How little do we know about business in China? (Or the rest of the world?)

IKEA logo

IKEA recently announced the sales for the year ending August 31st. Among with the somewhat unexpected news, sales up by 3.6%, were a few hidden gems.

Of IKEA 10 biggest stores, eight (8) are in China. IKEA only has 16 stores in China, so the average size must be massive. And were are these stores? A few are in cities that most westerners have heard of; three in Shanghai and two in Beijing, but many are in places that are far less likely to be on the tip of the average North American's tongue.

How many people have heard of Chengdu, Dailian, Ningbo, or Wuxi?  

Many North American business people probably have a similar level of ignorance about the major cities in India, or the fact that of the 10 largest malls in the world two are in China, two are in Iran, three in Malaysia, and two are in the Philippines. Canada's West Edmonton Mall sneaks in at number 14 and the United States arrives on the list at number 20 with King of Prussia. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_shopping_malls_in_the_world)