"Many of Gome's stores are in bad locations with lackluster in-store displays and depressing service," said Wu Meiping, analyst, Essence Securities.

Despite its scale, Gome actually trails its arch rival Suning in terms of profitability and per store sales. During the first three quarters of 2008, Gome posted a 45.31 percent increase in profit from a year earlier period to 1.87 billion yuan. Sales during the period rose 20.04 percent to 36.4 billion yuan. In comparison, Suning's profit in the same period rose 65.03 percent to 1.71 billion yuan, while sales grew 40 percent to 39.1 billion yuan.

Suning's gross profit ratio was 16.3 percent, or 0.7 percentage points higher than Gome and its ratio of store rental to sales was 3 compared to Gome's 4.1.

Gome's share price nosedived to HK$1.12 on November 21, 2008, before the trading suspension, from a high of HK$21 in 2007 when it posted a profit of 1.17 billion yuan and revenue of 42.48 billion yuan.

Few, if any, of Gome's senior executives, nurtured during the boom time under Huang, have the knowledge and skill needed to steer the company's ship out of troubled waters. More important, none of them has the stature and experience in the industry to command the respect and trust of the suppliers and bankers. Chen was the company's only choice for a leader.

"He (Chen) was certainly the man of the moment," said Li Su, president of H&J Vanguard Research and Consultant, a market research company. "Chen seems to be the only one who has the experience in sales strategies required to combat Shanghai-style competitors like Suning and is more qualified to lead the company than Huang," Li said.

Chen declined to be interviewed for this story. His lieutenants said he has never given an interview to any publication. "It's not his style," said He Yangqing, Gome's vice-president for corporate affairs.

But Gome's senior executives interviewed by China Daily said Chen is quietly reshaping the company to maintain its pre-eminent position in China's retail sector. The immediate challenge for Chen, however, is to lift the sagging morale of employees at the headquarters as well as its stores and to establish cordial relationships with suppliers. He will also have to set up new lines of credit to steer the company back into the black.

Among his peers in the retail industry, Chen is known to be methodical, while to his detractors, he is a boring manager who has followed the same routine throughout his career. At Gome, he usually comes to work every day at 9:00 AM. After meetings with close aides and visiting business associates, he settles down with paper work until 7 pm. He is also known to be an avid reader of news.

Chen has kept a low profile since his new appointment, only saying in a written reply to media questions: "I take (my new job) seriously. We will be taking positive measures and will try to manage the company in a more transparent and responsible way."

His friends said his apparent shyness belies the open mindedness to change. "Chen may look scholarly and dull, but he is actually very quick of mind and appreciates innovative ideas," said a long-time acquaintance Han Jianhua, secretary-general, Shanghai Household Appliances Association. "He is definitely not the stubborn traditionalist that his stern look may suggest."

Shortly after he took over the chairmanship, Chen tried to cultivate a softer corporate culture that was distinctly different from the patriarchal autocracy of his predecessor. "He (Chen) is amiable," said Cai Xu, manager of Gome's newly established 3C Business Center. "He makes you think you're really getting involved in the decision-making process because he always tries to listen carefully to what you have to say before making up his mind," Cai said.

A relatively junior staff at the company's administrative department said that he was "very excited" when he received a New Year letter signed by the new chairman. He declined to be quoted.

"The content of the letter is really not all that important compared to its symbolic meaning," the administrative officer said. "It makes us feel that the company actually cares about our personal interests," he said.

Calming the nerves of the suppliers seem to be a much more daunting task for Chen. For years, Gome was famous for leveraging its vast sales network to squeeze profit margins of suppliers not only by demanding lower prices, but also by extending the payment period from the industry norm of 30 days to three months.

Now, the tables have been turned and the suppliers are demanding better terms from the company. And Chen is responding.

(China Daily February 17, 2009)