Wang Zhentao: The Survival Of Wenzhou Shoe Man

From counterfeiting to counterfeiting, driven by interests and economic means to solve economic problems, Wenzhou footwear industry has learned its own way of survival in the full market competition.

Similarly, "3. 15", different people will have different feelings.

The illegal enterprises and peddlers for counterfeiting and counterfeiting are one of their every year's need, or the net, or the "bad luck", and the "shoe Yanks" of Wenzhou, who have been in the mire and stand on the Bank of the river, and look back at the moment when the curtain is "flaming the sky".

The first fire in 1987

In August 8, 1987, this is a great day for Chinese businessmen who are keen on "digital superstition". However, there are hundreds of years of Wenzhou system. shoes The industry suffered a devastating blow on this day. Hangzhou city commerce and Industry Bureau jointly organized several departments, and in Hangzhou's downtown Wulin gate square, more than 5000 pairs of poor Wenzhou shoes were piled up, and a fire was burned to ashes.

Suddenly, the leather shoes in Wenzhou are in the limelight in the domestic market. Unfortunately, it gives people the impression that the reputation of poor quality is two. The leather shoes of Wenzhou became all street mice.

"The shoes of Wenzhou are pretty good, and they go bad after dancing several times." Others said, "walking on a rainy day wearing Wenzhou shoes, people walking, the soles do not go." For this kind of evaluation, at that time, Wenzhou "shoe guy" had its own explanation, "20 yuan and a pair of shoes, wear four pairs a year only 100 yuan, and 100 yuan a pair for a year, almost you wear more than three styles."

The people in Wenzhou say that if the fake is sold seriously, it is a selling holiday. Wang Zhentao, President of AOKANG, said, "my definition of fake commodities is low quality, low price, high quality and high price. They are not fake commodities. For example, the slippers in hotels do not require too much quality, they can wear for a few days, the price is very low, and they are not called fake commodities. Only selling low-quality goods to high quality prices and shoddy products is fake and inferior commodities. The shoes I entered are all genuine leather and the price is cheap. How can I make sure that the shoes I sell are inferior products?

Wang Zhentao, who is 22 years old, is still young. leather shoes Dealers, Hangzhou, the blaze, the fire has been "spread" to Wuhan, Wang Zhentao in the local shopping malls value 200 thousand of more than 4000 pairs of leather shoes were immediately checked by the Wuhan industry and Commerce Department, and then 5 yuan a pair of price on the spot auction, panic buying crowd, local had to dispatch many personnel to maintain order, the provisions of each person to buy a pair.

This matter has always been Wang Zhentao's brooding, and the gloom of his heart was not released until 2001, when Cui Yongyuan was presided over by "telling the truth". At that time, 14 years after the incident, the leather shoes merchant of the year had "become" the "king of Chinese shoes", and he had the opportunity and right to express his mind in the authoritative media of China.

The Wulin gate incident made Wang Zhentao, who just came out and broke the world, suffered heavy losses, and it also directly led to the "credibility collapse" of the footwear industry in Wenzhou. Fortunately, the Wulin gate incident did not fundamentally shake the foundation of the footwear industry in Wenzhou. Making leather shoes is a traditional skill of Wenzhou people. The name of "shoe boy" is not derogatory in Wenzhou. As early as the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, Wenzhou shoes were listed as tribute by the court. In 1920s, a complete system of handicraft shoe leather industry was formed in Wenzhou. Tannery street, leather shoes street and leather goods Street appeared. {page_break}

In the initial stage of reform and opening up, the most popular way of Wenzhou mode is its active private economy. At that time, the footwear industry in Wenzhou was mostly a family workshop with former shops and factories, which was scattered and small in scale, but with numerous enterprises and fierce competition. In the initial stage of capital accumulation, in order to maintain basic survival, business owners have no cards to handle. When China has just stepped out of the shortage economy period, the domestic market demand is strong, and the corresponding legal environment needs to be perfected. This has left a piece of soil for survival for the counterfeiters.

If the shoe burning incident happened in Wenzhou, in another place, the industry would probably disappear. Wenzhou has an excellent foundation for footwear industry, and its industrial chain is complete. Leatherwear Shoes, heels, shoe buckles and other materials are readily available, and after the Wulin gate incident, the price of shoe making materials has plummeted, and generally they can bulk credit. This provides an extremely rare entrepreneurial opportunity for Wang Zhentao who is unwilling but lacks funds.

Today, the "big guys" of the footwear industry in Wenzhou have deep roots in this industry. It can not be said that they have no advantages other than shoemaking, but in the prevailing market conditions, it is a practical choice to continue making shoes according to the characteristics of Wenzhou businessmen.

At that time, the shoe industry in Wenzhou was deeply troubled by the fact that they continued to make shoes and what brands to play. The Wenzhou brand had already stinted the streets, and the shops were all over the country. What's more, shops in many places have also issued safety notice: our shop does not sell Wenzhou shoes. But without their own brand, they can only make OEM for large enterprises, always stealth behind others, and earn a little profit in the industrial chain. Wang Zhentao saw that he had never played Wenzhou brand, and that the footwear industry in Wenzhou was not only a little bigger, but also a company that never came out.

Second fires in 1999

In December 15, 1999, Wang Zhentao finally exported evil spirits. On this day, he sent more than 2000 pairs of imitation AOKANG shoes from all over the country to Hangzhou, where they were burned on a piece of open space near the outskirts of Hangzhou city. He waited 12 years for this day.

Their own brand began to be counterfeited by other enterprises, which really made Wang Zhentao happy and worried. Wenzhou's brand has finally created a world in the market, but it finds itself in a sea of counterfeiting and counterfeiting. Wang Zhentao's day of shame for Wenzhou footwear industry is also the time when shoe industry is bogged down in fakes. The other side is hiding in the dark place to display "the eight dragons of heaven", Murong Fu's martial arts skills: the other way, and the other body, let the Wenzhou shoe men be unable to guard against danger.

Wang Zhentao said that the company now set up a special anti counterfeiting office, the annual funds for counterfeiting more than 1 million. "I would also like to say that the fire in Wenzhou is not forgotten. People in Wenzhou are always vigilant. {page_break}

In the past more than 10 years, Wenzhou has paid a heavy price for breaking the trust and losing its faith in the market. The price is still being paid to this day. Despite the fact that the footwear industry in Wenzhou has gone out of the country today, China has been the first to participate in the international market competition, with Kangnai, AOKANG, red dragonfly, Dongyi, jelda, and multi Kang as the leading enterprises. Wenzhou shoe store is located in several continents, but it is hard to find Wenzhou shoes in the top leather shoes brands of domestic high-end business. Wenzhou brand truly reinvented, perhaps it will take a generation of efforts.

The most prominent Association presidents from counterfeiting to counterfeiting, driven by interests, and economic means to solve economic problems. Wenzhou shoe industry has learned its own way of survival in the full market competition. In 1992, the Wenzhou shoe leather industry association was established. The association is a regional industry intermediary organization mainly composed of leather shoes, leather industry, leather goods, bags, leather machinery, leather chemicals, shoe machine, shoe last, shoe material, shoe decoration, shoe design, professional market and so on. Taking the cross industry and cross ownership private economy as the main body, there are more than 4500 enterprises and 420 thousand employees.

The peculiarity of Wenzhou Industry Association is that it is different from our common "two government" which is attached to the competent department of a certain industry. From the chairman to the director, it is basically selected by all members of the industry through the formal election channels, and it is the industry leader who really serves the industry wholeheartedly. He should not only deal with all kinds of contradictions and disputes in the industry, coordinate the relationship between the industry and the government and foreign counterparts, but also formulate rules and some industry standards according to the suggestions of enterprises. In Wenzhou, it is a great honour to be president of an industry association.

This is an industry association that has been directly stimulated by the need for self-protection and development after Wenzhou's private economy is stronger and bigger.

This demand is internal, instinctive and spontaneous. Its essence is to form a "spokesman for the industry", representing the overall interests of the industry and coordinating various economic and social relations in the industry. The self-regulation agreement established by the association ensures that no counterfeit goods are manufactured. Who made fake products and damaged the reputation of Wenzhou products, we all joined in boycott him. Wenzhou shoe guys have realized that maintaining the image of Wenzhou brand is to safeguard the interests of Wenzhou shoemaking industry. The interests of the industry are the interests of everyone.