Tiens Group

Tiens Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryMulti-level marketing company
Founded1995; 29 years ago (1995)
FounderLi Jinyuan
Headquarters
Tianjin
,
China
Key people
ProductsDietary supplements
SubsidiariesTianjin Tianshi Biological Development Co., Ltd. Tiens Yihai Co. Ltd.
Websitewww.tiens.com

Tiens Group (/ˈtiːɛns/, from Chinese: 天狮; pinyin: Tiānshī; lit. 'heavenly lion') is a Chinese multinational conglomerate and multi-level marketing company headquartered in Tianjin, China.[1] It has 126 branches in 111 countries around the world. The head of the company is Li Jinyuan, a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist.[2]

The main products are dietary supplements and massagers. Sales of goods occur through a network marketing system, distribution networks of the office-warehouse system, as well as through online stores. The company has been certified according to Good manufacturing practice requirements in China,[3] and possesses a set of certificates and permissions in other countries.

History

[edit]

Tiens Group was founded in 1995 by Li Jinyuan. Tiens entered the international market in 1997.[4] The company's initial product offerings included traditional Chinese medicinal products, calcium tablets, and instant coffee. In 2008, they reported having 12 million MLM distributors worldwide, including more than 40,000 in Germany,[5] and 40 million customers,[6] mostly in Russia, with approximately 60,000 in Germany.[7] In 2014, they reported having 200,000 distributors in Uganda.[8] The company also has market partners in Indonesia, Hungary and Kazakhstan.[9]

The base company's products are dietary supplements and massagers. The company's production facilities are located in the Tianjin New Technology Industrial Park.[10][11][12] Sales of goods occur through a network marketing system, distribution networks of the office-warehouse system, as well as through online stores.[13]

The group is represented by the following companies: Tiens Biotech Group, Inc. (USA, Delaware); Tianjin Tianshi Group Co., LTD (PRC); Tianshi International Holdings Group Ltd. (British Virgin Islands); Tianjin Tianshi Biological Engineering Co. Ltd (PRC); Tianjin Tianshi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd (PRC); Tianjin Tianshi Life Resources Co., Ltd (PRC); Tianjin Tianshi Biological Development Co., Ltd (PRC); Tiens Yihai Co., Ltd (PRC).[14]

The corporation's headquarters is located in the Henderson Center in Beijing. The main production areas, measuring more than 0.26 km2, are located in the Wuqin New Technology Introduction Zone of Tianjin city. The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Vietnam.[15]

The company has established long-term partnerships with such worldwide companies as L'Oreal, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Shiseido.[16]

To promote its products, the company establish contracts with mass sports athletes from different countries, whom it calls "ambassadors". Over 50 sportsmen are involved.[17] Among them are Uzbekistani gymnast Oksana Chusovitina,[18] Russian athletes Alexandra Trusova[19] and Varvara Subbotina.[20]

In Russia, Tiens Group has been engaged in direct sales since 2010. As of the beginning of 2023, Russia-based OOO "Tianshi" has 8 of its own divisions in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Krasnodar, Kazan, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, Ufa, as well as about 80 partner offices in different regions. According to a company representative, about 10 thousand independent distributors are involved in direct sales of the company's products in Russia, and the number of regular customers is about 120 thousand.[21] The company cooperates with several Russian industries. In 2022, the company announced that it would invest $500 thousand in the search and development of local production facilities in Russia.[22][23]

Charities and actions

[edit]
Company's head Li Jinyuan during a product launch in India 2018

The founder and chairman of the board of the company, Li Jinyuan,[2] according to Forbes, is an active philanthropist who donates money to social projects. He founded the Tiens Meijing International Charitable Foundation, into which Li Jinyuan invested about 100 million of US dollars. He also committed $100 million to establish Tianshi College in China (in 1999), a state-approved educational foundation in Tianjin city with a capacity of 3,400 students. In 2016, The Economic Times newspaper indicated that Li Jinyuan allocates large sums to help victims of tsunamis and earthquakes, as well as to combat the SARS virus.[24][25]

Company employees also massively participate in charity initiatives. E. g. in 2023 Tiens workers in 36 countries collected over $200 000 to help to those suffered from 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.[26]

In May 2015, the company sent 6,400 employees on a four-day tour of France. While in Nice, they set a Guinness World Record for the longest "human-made phrase".[27][28]

Controversies

[edit]

United States

[edit]

In September 2016, the FDA issued an advisory letter[29] warning them that their claim of treating or preventing "asthma, cancer, rheumatism, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction, stroke, sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., herpes), cerebral embolism, and dementia" violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. As of December 2022, the FDA still lists Tiens products among "Products Illegally Marketed for Serious Diseases".[30] These include TIENS Super Calcium with Lecithin, TIENS Selenium Supplement, TIENS Natto Ginkgo, TIENS Cell Rejuvenation Yi Kang, TIENS Cordyceps, and TIENS Wei Kang Vitality.[30]

Uganda

[edit]

According to an article in The Guardian, in Uganda, the company's "food supplements" are being touted as cures for everything from cancer and HIV to hernias, tumors, and appendicitis.[8] The report claims that the company is a pyramid Scheme, where most of the money is generated from joining fees of new recruits.[8]

Pakistan

[edit]

Established in 2002, Tianshi International Pakistan Co. (Pvt) LTD is a member of Tiens Group, a global conglomerate with presence in 110 countries and regions.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "China's Tiens Group to enter Indian e-commerce market". The Economic Times. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Li Jinyuan". Forbes. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. ^ "国家食品药品监督管理局药品Gmp认证审查公告（第30号）". Archived from the original on 4 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Li Jinyuan: "The World Focus on China Now. TIENS Is In!". Business World. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Tiens in Deutschland" (in German). Tiens. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Unternehmensübersicht" (in German). Tiens. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  7. ^ Blume, Georg (4 September 2008). "Goldjunge aus Tianjin". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Wan, James (19 June 2014). "The Chinese multinational making millions out of vulnerable Ugandans". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  9. ^ "First Metaverse Ambassador 'Tiensy' launched in Indonesia". 26 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. ^ "The 2024 TIENS Global Business Launch Conference Provides a Grand Opening". acnnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  11. ^ "致敬与感恩 天狮集团隆重召开20周年庆典大会_天狮集团_中直网". zhixiaowang.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  12. ^ "砥砺风华 向阳而生｜天狮中国区事业部春季启动大会-时代财经-北方网". economy.enorth.com.cn. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  13. ^ "天狮：全球大健康产业引领者 树立行业新标杆_中华网". tech.china.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  14. ^ "The following is an excerpt from a 10-K SEC Filing, filed by TIENS BIOTECH GROUP USA INC on 3/31/2008". 31 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Tiens Group plans to set up manufacturing unit in India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Tiens first local cosmetic brand to take on Paris". China Daily. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Оксана Чусовитина вошла в число спортсменов-амбассадоров". UzDaily.uz (in Russian). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  18. ^ "天狮集团与丘索维金娜携手传承拼搏精神 引领全球大健康产业未来_中华网". hea.china.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Александра Трусова стала амбассадором китайского бренда товаров для здоровья Tiens Group". Sports.ru. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Варвара Субботина присоединилась к команде звездных амбассадоров Tiens". Advertology.Ru – все о рекламе, маркетинге и PR (in Russian). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Китайская корпорация Tiens планирует развивать в России свой маркетплейс и оптовую торговлю". Retail.ru (in Russian). 23 September 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Китайская "Тяньши" инвестирует в экономику РФ $500 тыс. до конца года". TACC (in Russian). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Вице-президент Tiens Group: "Настало время выводить российские бренды на международный рынок" | Москва". ФедералПресс (in Russian). 29 November 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Meet five billion dollar titans of China apart from Alibaba's Jack Ma". The Economic Times. 24 May 2016. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  25. ^ "New Explorations of TIENS Group To Adapt to the Trend of Globalization". Yahoo News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  26. ^ "$200 000 – на помощь пострадавшим от землетрясения | Новости". Бизнес и Общество (in Russian). 24 February 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Chinese firm sends 6,400 employees on French holiday". BBC News. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Chinese Boss Treats 6,400 Workers to French Vacation". Time. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Advisory Letter – Tiens Group". US Food and Drug Administration. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Products Illegally Marketed for Serious Diseases". US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tiens_Group&oldid=1249414115"