Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and six other departments launched an action to promote the small store economy, providing various policy supports that are gradually reviving it while also stimulating consumption and improving urban convenience services. For convenience stores, many believe that "Beijing is a convenience store desert," but Lao Fang, who has been in Beijing for 20 years, opened two JD convenience stores within a year, breaking that stereotype. Over the past 20 years, Lao Fang has witnessed the ups and downs of his business and key milestones in the Xidan commercial district and retail industry. For the future, "Xidan has become a business card of Beijing, and I hope my JD convenience store can become a business card of Xidan," Lao Fang said. -01-****"Opportunity" At 4 p.m., strong winds suddenly blew on the street, and rain began to fall. This summer and autumn, Beijing has seen a lot of rain. Through the glass window, Lao Fang noticed a young man in his twenties, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a green work badge visible at the collar, quickening his pace and running into the convenience store. ▲JD convenience store owner Lao Fang This convenience store on Xidan's main street is Lao Fang's second JD convenience store in the commercial district, opened nearly a year after the first. Unlike the first store in nearby Damucang Hutong, this new store, in addition to products, also features an on-site freshly made milk tea area, a mobile phone sales and repair area, and many trivial but heartwarming stories. "When I first came to Beijing, I was 25 or 26, about his age," Lao Fang said, asking a staff member to make a cup of milk tea. ▲Lao Fang (first from left) with friends That was in 2000. Lao Fang is from Fujian, clever and eager to learn. Back home, he had several apprentices and earned a good income each month. Young people in every era seem unwilling to settle for the status quo. With a few thousand yuan, Lao Fang brought his younger brother to Beijing to see the world. After working as a salesperson in a mobile phone store for three years, in 2003, during the SARS epidemic, almost all street-facing shops in Xidan were closed. There is opportunity in crisis. Just as JD discovered online opportunities during SARS, Lao Fang seized the chance, found a suitable storefront, and began long-term sales of communication products in Xidan Digital City. ▲Lao Fang's mobile phone store After the epidemic subsided, camera phones became popular. Lao Fang remembers selling a limited-edition Nokia phone for over 5,000 yuan, earning one to two thousand yuan per phone. Within just two or three months, the store earned 100,000 yuan—at a time when Beijing's housing prices were only around 4,000 yuan per square meter. But Lao Fang also clearly remembers the first time he was cheated. A customer bought a phone and asked Lao Fang to go with him to a nearby company to collect payment. In a building, Lao Fang waited for over 20 minutes before realizing the "customer" had escaped through another exit. But fortunately, it was his own store. "Running a store requires mutual trust—the store trusts customers, and customers trust the store in return." Lao Fang took a sip of milk tea and continued. -02-****"Great Changes" Over more than a decade, Lao Fang witnessed great changes in Xidan. The original two- or three-story buildings gradually became commercial complexes with convenient transportation and bright lighting. Lao Fang felt the market was expanding. But the sales industry also changed. Home appliance retailers and e-commerce rose, offline store business began to shrink, and consumers' shopping habits gradually shifted online. Regular customers and collective purchasing units decreased significantly. Seeing employees who had followed him for 8 or 10 years leave one by one, Lao Fang felt reluctant and helpless. "Under the same service conditions, our prices cannot match online prices." He tried to save the business with a fast-food restaurant while unwilling to give up the communication products market, persisting for several years. During these years, Lao Fang kept thinking whether online and offline sales could be combined—a new approach. Just then, JD New Channel also decided to use its online advantages to renovate offline convenience stores, liquor stores, mother-and-baby stores, and restaurants, creating innovative smart stores such as JD Convenience Stores, JD Fine Wine Collection, and JD Mother and Baby Life Hall. Additionally, the Xidan commercial district encouraged nearby merchants to provide more convenience services. Lao Fang decided to expand his business into the convenience store sector. ▲Lao Fang's first JD convenience store By then, Lao Fang had been in the Xidan commercial district for nearly 20 years and was no longer the young man cheated out of a phone. He began contacting various convenience store brands to understand their concepts, models, and plans. Ultimately, Lao Fang decided to open a JD convenience store. "JD is in it for the long term, and their business philosophy and values are similar to mine—serving customers well." The rain outside had lightened. Soon, it would be the evening rush hour. -03-****"Window" ▲The store offers a full range of products and services Like the first JD convenience store, the professional operations team from JD Convenience Stores provided full guidance for Lao Fang's second store, from site selection, decoration, product selection, and display techniques to technical support. What impressed Lao Fang was that his idea of continuing his old business within the convenience store was also considered by the JD team, and they made differentiated positioning and plans compared to the first store. "The first store meets the immediate and diverse needs of young people and employees in the commercial district for convenience store products," Lao Fang said. "The second store is more like treating Xidan as a large community, aiming to be more convenient and community-oriented, serving as a carrier of convenience services and a window for communication." In the store, the bright mobile phone sales and repair areas indeed bring convenience and warmth to nearby residents and consumers. Residents can bring broken watches and small appliances for repair. Once, an elderly woman came to the store to shop. She was already familiar with the staff and mentioned during casual conversation that her home's drain had been broken for a long time, but she had no tools or strength to fix it. Lao Fang immediately sent a staff member to help repair it. Lao Fang said that only by truly considering consumer needs can better services be provided. "In a situation where ordinary convenience stores struggle to operate, JD convenience stores can survive because they treat offline convenience stores as a carrier of online services." In the industry, many say Beijing is a convenience store desert. But Lao Fang's two JD convenience stores seem to break that impression. "The first store is only a few dozen square meters, and in terms of sales alone, the highest daily revenue recently was nearly 40,000 yuan." "Next, internet companies will definitely use their resources and online advantages to develop physical entities offline. Our store is a transfer station that can directly reach consumers' real thoughts and needs." Lao Fang said that the connection between people can make up for the shortcomings of purely online services. They often communicate with the JD convenience store professional operations team to provide higher-quality services based on specific user needs. Quality, price, and service. Lao Fang is clear that these are his advantages in running a JD convenience store. "I am definitely confident about the future; at least I won't need to change industries for 10 years." The rain outside had stopped. -04-****"Business Card" Cars on Xidan Street were increasing, people were leaving office buildings after work, and young shoppers were entering malls. "We left our youth and hard work in Beijing." Lao Fang still clearly remembers when he first arrived in Beijing, wearing a T-shirt and shorts that cost a dozen yuan, sitting on a tram. Across from him, a peer was dressed in a suit and tie, with shiny leather shoes and a box of business cards in hand. Envy, insignificance, and gap. Lao Fang looked down at his slippers. "I want to settle down in this city." Twenty years later, sitting in Lao Fang's convenience store, I asked him, "Now that you have two JD convenience stores, do you feel settled?" "Xidan has become a business card of Beijing, and I hope my JD convenience store can become a business card of Xidan." Hehe. Lao Fang smiled shyly. Source: JD New Channel (ID: jdxintonglu) Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan once adopted.