On April 30, Hema Fresh opened its first store in Weihai at Weigao Plaza. On opening day, long queues formed outside the store. Inside the 4,000-square-meter sales floor, sections for fresh food, bakery, deli, and private labels were laid out, with over 7,000 products entering the view of Weihai consumers for the first time. Before the official opening, Hema had already done a round of market warm-up, with pop-up stores and online delivery going live first, pushing products like freshly baked goods, seasonal fruits, and snacks to the forefront. Related information also began to appear on local social platforms, with many consumers discussing opening times, delivery ranges, store products, and queue conditions. This buzz cannot be explained simply as "a new supermarket opening." For many Weihai consumers, Hema's first arrival locally has a novelty appeal. Stores that previously required a trip to Qingdao or Jinan are now at Weigao Plaza. Some care about how long the queue is, some look at delivery coverage, and others go to experience the bakery, deli, and private-label products. At least at the opening stage, Hema has become a new topic in Weihai's local consumption. Hema's Entry into Weihai: More Than Just Another Store A new supermarket in a city is not unusual. But why Hema chose Weihai cannot be understood solely from Weihai's perspective. Weihai has mature commercial districts, stable family consumption, and a certain demand for quality consumption, which indeed form the basic conditions for the store's establishment. But more importantly, Hema itself has reached a stage where it needs to continue seeking growth. In the past, Hema mainly validated its model in first-tier and new first-tier cities, relying on fresh food, ready-to-eat meals, private labels, and instant delivery to establish a consumer experience distinct from traditional supermarkets. As its store network in core cities densifies, Hema must expand into more second- and third-tier cities to test whether its product system, supply chain capabilities, and online-offline integrated model can succeed in broader regional markets. Weihai's significance lies here. Hema's entry into Weihai is both about finding new urban growth and testing, in a market with a strong local supermarket, whether it can use fresh food, bakery, private labels, and delivery services to integrate into local consumers' daily lives. Hema's difference first lands where consumers can directly feel it. It offers not only fresh food, grains, oils, and daily necessities but also combines bakery, deli, semi-finished products, private labels, and instant delivery into a shopping experience distinct from traditional supermarkets. When consumers enter the store, they see not only products on shelves but also freshly baked bread, ready-to-eat meals, semi-finished dishes, and more recognizable Hema private-label products; even if they don't enter the store, they can order via the app and have fresh food, deli, or daily necessities delivered home. For consumers, these changes are concrete shopping choices. In the past, going to the supermarket often meant replenishing what was missing at home; Hema tries to make the supermarket take on more functions, like picking up a deli item on the way home from work, trying new things at the store on weekends, ordering online when ingredients are needed, or even using semi-finished products to solve a meal. It connects grocery shopping, dining, trying new things, and delivery services, making the supermarket not just a place to stock up but also a more flexible life solution. This is also why Hema easily attracts attention in new cities. It lets consumers quickly feel a different way of using a supermarket compared to familiar ones: beyond daily restocking, it offers richer products, more convenient delivery, and a stronger sense of experience. For Weihai, Hema first adds a new choice and also brings capabilities like fresh food, bakery, private labels, and instant delivery—things that are easily perceived—to the forefront for local consumers. Jiajiayue's Response: More Than Just Promotions After Hema entered Weihai, Jiajiayue is discussed alongside because it originated and has deep roots in Shandong, and Weihai is a very important base for it. Hema's entry into Weihai faces a market long dominated by a local supermarket. For Jiajiayue, the pressure from Hema is not just a new competitor but that the familiar local supermarket is now being re-evaluated. With Hema opening in Weihai, where Jiajiayue started, Jiajiayue's most direct response is, of course, price and promotions. Around Hema's opening, Jiajiayue made moves in categories that are easily perceived by consumers, such as fresh food, durian, and deli. For local supermarkets, this is the most practical approach. Household daily shopping is price-sensitive, and consumers are most likely to judge which is more cost-effective based on one or two specific products. But the problem lies here. Promotions can bring short-term attention, but what Hema shows consumers is not just whether certain products are cheap, but that when bakery, deli, semi-finished products, private labels, and delivery services are combined, a supermarket can take on more functions. After visiting Hema, consumers will naturally compare when they look back at Jiajiayue: Are the products rich enough? Is the display pleasant? Are the deli and bakery attractive? Are online delivery and after-sales service convenient? However, Jiajiayue's long-term operation in Weihai, with its store density, local purchasing habits, and high-frequency family consumption scenarios, is still hard for Hema to replace in the short term. Many residents will still choose familiar, stable, and nearby channels for buying groceries, meat, and daily necessities. Jiajiayue cannot rely only on "proximity" and "familiarity" to keep consumers. The longer it is used by local residents, the more its shortcomings in price, products, and services will be repeatedly felt. What Jiajiayue truly needs to respond to is not just the buzz of Hema's opening, but that consumers will start to repeatedly compare the two stores: whose products are better, whose prices are more suitable, whose services are more convenient. This change is more noteworthy than short-term foot traffic fluctuations. Hema Brings Bakery, Deli, and Delivery into the Comparison In the past, when discussing supermarkets in second- and third-tier cities, many people habitually looked at price, location, and store density. Whoever is closer to consumers, has more complete basic products, and more stable prices is more likely to become the daily choice. Jiajiayue has long stood firm in Weihai precisely because it meets these needs: stores are close enough, products are stable enough, and buying groceries, meat, and daily necessities is convenient. But after Hema entered Weihai, new comparison dimensions have been put on the table. When consumers visit Hema, they look not only at whether durian is cheap or how long the queue is, but also see how freshly baked goods, ready-to-eat deli, semi-finished dishes, private labels, and online delivery combine to allow a supermarket to take on more functions. The supermarket is no longer just a place to "buy and leave," but can become a life scenario for picking up dinner on the way home, trying new things with family on weekends, or replenishing groceries online when needed. The impact on Jiajiayue may not immediately show as a clear diversion of foot traffic. Jiajiayue's local network, daily shopping habits, and consumer trust will not disappear just because one Hema store opens. The real change is that with a new reference, consumers will re-evaluate the supermarket they are familiar with: Are the products attractive enough? Are the deli and bakery rich? Is the store pleasant to browse? Is the online service convenient? So, the pressure Hema brings is not just short-term promotional pressure, but a change in evaluation standards. Jiajiayue can still retain high-frequency consumption by being close, price-stable, and having complete basic products, but if consumer expectations for products and experience are raised, local supermarkets cannot just stay at "good enough" and "convenient." Final Thoughts The buzz of Hema's first store in Weihai cannot be seen merely as opening traffic. What it truly signals is that supermarket competition in second- and third-tier cities is changing. In the past, local supermarkets could rely on store density, price advantages, and long-accumulated trust to become stable choices for residents' daily shopping. But when Hema puts fresh food, bakery, private labels, and instant delivery into the same consumer experience, consumers' judgment of what makes a "good supermarket" will also change. Jiajiayue's base in Weihai will not be easily rewritten just because one Hema store opens. What is truly worth attention is that Hema brings a new frame of reference. Products, prices, services, and experiences that were previously accepted by habit will be re-measured. Weihai is just a starting point. Similar changes will occur in more regional markets in the future. For traditional supermarkets, the more realistic question is: when consumers' comparison standards are raised, can the advantages built on location, price, and familiarity still support the next stage of competition? Local supermarkets have only one question to answer: Why should consumers make a special trip for your products? Bakery, deli, private labels—these capabilities Hema brings to Weihai all point to the same thing: the retailer's right to define products. Whoever can define products can define the reason consumers enter the store.