Mob scene

摘要

"Does this look like a recession to you?" says Paulus Tumewu with a smile as he waves his arm. The head of Indonesia's best retailer is in its newest store, the 80th in the Ramayana chain, in Salatiga, a dusty town of 250,000 in the highlands of central Java. Tumewu, 50, has just presided over the opening. The aisles are so packed that security guards have to hold back the crowds at the entrance. "It's like this every time we open a store," says the founder. Inside, the throng has its pick of 50,000 items; plastic motorcycle helmets are as cheap as $2.50, blue jeans nearly that low (a pair of Wranglers is $13). Lots of the house brands carry Western-sounding names―the sizzle of style. Ramayana isn't widely known, but it should be. It belies all the stereotypes about Indonesian companies: It is run by an entrepreneur with no connection to crony capitalists; it is well managed and has no debt; it is profitable in the midst of turmoil; and it has healthy prospects for long-term growth.