medium cities spread all over the Country (Tier 3 and below). Markets in large cities are relatively developed and competitively saturated. In the next few years development in this direction will also be supported by economic policy measures as the Chinese Government intends to push growth in the lower tier cities.

How will you support the growth of medium-sized enterprises?

Having worked with a few medium-sized companies and started up my own company, I have a broader perception and understanding of the issues medium-sized companies are facing. Together with the Fair Play team, I believe we are in a very good position to help medium-sized companies to identify and prioritize their concerns, come up with the proper strategy to address said issues and guide them on the path of a long-run solid growth.

What are the latest trends in China’s retail? 

The Chinese consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated and this evolution is occurring at an alarming rate. They are ditching the big logos and going for niche high quality luxury brands. At the same time, as far as business models are concerned, the e-commerce sales channel is playing an increasingly major role in the Chinese retail market, transforming the rule of the game and bringing forth interesting opportunities.

Read Jonathan Young short profile, visit his Linkedin Page: http://www.fairplayconsulting.com/it/team/jonathan-young/