E-kiosks selling Macau goods see phased roll-out in Guangzhou

By the end of this year, five vending machines will be set up in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong province, to sell goods from Macau, Kevin Ho, president of the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau, said yesterday.
The association held a forum at the MGM Macau yesterday alongside a contract-signing ceremony for the vending machine collaboration.
Located in a facility established for the purpose of incubating Macau enterprises in the Huangpu District of Guangzhou, the vending machines seek to meet the consumption habits of mainland residents and can process mobile payment transactions.
They will offer 150 types of Macau goods in three major categories: Macau specialty souvenirs, Macau creative products and, in order to highlight Macau’s position as the bridge between China and Lusophone countries, Lusophone coffee products. A total of 17 local small and medium sized enterprises are involved in the project, providing goods to be sold in the vending machines.
The vending machine placement project, according to Ho, is a collaboration with MGM which aims to explore new horizons and expand operating spaces for local small and medium sized enterprises to consequentially achieve economic diversification in Macau.
He said that, during the realization of the project, the association managed to resolve challenges in importing goods from Macau to mainland China faced by 10 of the participating enterprises.
As to why Guangzhou has been chosen as the starting point of this project, Ho explained this was because the territory is a national-level central city and a core city in the Greater Bay Area’s innovative initiative.
It also has a strong base in scientific innovation and other aspects, he added. The city, meanwhile, also has a strong foundation that has been supporting various trades. More importantly, Guangzhou and Macau have many similarities to the point of being nearly identical across culture, language, and lifestyle norms.
The two cities also have established collaboration experience. The association hopes to provide greater future opportunities to local enterprises.
At the event yesterday, Ho recapped that 2021 marks the third year of the Association’s collaboration with the gambling concessionaire on the series of projects titled “Join hands to develop the Greater Bay Area.”
In the past three years, 10 large-scale events have been held with apparently satisfactory results.
Kenneth Feng, president, chief strategic and financial officer of MGM, reiterated in a statement that the company holds a different type of event each year in an attempt to nurture local small and medium sized enterprises and promote Macau goods as a brand.
Feng noted his belief that this year’s project of making sales through vending machines will help local enterprises to enter the mainland market at a low cost and risk, with added convenience and flexibility.
The project will benefit residents in Guangzhou too, as they will be within close reach of Macau goods and culture. Feng added that MGM will continue its cooperation with the association to bring more local businesses to the mainland.