A representative of a major Chinese fruit retail chain says consumers are placing far less importance on produce prices than they did in the past.

Catherine Goa, vice president of the QunFeng Fruit Chain's import division, said the price factor had dropped down the priority list as quality and taste had shot up to the top.

Gao will speak at during the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fruittrade event to be held in the Chilean capital Santiago on Nov. 9-10, participating in the session entitled 'Global Retail Strategy Seminar: Benchmark. Target. Grow'.

She will talk about the company's 'unique' business model, the 'biggest trend' in the Chinese produce retail market, and provide growers selling their fruit to the Asian market with key advice.

"The Chinese retail market has developed very fast, in one or two years it has changed a lot," Gao told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"Before customers were very focused on much they were able to buy - how much volume - but now they're more focused on quality. The quality requirements are getting higher and higher, stricter and stricter, especially for fruits.

"The highest priority used to be the price, following by appearance, and then taste and nutrition, but now, the taste and nutrition are the most important, followed by the appearance and then price. So it's very different."

In her address to growers and suppliers, she will mention the need to be aware of the increased competition with local produce.

"Growers need to pay more attention to their fruit quality and nutrition than before, and they need to know that the quality of local fruits in China is also increasing step-by-step," she said.

As for the event itself, Gao said attendance was an ideal way to improve communication throughout the company's supply chain.

"By attending PMA Fruittrade we have the opportunity to meet growers face to face, so we can learn more. We can also pass on our customers' requirements directly to the growers. That's a great benefit for us," she said.

QunFeng imported around 100 containers of Chilean cherries to China last season, along with kiwifruit, table grapes and citrus. It also imports grapes and cherries from the U.S., in addition to grapes and citrus from Australia.

Other sourcing locations include Thailand and Taiwan. QunFeng imported 300 containers of pineapples from the latter last season, and is expecting to double that figure during the next campaign.

The company opened its first store in 2004, and now owns 700 stores across Eastern China, with annual revenue of around US$300 million from its online and offline businesses.

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