The Condom Conundrum

摘要

If you were the world's leading condom manufac-turer, you might think that a country like China, with its 1.2 billion people practicing the strictest birth control since Herod, would be a dream market. But British-based London International Group (LIG), which launched a $7 million condom joint venture with Qing-dao Latex Co. in March, is facing the sort of obstacles familiar to many Western enterprises seeking gold in China. Sheer size, which counts in this game, is hardly the problem. LIG recorded worldwide sales of $550 million last fiscal year and produces a lead brand, Durex, that is the world's favorite branded condom, claiming 21% of global market share. Experts contend that the company is probably the only foreign, manufacturer with the muscle to penetrate the mainland market.