01
Wuhan, 2023
Sports retail · Fundamentals and supply chains
In summer 2023, I took part in research on major sports-retail chains in Wuhan, comparing business fundamentals, supply chains and resource allocation across regions.
This experience drew my attention to the business behind the storefront. Chains selling sports products can still differ in their supply chains and allocation of resources across regions.
02
Changsha, 2024
Food and beverages · Customers, brands and locations
In 2024, I conducted food-and-beverage field research in Changsha, covering tea beverages, alcoholic drinks and packaged snacks. I examined how consumer behaviour, brand positioning and location strategy relate to business performance.
Tea beverages, alcoholic drinks and packaged snacks offered different settings for observation. Who a brand serves, why people buy and where stores operate are all questions worth following when studying performance.
03
The questions I would take further today
This is a follow-up framework drawn from those experiences. It shows how I would turn an observation into a question to test; it is not an original field log or a set of historical findings.
| Look at | Ask | Check against |
|---|---|---|
| Store location | Does the location fit the customer and occasion? | Compare catchment, store mix and company disclosures. |
| Brand positioning | Is the purchase driven by price, product or brand? | Compare assortment, pricing and customer observations. |
| Supply chain | What does regional expansion require? | Look at distribution, inventory and operating data. |
| Performance | What period can a busy store actually tell us about? | Check observations over time against financial disclosures. |
04
How it connects to my work now
In restaurant-sector research today, I bring questions about stores and customers back to company disclosures and financial workpapers. Field observation helps form a question; operating data helps test the explanation.