We’re pro-business, anti-red tape!
Print Edition
Lawson Station operates convenience stores, but getting a new outlet open was anything but convenient in the past.
In Minhang District, the Japanese-owned company needed to submit 44 files to 13 offices and wait 70 working days to obtain a business license for a new store there.
Under a Minhang pilot project to improve the business environment, the processing procedure for a new Lawson outlet took eight working days, requiring the submission of only 28 files.
“It used to take two to three months from applying for license to actually opening up a new store,” said He Yunmin, vice manager of Lawson Station. “In this case, we spent five days to get all the licenses and documents we needed, which was record-breaking. It all benefits Minhang’s services sector.”
The pilot project highlighted problems with redundant procedures, long lists of required paperwork and the need to shuttle between various offices to complete licensing requirements.
Duplicated documents that needed to be submitted to different offices could easily be uploaded online, the project showed. The cooperation of multiple departments was enlisted to streamline the processing system.
“I visited two offices and saved about two-thirds of my time,” said Jin Ye of Lawson Station. “Time is money. Opening sooner can reduce rental costs.”
The district has pledged to reduce red tape even further.
For example, it used to take 30 days to obtain a license for the import of non-special-purpose cosmetics. Now the district processes the information on site, dramatically improving efficiency.
The district has also rescinded rules requiring companies to register for social insurance before gaining a license to do business. A business license can be issued in as short a time as one day, beating the Shanghai standard of three to five days.
“This experience highlights the efficiency and speed that the district can bring to bear,” said Lawson manager He. “Of course, there is space for improvement, but we can see the efforts being made to improve the commercial environment.”
Minhang has targeted 14 areas in business-environment improvement, including entertainment, education and services. The ultimate aim is to make opening a new nursing home, restaurant or Internet café as easy as online shopping.
The district’s efforts to make business processing procedures faster and simpler is paying off.
The Shanghai subsidiary of Swiss-based fastener technology and logistics company Bossard Group recently opened its regional headquarters in the Xinzhuang Industrial Zone, becoming the 41st multinational company to be based there.
Minhang has also attracted 43 international research centers to the district, largely because of its continuing business-friendly efforts.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
