In the FMCG landscape of Chongqing, Jiecang Wanggou and its founder Zhong Xiaoping are names that cannot be ignored. In 2020, while many distributors were still hesitating about online transformation, Zhong Xiaoping resolutely gave up a traditional business worth tens of millions to fully commit to the B2b wave. Four years later, Jiecang Wanggou's platform has a stable daily sales of 1.2-1.3 million yuan, an annual sales scale heading towards 500 million, covering over 10,000 small stores, and has become a regional B2b giant. To most, this is already a successful transformation story. However, standing at a new starting point of 500 million in scale, Zhong Xiaoping chose to "reset to zero" again, diving headfirst into the retail industry. Why would a B2b "winner" voluntarily step out of their comfort zone to tackle the tough challenge of retail? Recently, New Distribution interviewed Mr. Zhong Xiaoping of Jiecang Wanggou, listening to him talk about his three entrepreneurial experiences and his thoughts on the industry. The Story of Jiecang: Two Evolutions from 0 to 500 Million Zhong Xiaoping's story did not start from a high point. After graduating from university in 2003, he became a salesperson for an FMCG manufacturer. Over eight years, he traveled throughout Chongqing, familiarizing himself with every capillary of the channel and witnessing the industry's ups and downs. "There was nothing special; I just felt I wanted to start a business," Zhong Xiaoping said about his first venture into business in 2011, his answer surprisingly simple. There was no grand narrative, just the most natural choice for a young man who had accumulated enough experience and resources. From 2011 to 2017, Zhong Xiaoping's business went smoothly, with the company's scale steadily growing to annual sales of 30-40 million yuan, accumulating over 2,000 SKUs in the snack food sector, providing snack distribution to community stores. At that time, national B2b platforms began to emerge, and discussions about "distributor transformation" were everywhere. During frequent study tours, he witnessed the power of the digital wave firsthand. "I was convinced then that traditional distributors must transform and upgrade to survive and develop." In 2017, he decisively established "Chongqing Wanggou E-commerce Co., Ltd." and launched the "Jiecang Wanggou" ordering platform. But he did not rush; from 2017 to 2020 was a long "trial period" for Jiecang Wanggou. While maintaining his traditional business, he continuously tested and refined the online system, and deliberately guided old customers to use the platform, laying the groundwork for a full transformation in the future. These three years of "slowness" accumulated tremendous energy for the later "speed." It deepened Zhong Xiaoping's understanding of B2b from a simple "online ordering tool" to a complete business model, and also gave customers enough time to adapt and accept online ordering methods. In 2020, the time was ripe. Zhong Xiaoping made a decision that surprised many peers: to completely abandon the traditional business and fully shift to B2b. The transformation went exceptionally smoothly, with almost no pain. "The traditional business also delivered to small stores, and doing B2b still serves these small stores; the channel is the same," Zhong Xiaoping explained. "We just told old customers that the ordering method had changed and online payment was required. Some didn't understand at first, but through our guidance and some promotional discounts, they quickly came online." The real tipping point came after the transformation. "Only doing snack foods couldn't meet the one-stop shopping needs of small stores, so we first added alcohol, beverages, and dairy products, then daily chemicals, convenience foods, and rice, flour, and oil." Starting with sourcing goods, they gradually secured agency rights and quickly built a full-category product pool. In product selection, he insisted on a two-pronged approach: listening to manufacturers' professional recommendations and going deep into the terminals to see what products sell well in stores and introducing them. The great enrichment of categories acted like a catalyst, igniting platform growth. In the second year of doing B2b, Jiecang Wanggou's sales doubled from 50 million to 100 million yuan. Since then, the platform has continued to grow at a rate of over 30% annually. To date, Jiecang Wanggou has a 9,000-square-meter warehouse, over 5,800 SKUs, nearly 10,000 monthly active users, and annual sales stable between 450 million and 500 million yuan. In just four years, Zhong Xiaoping completed a magnificent transformation from a traditional distributor to a B2b platform giant. When the Water Runs Deep: Why Does a "Winner" Actively Seek Change? Holding such a beautiful report card, Zhong Xiaoping could have rested easy. But he feels a greater sense of crisis than ever. "No matter how big B2b gets, it is not the ultimate goal for distributor transformation," Zhong Xiaoping said calmly. "Its barriers are not as high as imagined." In his view, B2b platforms currently face several difficulties: first, price wars brought about by standardized products, squeezing profit margins; second, more and more distributors transforming to B2b, intensifying market competition; and the most fatal, the shrinking of downstream customers. "The core customers we serve—those 50-80 square meter mom-and-pop stores—are facing unprecedented survival pressure." With the economic downturn, coupled with the impact of new business formats such as snack discount stores and instant retail, small stores are finding it increasingly difficult to do business. "If we only stay in B2b, our future growth space is limited." Zhong Xiaoping deeply realized that the fate of B2b platforms is closely linked to the fate of the nearly 10,000 small stores they serve. Only when the downstream "reservoir" is full can the upstream "channel" have value. Rather than passively watching customers leave, it is better to actively step in, help them, empower them, and find a way out together. This became Zhong Xiaoping's new thinking. He believes that the future of distributors must build a "business closed loop" from B-end to C-end to truly solidify their moat. And going deep into retail is the most critical and most difficult step in building this loop. This is the fundamental reason he is determined to start his third entrepreneurial venture. Choosing "Manfen," Reconstructing Community Retail Value Once deciding to enter retail, choosing the right "posture" is crucial. Should he start a brand from scratch or join a mature system? Zhong Xiaoping chose the latter, setting his sights on the "Manfen" convenience store. In his view, this brand precisely answers all the current challenges facing community retail. "'Manfen' is a new brand born to cater to the era of retail discounting," Zhong Xiaoping analyzed. What attracted him most was its unique business model. It did not simply imitate traditional convenience stores but underwent a profound reconstruction. First, it redefined the "category mix" of convenience stores. On the basis of meeting residents' routine immediate needs for cigarettes, beverages, snacks, etc., "Manfen" creatively made deep discounts around the 5 core scenarios in users' lives (such as breakfast substitutes, cleaning daily necessities, night economy tipsiness, etc.), using products with extreme cost-performance to bring new traffic and business growth to stores. "Compared to regular convenience stores that only pursue 'convenience,' 'Manfen' wins traffic through category richness by reconstructing life routines; compared to large supermarkets, it achieves immediate response to user needs with 'convenience + discounting.'" Zhong Xiaoping believes this model can make stores an irreplaceable community ecosystem node. Second, it is a completely different business philosophy. Traditional retail mostly seeks abundance and completeness, but "Manfen" focuses on essential bestsellers and strives for quality; traditional retail adds layers of markup and is margin-oriented, but "Manfen" insists on small profits and quick turnover, benefiting the people. This business philosophy made Zhong Xiaoping see the return to the original purpose of retail. More importantly, it changes the cold transactional relationship between stores and customers. "What 'Manfen' wants to create is more like a 'reliable store owner' in a neighborhood relationship, warm and trustworthy." This complete business logic convinced Zhong Xiaoping that he had found the "optimal solution" to help small stores transform and upgrade. And his plan is not to open hundreds of stores himself, but to create a replicable successful model to empower the nearly 10,000 mom-and-pop stores behind Jiecang Wanggou. Step One: Step in personally to run the model. "In the early stage, we will open several Manfen direct-operated stores ourselves, with the first one opening in September." He will personally step in to refine all details such as products, pricing, and scene creation in the real market environment until a proven, profitable single-store model is developed. [Image: Rendering of Manfen Jia Hui (one of Manfen Retail's business formats)] Step Two: Use model stores to guide and convert existing customers. Once the profitability model of direct-operated stores is proven, there is the most powerful "weapon." Jiecang Wanggou currently has over 9,000 active convenience store customers. At that time, he will invite store owners to visit the model stores, using the most intuitive image, displays, products, traffic, and real sales data to speak. "When they see that after upgrading their original small stores to Manfen, the image is better, traffic increases, and sales go up, this impact is more useful than any preaching." [Image: Rendering of Manfen Jia Hui (one of Manfen Retail's business formats), before the first store opens] Step Three: Tiered empowerment for win-win cooperation. Zhong Xiaoping's vision goes beyond "franchise conversion." He knows well that not all small stores are willing or able to undergo complete renovation. Therefore, he designed a more flexible and open empowerment system. "Empowerment does not necessarily require full franchising," he explained. "For customers who are not willing to convert for now, we can also provide help." For example, Jiecang can integrate their cash register systems to achieve one-click replenishment and intelligent product selection, improving operational efficiency; or Jiecang can more accurately recommend best-selling products verified in its direct-operated stores to optimize product structure. "As long as it helps improve customers' business, we are willing to do it." This is a clever "win-win" closed loop: by opening retail stores, Jiecang Wanggou can better understand C-end needs, thereby more accurately empowering B-end small stores; and when the empowered small stores improve their business, they will rely more on Jiecang Wanggou's supply chain, further consolidating and expanding the B2b platform's business. The success of retail will directly feed back into B2b growth. Final Thoughts Looking back at Zhong Xiaoping's entrepreneurial journey, from manufacturer salesperson to traditional distributor, and then to B2b platform, every step has been at the node of the times. Now, starting his third entrepreneurial venture with retail at its core is more like a return and a responsibility. He has walked step by step from the place farthest from the sound of gunfire to the place closest to consumers. This is undoubtedly a harder path, but also a more correct one. For the thousands of traditional small store owners in Chongqing, this collaboration between Jiecang Wanggou and Manfen may not only mean a new franchising option, but also a new transformation opportunity personally verified by a regional supply chain giant and committed to accompanying them throughout the journey. A new story for Chongqing's convenience stores is beginning here.