Elim's and Lawrence's interview

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本报记者郑雅 文/图

北京西单文化广场77街，是引领京城第一家以服务于年轻人为特色的集时装与娱乐为一体的购物中心，被年轻一族追捧着。

Beijing Xidan Cultural Center 77th Street, is the leading shopping mall catered to youths for its fashion and entertainment.

不久前一批东盟企业家来邕考察访问，考察团里名为周士锦的女企业家主动提出担当记者的翻译近10分钟。之后，考察团里另一名新加坡企业家金益文告知：“周女士可是 ‘新加坡第一时尚品牌’的创始人哦！北京西单的77街正是她创立的。”我们的话题便转移到这位热心的“翻译”身上。原来，她此次抵邕是来寻求合作的。

Some time back, a group of ASEAN entrepreneurs were here for interviews, and amongst them is a female entrepreneur named Elim Chew. She automatically volunteered herself to be the translator for the reporters for a length of near 10 minutes. After that, another entrepreneur from Singapore named Lawrence Kim revealed that Ms Chew is the woman behind Singapore's leading fashion trend, and Xidan Cultural Center's 77th Street was created by her. Our topics then moved on to this goodwilled "translator". Her motive for this trip is actually to seek business cooperation chances.

15年成就新加坡商业奇迹

15 years to Singapore's business miracle.

1988年，29岁的周士锦女士（Elim Chew）在新加坡远东广场开设了一个小小的商铺，经营来源于英国的产品，取名为“77街”。由于“77街”市场定位在14至29岁年龄段，钟情于新鲜、个性、时髦的青少年消费群体，其产品很快赢得了市场的欢迎与认可。在周士锦和姐姐Sulim Chew的共同努力下，她们的生意越做越大，15年后的2003年，“77街”已成为新加坡最受年轻人青睐的时装零售商之一。如今，以“充满活力”“前卫”和“时尚”为经营理念的“77街”，店铺遍布新加坡及马来西亚，在零售界被誉为“新加坡第一时尚品牌”， 引导当今青少年的城市街头服饰。同时，“77街”还投资美容院、包装业、饮食业等，并成为东南亚零售行业的佼佼者。

In 1988, the 29 year old Elim Chew started off with a small shop located in Far East Plaza, Singapore, to sell imported UK goods, with the name 77th Street. The market for 77th Street focuses between ages 14 to 29, hence 77th Street products were soon recognized and accepted by most youths. Under Ms Elim and Sulim Chew's hard work, the business expanded and 15 years later, in 2003, 77th Street has become one of the preferred brands with Singapore youths. 77th Street is spread islandwide in Singapore and has several branches in Malaysia as well, and is even named the leading fashion brand of Singapore, leading youths in the city's streetwear. At the same time, 77th Street also invests in beauty parlors, packaging businesses, F&B industry etc, making it the business guru in South East Asia.

公司的创始人周士锦女士也因此在新加坡的企业界赢得了极大的声誉，她曾在2001年被提名为新加坡当年最成功的女企业家。

Because of this, Elim Chew, the brand creator, has shot to fame in the Singapore business sector, and has been nominated for a "Most Successful Female Entrepreneur in Singapore" award in 2001.

“77街”有望落户南宁

77th Street may have a chance to step foot in Nan Ning.

作为国庆50周年的献礼工程，西单文化广场是1999年由当时的华远集团建造，其地下商铺属于广场的配套商业设施，于当年底开门迎客，在设计上突出娱乐的特色。2003年4月1日，其中一间店铺停业，经过招标，新加坡零售服饰店品牌“77街”由于其定位和当初西单文化广场的设想最相契合，成为最后中标者。

As a project to be completed for the 50th National Day, Xidan Cultural Center was created by Hua Yuan group in 1999, while the underground shops, part of the facilities belonging to the Cultural Center, opened at the end of the same year with the theme of entertainment in its designs. In 2003, 1st April, one of the shops closed down and Singapore's 77th Street became the successful bidder.

2004年，“77街”在北京西单开业，董事长周士锦女士在开业现场表示，在中国首都北京，西单文化广场将作为“77街”的第一站，我们将把北京“77街”打造成一个充满朝气、充满活力的购物中心。除了在西单文化广场销售自己的产品，周士锦女士还把铺面租给经营时尚服饰和饰品，消费群体定位于14至25岁、追求崭新生活方式和火热激情的年轻一族。

In year 2004, 77th Street opened its branch in Beijing Xidan, and Director Elim Chew mentioned during the opening  ceremony that in China's capital Beijing, Xidan Cultural Center will be 77th Street's first stop. 77th Street in Beijing will be transformed into one full of vitality and energetic shopping center. Except for the goods produced by Xidan Cultural Center, Ms Elim Chew rented the outlets to fashion accessories/clothes shops, with the consumer range fixed at 14 years old to 25 years old.

2008年，周士锦女士来到南宁。在去了中山路吃小吃，考察了民生路步行街看到的巨大的年轻人消费市场后，她对南宁的投资环境非常满意：“我发现南宁的烤肉比新加坡的品种多，叫法也不同，可以考虑将一些品种引进到新加坡。另外我希望能认识这里做服装和首饰行业的人，等再有机会来时，我会继续对南宁进行深入考察，看看这里能否能开一个‘77街’。”

In year 2008, Ms Elim Chew came to Nan Ning. After tasting the local delicacies in Zhong Shan Rd and observing the youth market trends, she is extremely interested with investing in Nan Ning. " I realized that Nan Ning has more varieties of barbequed meat than in Singapore, and the way of ordering food is different as well. We can consider bringing some of these ideas back to Singapore. laos, I wish to know people in the fashion and accessories industry, so that when the time comes, I will continue to observe Nan Ning, and see if there's a possibility of opening a 77th Street here."

南宁之行擦出“合作火花”

The trip to Nan Ning sparked off cooperation interests

考察团成员中，35岁的泰国企业家NORNTHAWAT不但是泰国知名的模特，还经营自己的产业——在泰国开有针对年轻人的零售商店，并开发了泰国第一个男士护肤品的品牌，取名“for us”,其名下有一系列的产品。短短几天南宁之行，NORNTHAWA总不忘把产品带在身边寻找商机。当周士锦女士看到NORNTHAWAT先生的产品时表示愿意帮他在新加坡寻找代理商，NORNTHAWAT先生在了解到周士锦女士的产业后也表示会把“77街”的产品引进到泰国销售。

In the group, 35 year old Thai entrepreneur Nornthawat is not only Thailand's famous model, he also manages his own business-opening in Thailand a shop focusing on youths, and also started off Thailand's first series of guy's care products, with the brand name "for us". Throughout the few days of the trip, Mr Nornthawat never fails to bring his products with him, looking for buiness opportunities. When Ms Elim Chew saw Mr Nornthawat's products, she expressed interested in helping him find a dealer in Singapore,and Mr Nornthawat, after understanding Ms Elim Chew's business in Singapore, expressed that he will, too, bring in 77th Street's products to Thailand for sales. 

短短几天的南宁之行，已经让两位不同国度的企业家擦出合作的火花。周士锦女士还对南宁—新加坡经济走廊的建立以及广西银行业界支持东盟企业到南宁贷款、做生意表示欣喜。她认为南宁投资机会很多，并希望有更好的平台了解南宁，认识到更多的企业家。

The short trip sparked off the business opportunities. Ms Elim Chew expressed joy in the idea of building Nan Ning-Singapore's economy bridge and also Guangxi's banks giving loans to support ASEAN businesses in Nan Ning. She thinks that there are a lot of investing opportunities in Nan Ning, and hopes to have more platforms for better understanding of the city, and to know more entrepreneurs.