Genmont Biotech Incorporation on Friday announced that famous cake maker White Wood House, a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, will cease trading within one week. The decision was made at a meeting of the company’s board of directors to protect the interests of shareholders due to continued losses sustained by the company and a belief that it would not be possible to return to profit. White Wood House employs approximately 190 members of staff.
Established in 1997, White Wood House operates a total of 19 retail outlets nationwide, six of which are directly operated concessions within department stores. The brand’s main products are a range of exquisitely-made cakes, popular souvenir gifts, hand-made chocolates and French-style macarons, which are popular with consumers.
When the brand was launched, its upscale, elaborate style of cakes quickly became famous and the company’s bakery franchise won favor with a large number of consumers. However, in recent years, competition within the confectionery market has been extremely fierce and White Wood House gradually became no match for the competition.
Photo: CNA
照片:中央社
Responding to a telephone interview, a member of staff at White Wood House’s sales department said the business has been in communication with several group-buying Web sites which will allow the company to complete any orders already placed by customers, and it will continue to redeem coupons for cake purchases up to the end of this month. If any customers wish to cancel their orders, White Wood House said it will fulfill its obligations and provide customers with a full refund.
(CNA, translated by Edward Jones)
景岳生技週五宣布,旗下獨資子公司,知名蛋糕店白木屋食品因持續虧損,考量未來無法轉虧為盈,為維護股東權益,董事會決議一週內辦理停業,員工數約一百九十人。
Photo: Hsu Chuo-hsun, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報許倬勛攝
白木屋一九九七年成立,全台目前共有十九家門市,六家直營百貨專櫃,主打各式精緻蛋糕、人氣伴手禮、純手工巧克力與法式馬卡龍,深受消費者喜愛。
當年因為走高價位,精緻蛋糕風格,成為早期知名的連鎖蛋糕店業者,吸引許多消費者青睞。但近幾年蛋糕市場競爭激烈,白木屋漸漸不敵競爭。
白木屋營業部人員今天接受電訪表示,由於白木屋跟許多團購網站合作,已經有跟相關網站先做溝通,凡消費者已預訂蛋糕者,白木屋五月底前都會如期完成,也受理消費者持兌換券領取蛋糕。如果消費者想要退費,白木屋也會盡該盡的責任,讓消費者退費。
(中央社)
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Vocabulary Extension
Wholly owned subsidiary
A wholly owned subsidiary is a company whose common stock is 100 percent owned by another company, which is referred to as the parent company. Whereas a company can become a wholly owned subsidiary through an acquisition by the parent company or having been spun off from the parent company, a regular subsidiary is 51 to 99 percent owned by the parent company.
Because the parent company owns all the shares of a wholly owned subsidiary, there are no minority shareholders. The subsidiary operates with the permission of the parent company, which may or may not have direct input into the subsidiary’s operations and management.
Franchise
A franchise is a type of license that a party (franchisee) acquires to allow them to have access to a business’ (the franchisor) proprietary knowledge, processes, and trademarks in order to allow the party to sell a product or provide a service under the business’ name. In exchange for gaining the franchise, the franchisee usually pays the franchisor an initial start-up and annual licensing fees.
When a business wants to increase its market share or increase its geographical reach at a low cost, it may create a franchise for its product and brand name. A franchise is a joint venture between a franchisor and a franchisee.
The franchisor is the original or existing business which sells the right to use its name and idea. The franchisee is the individual who buys into the original company by purchasing the right to sell the franchisor’s goods or services under the existing business model and trademark. McDonald’s and 7-Eleven are two well-known examples of franchises which have extended their reach worldwide.
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
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