IKEA!

Jared this post is for you.

We live really close to IKEA.  It is only a 7 minute taxi ride.

Most stores when they come to China either change their model or fail.  Some international stores try to succeed in China by doing things the way they did them in their original countries, but fail.  The culture is so deeply rooted in China that it is really difficult to 'convince' China to do things your way.  McDonalds, KFC, Walmart, Coke, P&G, General Mills, etc. all have made changes to adapt to the Chinese.  They understand, and so they succeed.

IKEA on the other hand looks on the outside and the inside EXACTLY like the IKEA in Draper, and I am guessing like every single IKEA all around the world.  It was incredible.  The layout was the same, the displays were the same, the products were the same, the kid play area was the same, the meatballs were the same, the uniforms were the same, everything was the same (besides the really pushy Chinese consumers.  You can make a place look like like it is not China, but you can't make Chinese people act differently).  The only other company I have seen in China that has not changed at all, but has still succeeded is Apple.  I am sure there are a handful of others, I just cannot think of any.