Today's Headlines Highlight 1: Walmart Closes Seven Stores in a Row, Traditional Supermarkets Face Challenges Recently, news of Walmart store closures resurfaced—the Walmart store at 128 Memorial Road, Baoshan, Shanghai, posted a notice stating it would officially close on June 1. Notably, this is the seventh store Walmart has closed this year. In fact, this is not the first time Walmart has closed multiple stores in succession. According to incomplete statistics, Walmart closed a total of 24 stores last year, with the most closures in March, when it closed 5 stores. Highlight 2: Yingshao Liquor Adjusts Prices! On June 1, Henan Yingshao Marketing Co., Ltd. issued the "Notice on Price Adjustment for Some Caifangtao Products." The notice stated that due to the continuous rise in the price of baijiu packaging materials, the ex-factory prices of some Caifangtao products will be increased from June 11. Among them, the increase for Caifangtao Renhe National Edition, Renhe Zhengzhou Edition, Ren Zhiyun, and Renhe 2018 Edition is 5 yuan per bottle; the increase for Caifangtao Dili National Edition, Dili Zhengzhou Edition, Di Zhiyun, and Dili 2018 Edition is 10 yuan per bottle. Highlight 3: Niulanshan Erguotou in 'Aged Liquor Scandal', National Expansion Hits Obstacle Recently, consumers questioned that "Niulanshan Aged Baijiu" from Niulanshan Distillery of Beijing Shunxin Agriculture Co., Ltd. is actually solid-liquid method baijiu masquerading as aged baijiu. Reporters learned that the Shunyi District Food and Drug Administration in Beijing has formally accepted and filed a case for investigation regarding the "Niulanshan solid-liquid method baijiu masquerading as aged baijiu" incident. Industry insiders believe that Shunxin Agriculture, known for its low-end liquor brand "Niulanshan," has significant brand influence and high sales volume, but it still faces issues such as declining gross margins and counterfeiting, which may put pressure on future operations. Highlight 4: Hsu Fu Chi and JD Logistics Pilot 'Borderless Factory', Chengwei Space Takes the Lead From June 1 to 2, Hsu Fu Chi, together with JD Logistics' "Borderless Factory," held a pop-up event themed "Speed with Warmth" for Chengwei Space at Guangzhou's Victory Plaza, with senior executives from both sides attending. This was the first official media appearance of Hsu Fu Chi's Chengwei Space since its quiet launch in January this year. Chengwei Space thus became the first company to engage in deep cooperation with JD Logistics' "Borderless Factory." Highlight 5: On the Eve of the Unmanned Store Conference, Self-Service Noodle Machine Appears on Shanghai Streets Recently, on the eve of the 2nd China Unmanned Store Conference and 2018 Shanghai International Unattended Retail Exhibition, reporters spotted a self-service noodle machine at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. It is understood that the machine offers two flavors, and users can order by scanning a QR code with their mobile phones, select their preferred flavor, and quickly obtain the product. Highlight 6: Coca-Cola Price Increase in China from North to South? Bottler Replies with These 17 Characters In response to recent online rumors that Coca-Cola has raised prices again in China, "from north to south," the bottling system of the world's largest beverage producer has once again denied the claim. When contacted by reporters, Guangdong Taigu Coca-Cola issued an extremely brief statement, with only 17 characters in total: "Recently, our company has not raised prices in any region or any channel." The statement was dated June 2 and bore the company's official seal. New Products Highlight 1: Wei Chuan Launches 'Guozhizhi' Fruit and Vegetable Drink Recently, Wei Chuan launched a new fruit and vegetable juice drink—"Guozhizhi." This drink comes in three flavors: Qingheng Green, Qingyang Yellow, and Qingji Red, with a product specification of 300ml. The transparent packaging combined with the drink's natural color gives a fresh and refreshing feel. Highlight 2: Forbidden City Sells Zongzi This Dragon Boat Festival, the Forbidden City Taobao launched the 2018 Dragon Boat limited edition "Wind and Horn Zongxiang - Zongzi Gift Box." The gift box contains 8 zongzi, priced at 120 yuan per box. There are four types: yellow millet red bean zongzi, golden thread small jujube zongzi, purple rice chestnut zongzi, and multigrain zongzi. Each flavor has two zongzi in the box, with a shelf life of 180 days. Industry News Highlight 1: Dairy Giant Fonterra Signs Cooperation Agreement with Southeast Asian E-commerce Lazada On June 4, it was reported that New Zealand-based dairy group Fonterra recently signed a cooperation agreement with e-commerce platform Lazada. Through this agreement, Fonterra will offer several of its brands to Southeast Asian consumers, including Anmum, Fernleaf, and Anchor, which will be listed on Lazada, targeting 560 million consumers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to the agreement, Lazada will also become the exclusive online distributor for Anchor whole milk powder in Indonesia. Highlight 2: Sugar Reduction Becomes a Major Trend, UK Sets Sugar Reduction Targets for Juices and Dairy Drinks Currently, juices and dairy drinks in the UK are exempt from the sugar tax—but Public Health England has proposed sugar reduction targets for these products and stated that progress will be included in the evaluation system for whether dairy drinks remain exempt from the sugar tax in 2020. By mid-2021, the UK government hopes the beverage industry will achieve the following targets:
• Reduce sugar content in juice-based drinks (excluding 100% fruit or vegetable juices) by 5%;
• Limit calories from juice consumed in a single occasion (including mixed juices, smoothies, and single juices) to 150 calories;
• Reduce sugar content in dairy drinks (and dairy alternatives including soy, oat, hemp seed, and nut-based drinks) by 20%, and limit calories from products that may be consumed in a single occasion to 300 calories. Highlight 3: Whole Foods Accelerates Integration with Amazon, Cuts 500-700 Jobs in North America By July this year, Whole Foods will reduce its workforce by 500-700 people across the North American market. An employee at a Whole Foods store in Upper Manhattan, New York, said, "The entire layoff plan began in different regional markets starting in March and will be completed by July 2." Regarding the reason for the layoffs, Whole Foods' official explanation to employees is: restructuring the market. Highlight 4: Finnish Dairy Company Valio Establishes New Retail and Foodservice Business Unit in China Valio, a well-known Finnish dairy and food company, has established a new retail and foodservice business unit in Shanghai. It is understood that this new headquarters will focus on serving the Chinese market. Through continuous innovation and a commitment to high quality, Valio's China headquarters will continue to build a global sales, marketing, and service system in Shanghai, consolidating Valio's overall competitiveness and influence in the Chinese market and globally. In 2017, Valio entered e-commerce platforms JD.com and Tmall, providing consumers with high-quality products from Finland. Today's Video Heartbreaking... The Editor Finally Found the Reason for Being Poor Harvard research: 9 reasons that make you poor. -END-