Devote all efforts to developing industrial cluster

Industrial cluster contribute to regional prosperity. The scale and level of industrial cluster determine regional competiveness.

Helie subdistrict has a weak foundation, without parks or “vacant land” available, where 200,000 permanent population are crowded in the space of less than 11 km2. This means the subdistrict serves 3% residents with less than 0.2% space resources of Wuxi City, and its industrial development lacks of extraordinary natural gift. So how will Helie subdistrict get prosperous? The answer is to create “man-made advantages” by virtue of the agglomeration effect from tertiary (service) industry!

In Heliekou, a central zone of the old suburbs, its tertiary (service) industry has developed for a few decades. As early as 10 years before, numerous catering enterprises have felt optimistic about development outlook of the mass catering consumer market in the subdistrict and set their sights on west zone of the city. Most communities in the subdistrict have rent their storefront for catering business. In a very short time, catering industry has almost occupied the majority of business communities in Helie.

However, due to the limited space and development difficulties, the catering industry scattered in different communities have encountered some bottlenecks. The decision-makers of the subdistrict think up new methods: Following the route from catering enterprises to industrial chain and industrial cluster, enable a large number of market players to agglomerate for a large scale, and drive the soaring improvement of comprehensive competitiveness of catering industry.

However, it is not so easy to grow and prosper. The disorderly competition for many years has made the catering market in Helie suffer from some problems. This can be attributable to the messy and unreasonable industrial layout, as well as the outdated and messy catering facilities failing to meet the actual consumer demands. In addition, regional catering industry lacks of market appeal, thus hinders it developments.

How to make industrial cluster show its agglomeration effect? After multiple delicate research and investigation, decision-makers of the subdistrict have presented the following strategy – focus on internal efforts and technological leadership, target at chain extension and brand agglomeration, strengthen and expand the “catering industry”, and endeavor to leap from “quantitative economy” to “qualitative economy” and “brand economy”.

Sustainable development comes from innovative thinking. The decisive and daring Helie people have made lots of “substantial moves”: Helie Catering Trade Union was established in 2005, which has conducted the collective wage consultation system in 12 large catering enterprises, guaranteed the effective rights and interests of catering practitioners effectively, retained and attracted more talents for continual growth of the catering industry; The first Catering Chamber of Commerce in Wuxi was founded in 2006. This Chamber holds the cooking and service skills competition among catering enterprises every year, and guides the catering enterprises to gradually improve the quality of their cuisines, form into brand characteristics, conduct dislocation competition, and attaches great importance to restructure the new image of Helie catering industry.

Meanwhile, industry experts will be invited irregularly to give lectures and offer professional guidance and legal services for catering enterprises in the subdistrict. In addition, rewards will be provided to catering enterprises making great contributions to tax revenues every year; key catering enterprises will be organized to participate in city-level or district-level tourism promotion events; characteristic catering enterprises within Helie subdistrict will be recommended by propaganda approaches such as “Big V” blogger, etc. Such practical and considerate supporting policies as well as efficient and superior policies will help promote the rapid development of Helie catering industry vigorously.