A retail subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) — the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer — plans to open 20 stores in China aimed at technology innovators known as “makers,” by the end of the year, a company executive said yesterday.
Hon Hai Cybermart’s (賽博數碼) retail consumer electronics chain in China, Big Cyber (必酷賽博), is to open new stores in Beijing and Guangzhou next month and in May, general manager Wang Jung-ching (王榮慶) said.
Wang said Big Cyber aims to offer a new platform for makers, to help them create innovative products and build their own businesses.
The stores would also provide a space for makers to showcase their products to consumers, Wang said.
Big Cyber’s Shanghai store, which opened in January, sells technology and cultural products created and marketed by Chinese makers, alongside products imported from Japan, Wang said.
The store also holds workshops teaching students to build their own gadgets or craft items. One recent workshop taught participants to use conductive paint to build model paper houses that can be lit-up by light-emitting diodes.
The next step for Big Cyber after opening stores in Beijing and Guangzhou is to launch an outlet in Shenzhen, which has seen the most rapid maker development in China, Wang said.
Big Cyber plans to open 20 stores by the end of the year, while Cybermart continues to operate as a shopping venue for electronics, Wang added.
According to Cybermart’s Web site, the chain has 31 stores across China.
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