On 16 December, Emmanuel Lenain, director-general of the Directorate for Asia and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France, visited Sanpower Group. Yuan Yafei, chairman of Sanpower Group, warmly welcomed Emmanuel Lenain accompanied by Kong Jun, CEO of House of Fraser China.

Emmanuel Lenain first visited Hamleys which is located in Xinjiekou, Nanjing and is currently in trial operation, and the flagship store of House of Fraser China which is to be opened soon. After that, he visited the group’s corporate culture showroom, Sanpower Home, and senior care command centre in the group’s headquarters building. After gaining a deeper understanding of the group, Emmanuel Lenain praised Sanpower’s speed of development and displayed his admiration for Sanpower’s industrial positioning in the areas of new consumption, new health and new finance.

During the meeting, Emmanuel Lenain expressed his admiration for Sanpower’s achievements in “going global” and “bringing in” through cross-border investment and M&A activities and getting tangible results of the overseas M&A in China. He also introduced France’s relevant investment policies and invited Yuan Yafei to visit France. Lenain also advised that he is willing to help Sanpower in relation to policies for investment in France. Yuan Yafei also expressed his hope in maintaining friendly cooperation with France and to do what little Sanpower can to help further non-governmental communication and trade cooperation between China and France as well as to bring honour to the long-standing and well-established friendship between China and France.