July 21, 2000

Merida Industry Co., one of the top complete bicycle makers in Taiwan, recently opened a new branch office in Shanghai, mainland China. The new area office commenced operations on July 17 and is to function as an additional promotional arm for Merida, according to a marketing manager for the company.

Between the firm's already established marketing office in Beijing and the new Shanghai branch, there are approximately 100 employees. For now, the new office will target the central China area, but the expectation is that it will eventually become the marketing center for the entire mainland region.

In the near future, Merida plans to set up additional offices in central and southeast China in order to expand regional sales. While all of the new offices will serve a marketing function, the Changhua-based company's export operations will continue to be implemented from Taiwan. Currently, the company says that its bikes can be found in more than 600 outlets on the mainland.