The Hainan Consumer Products Expo, held annually in Haikou, has emerged as a premier platform for global brands to engage with China’s burgeoning consumer market. In 2025, the event took on special significance for the UK, which was named the guest country of honour for the first time. This accolade underscored the strengthening economic ties between the UK and China, with British exports to China reaching £28.5 billion in 2024. The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) played a pivotal role in facilitating the participation of British brands, including health retailer Holland & Barrett and tea specialist Whittard of Chelsea.

The Hainan Expo, now in its fifth year, attracted over 300,000 visitors and featured 4,000 brands from 80 countries, with a focus on premium consumer goods. China’s consumer market, projected to reach US$8.2 trillion by 2030, is a magnet for international brands, driven by a growing middle class and increasing demand for high-quality imports. For British businesses, the expo offered a strategic opportunity to showcase their products, build brand awareness, and forge partnerships in a market where e-commerce and cross-border trade are thriving. The UK pavilion highlighted Britain’s reputation for innovation and heritage, with CBBC members like Holland & Barrett and Whittard leading the charge.

Holland & Barrett, a household name in the UK for health and wellness products, made a significant impact at the 2025 expo. For the company, it was their first major appearance at Hainan, following a smaller presence in Hangzhou the previous year. Sophia, representing Holland & Barrett, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity.

“We think it’s a good opportunity to make some business here, especially as the UK is the country of honour this year”. In China, where the health supplement market is expected to grow to US$50 billion by 2027, Holland & Barrett is a relatively new player, having entered the market just seven months before the expo. This necessitated a tailored approach to meet the preferences of Chinese consumers.

Unlike its established retail model in the UK and Europe, Holland & Barrett has adapted its strategy in China to focus on products designed specifically for local tastes. Sophia explained, “We make products especially for Chinese consumers, so we consider such things as localising ingredients and how we consume them”. This localisation effort includes developing supplements with appealing flavours, as Chinese consumers often prioritise taste alongside health benefits. This focus on consumer experience, coupled with the expo’s high visibility, positioned Holland & Barrett to capture the attention of China’s health-conscious urbanites, particularly millennials and Gen Z, who drive demand for premium wellness products.

Whittard of Chelsea, a British tea brand founded in 1886, also seized the opportunity to showcase its heritage at the Hainan Expo. Participating for the first time, Whittard was selected to represent the tea, coffee, and hot chocolate category within the UK pavilion. Katherine Oon, Whittard’s International Sales Manager, expressed excitement about the event. “This is our first time participating in the Hainan Expo and we are very excited to be part of the UK pavilion,” she said. Tea holds deep cultural significance in China, but Whittard distinguished itself by introducing British tea traditions to Chinese consumers. “We want to bring the British tea lifestyle and the traditions to the Chinese customers,” says Oon. “So it’s about educating them on afternoon tea, British blends like Earl Grey, English Rose and the Britishness of tea traditions.”

Whittard’s approach respects China’s rich tea culture while highlighting its unique offerings. The company sources teas globally, including from China, but its expertise lies in blending, a hallmark of British tea culture. At the expo, Whittard’s tea-tasting sessions were a highlight. “Tea tasting is always busy. It’s our experience, it’s a tea journey that every customer enjoys,” says Oon. These interactive experiences resonated with Chinese consumers, particularly affluent urban professionals who value premium and experiential products. The expo’s focus on cultural exchange allowed Whittard to position itself as a bridge between British and Chinese tea traditions, fostering consumer curiosity and brand loyalty.

Looking ahead, both brands outlined ambitious plans for 2025, leveraging their expo participation to deepen their foothold in China. Holland & Barrett aims to expand its product range and distribution channels, building on the momentum gained at Hainan. The company’s focus on localisation aligns with China’s growing demand for health products tailored to local preferences, supported by the country’s 105 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones. Whittard, meanwhile, is set for a significant push this year.

“2025 is going to be a big year for us. We set up a team in China, I will be relocating to Shanghai, and as a brand itself we are going to have more opportunities for collaboration for partnerships and introducing the whole British afternoon tea to the Chinese consumer,” says Oon. This strategic relocation and focus on partnerships reflect Whittard’s commitment to embedding itself in China’s market.

The success of Holland & Barrett and Whittard at the Hainan Expo underscores the broader opportunities for British brands in China. The event’s emphasis on the UK as the country of honour amplified their visibility, allowing them to connect with distributors, retailers, and consumers. CBBC’s support was instrumental, however, challenges remain, including navigating China’s regulatory landscape and competing with domestic brands. The CBBC advises British firms to invest in local partnerships and cultural understanding to succeed, a strategy both companies employed effectively.

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Jo Malone has launched a limited-edition Orange Marmalade fragrance inspired by Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches. The brand is clearly hoping that the collection will be popular in China, as in addition to social media marketing on WeChat (where customers can create a custom Paddington digital postcard), Weibo and Xiaohongshu, it has invested in two major outdoor advertising campaigns in Shanghai.

According to Jing Daily, the first of the events will be a large-scale display on the Bund from 18-22 July, followed by a subway takeover on Shanghai Metro Line 2, 18-31 July. These are both busy, high-traffic locations, which will maximise the brand’s exposure.

The collaboration’s key touchpoints of “British nostalgia” and “cuteness” may well resonate with Chinese consumers. Many Chinese consumers have a preference for cute, childlike things, known as ‘meng culture’ or cute culture, which can be considered similar to the Japanese concept of kawaii in Japan.

Some have suggested that cute culture has caught on with millennials and Gen Z as a sort of therapeutic escape from the extreme pressure many experience as part of China’s intense work environment. Many big brands — including luxury brands like Louis Vuitton — have taken note of this trend and launched collaborations with cartoon or other fictional characters targeted at the Chinese market.

Jo Malone made its official China debut in 2014 and has since become a popular high-end fragrance brand with a strong association with the UK. It has flagship stores on e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com and has also seen success with recommendation-based marketing via platforms like Xiaohongshu, where it ranked third in terms of user engagement with paid adverts.

Image captured from YouTube

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With only enough money to heat one room of his house in East Lothian, a shivering Tommy Crooks gathered up his hand-made soaps from his kitchen table and headed towards the Edinburgh Christmas market. That cold day in December 2010 would be the first step on a journey that today sees him run a seven-figure beauty brand called the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company.

Today, much of that revenue is derived from China thanks to a chance encounter with a customer, who is now Crooks’ distributor and partner in the Mainland.

“I’d learned some Chinese from a cousin of mine, and when Wei and her husband walked up, I said ‘nihao’,” Crooks explains. That led to a friendship, which eventually became a very profitable partnership.

Before Crooks and Wei Fu went into business, Crooks was travelling the length and breadth of the country, selling his natural and organic skincare products at craft fairs and Christmas markets. The products – made with no additives, preservatives or even water – were a hit, and by 2014, he had his own small factory unit. “It was an old wreck of a place with a table in the middle, but we slowly built it up, and we got to the position of having a good distribution network,” says Crooks.

A happy customer who had picked up some products from Crooks at a market during the Edinburgh Festival in 2019 returned to their home in Japan and reached out to offer to distribute Edinburgh Natural Skincare products in Japan. Fast forward a few years, and today, they have nationwide distribution in Japan and can be found in the luxury department store Isetan. Crooks will be heading over to celebrate the launch of his product in the highly reputable store Hankyu Men’s Tokyo. “They’ve got a great business over there,” he says. “They run it as their entity as the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company Japan, and we work hand in hand.”

Crooks has since opened two physical stores in Edinburgh and has three small factory units.  Following conversations with Wei, they decided to launch into the China market in October 2022.

“I had a 100% trust in Wei as I have known her for years and she is very smart. Part of being an entrepreneur is the fun of taking the risk. Entrepreneurs are people who jump off cliffs and then work out how to make a parachute,” he laughs.

The risk paid off. A year after launching, China made up 25% of the company’s total sales. And before their second year is even complete, sales have risen 400% on year one.

A selection of The Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company products

Wei Fu’s company, Commercial Cross, helps promote British brands in China, with a focus on selling via e-commerce channels like Tmall Global. “We do a full services for the brands,” says Wei. “They don’t need to hire anyone, just hire a service company like us for the whole China market.”

Commercial Cross has a team that operates brands’ online stores, markets them on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, facilitates shipping from the UK via a bonded warehouse, and even manages a customer service team in China.

Covering sectors including food and drink, fashion, mother and baby and beauty, Wei’s team will first work out the most suitable strategy for a brand’s route to market and then ensure that all the steps are put into place.

Crooks, explains Wei, had initially tried with a traditional distributor but had limited success. So Wei took hold of the reins and launched on Tmall Global.

“I always try to make it easy for the brands I work with,” says Wei. “We need paperwork done, applications submitted, registrations processed – we do all of this. We send the brand a list of requirements needed for registration and trademarks and so on, and fill it in for them. Then we ship the product, get the team ready, do the design work for the listings, create videos and images for the site…” she goes on. But it’s not just Tmall. Wei’s team informed Crooks of the pros and cons of various sites. For example, it might be cheaper to start with a Xiaohongshu account, although this will grow much slower. For an e-commerce shop like Tmall, a whole team would be needed, and stock would be required.

“It’s a bigger investment, and we communicate with our clients that the first one or two years, an investment will be needed, and profit might not come until year three,” she says. However, the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company wanted to break even from the start and so a structure was established that allowed Commercial Cross to take a commission on China sales, reducing the upfront cost for the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company.

The Edinburgh Natural SKincare Company founder Tommy Crooks

Wei explained that whilst livestreaming is valuable, it can be expensive, and the return on investment (ROI) is not always obvious. Therefore, for the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company, they focused on in-marketing promotion on Tmall and pay-per-click ads, which allows visible ROI to be monitored and adjusted accordingly. New products, says Wei, will have a lower ROI than established products and can take around two months before the market place has an awareness of the product and the break-even point is hit.

This strategy helped the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company sell more than Molton Brown and Emma Hardie last year thanks, in part, to a real focus on customer service.

“We always ensure we have a response time of under 20 seconds, so we make sure we have enough team members who can answer quickly,” she says. Wei explains that a response time of under 30 seconds provides the company with a top 5-star rating on Tmall. And with a 30-day average response time of 12.19 seconds, they look likely to keep that rating.

Wei explains that she didn’t know if the brand would be popular in China or not. Without added artificial perfume and scents from natural essential oils, the unique fragrance was new to Chinese audiences. And with no added water, the hand cream is more like a bar of soap than a cream, which many customers weren’t used to.

“We did get some feedback from people who didn’t understand the product,” says Wei. “But we promoted the products to doctors and nurses who have to wash their hands a lot and explained it is totally natural and has no artificial properties.”

Wei and her team at Commercial Cross take care of the Chinese market, allowing Crooks and his team to focus on evolving the products. Whilst marketeers often discuss the fluctuations of interest in established international brands verses growing domestic brands among Chinese consumers, Wei says that ultimately, consumers are looking for quality and value. “For most people, made in the UK means good quality,” she says.

“A lot of brands are scared by a new market but Tommy was so certain of the Chinese market from the beginning,” says Wei. “If Tommy didn’t have the courage to do it, then there would be no story.”

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The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) has developed the Brands of Britain Tour to help British brands grow their customer base and boost brand awareness among target audiences. The Brands of Britain Tour is a programme through which we will visit the headquarters of multinational corporations (MNC), large Chinese enterprises, high-end retailers and luxury hotel groups on a regular basis and share with them samples and trials of products and services from the programme’s participating brands.

Tours will be conducted monthly, and participating brands can subscribe to participate on a quarterly or annual basis.

Why join?

Joining the Brands of Britain Tour will allow you to:

• Improve your brand awareness in China among employees and decision-makers at leading MNCs.
• Connect with purchasing managers to develop potential new distribution channels through their companies’ employee group purchases or VIP customer rewards.
• Provide target consumers the chance to try your products and learn about your brand’s story.
• Interact with target consumers through CBBC and receive direct consumer feedback about your products and services.

Bringing a true brand experience to our consumers and collecting the resulting insights is an important part of our strategy for China. CBBC has supported us in various ways on our journey in China, one of which was by making introductions to a large bank in Shanghai to provide wellbeing and team-building tea tasting workshops for their employees. Importantly, CBBC had the networks to connect us to the right team within the bank, such that within just a few weeks our masterclass programme was up and running, with great success. – Lexie Morris, former General Manager, China, for Whittard of Chelsea on CBBC’s British Heritage Brand Workshop

Brands of Britain Tour calendar

We will organise the Brands of Britain Tour into four themed periods of three months, with three tours taking place each month. Below is our tour calendar for the year 2023 detailing each period’s designated theme.

Health & Wellness, January-March 2023
Lunar New Year marks the end of winter and the start of spring. This period of new beginnings is the opportune time for people to consider personal health and wellness. The theme will give centre stage to super foods, dietary supplements, skincare and cosmetics and other related products. We will also have a dedicated programme for women’s health in celebration of International Women’s Day in March.

Into the Wild, April-June 2023
With the weather warming up and May holiday on the minds of Chinese consumers, Q2 is the ideal time to take a break from the city. For Into the Wild, our second theme of the year, we will introduce UK products made for the outdoors, including some finger food and snacks suitable for an alfresco lunch.

Reunions & Gathering, July-September 2023
Our third theme, Reunions & Gatherings, is timed to coincide with graduation ceremonies in the late summer and family gatherings for Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the best time to introduce a selection of classic British gifts, such as British tableware, tea sets, home decoration, and cooking appliances. Join us for recommendations of the best English afternoon tea and Chinese mooncake pairings.

Joy & Festivities, October-December 2023
Joy & Festivities will be the final theme of the calendar year, during which we will introduce a variety of UK toys, home decorations and alcoholic drinks, including beer, cider, gin, rum, and whisky, to coincide with the holiday season and China’s Double 11 shopping festival.

What is included in the tours?

Pre-tour

• Conduct a consultation call with you to understand your goals and expectations
• Collect samples from your distributors and trade partners
• Share with you the tour schedule and event agenda

During the tour

• Present your brands at the event and introduce the brands’ unique selling points and stories
• Organise tastings and encourage people to share their experiences on WeChat and Weibo, two of China’s largest social media platforms
• Collect feedback
• Connect with the procurement teams of the targeted companies if available, and gauge interest in group buys

Post-tour

• Submit on a monthly basis an event summary with pictures and feedback
• Connect you with purchasing managers, if available, and coordinate group buys with your China distributors and trade partners
• Share posts about each month’s Brands of Britain Tour on our WeChat and Weibo to introduce the participating brands and featured products

Click here for the full agenda of the Brands of Britain Tour 

If you are interested in participating in the Brands of Britain Tour, please email Antoaneta Becker (Director, Consumer Economy, UK) at Antoaneta.Becker@cbbc.org or Ran Guo (Director, Consumer Economy, China) at Ran.Guo@cbbc.org.

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