Source | Lianshang.com Recently, as the closure of "Pet Version Hema" Pet Fresh sparked industry discussion, founder Hou Yi's team's "self-rescue plan" has quietly landed, launching a new online brand - Chong Tiantian. It is reported that Chong Tiantian focuses on the fresh pet food segment, representing an important strategic correction by Hou Yi in the pet track, marking strategic continuity and model iteration in this field. Transition to Online New Brand Chong Tiantian Official data shows that Pet Fresh's new brand Chong Tiantian will rely on its strong supply chain system and human-grade production standard factories, combined with a professional pet nutritionist team for continuous R&D and optimization, to craft every high-quality fresh meal. Currently, Chong Tiantian has opened an account on Xiaohongshu, with only 3 posts as of writing, 119 followers, and the highest like count per post at 29. Qichacha data shows that in October this year, Shanghai Chong Tiantian Network Technology Co., Ltd. was formally established, with Hou Yi as legal representative, wholly owned by Shanghai Pet Fresh Network Technology Co., Ltd. Business scope includes internet sales, pet food and supplies wholesale, and retail. Meanwhile, Pet Fresh's trademark application for "Chong Tiantian FresDD" is in progress. According to insiders, the Pet Fresh project will transform to launch the new online brand Chong Tiantian, focusing on mini-programs and e-commerce platforms, expected to go live by the end of the month, currently in early preparation. Pet Fresh official also confirmed that Chong Tiantian is its new brand but did not disclose specific operational plans. Notably, on Dianping, a physical store named Chong Tiantian has appeared at 1st Floor, No. 9, Lane 131, Qiantan Avenue, Sanlin Town, Shanghai, formerly the Pet Fresh Pudong Qiantan Park Lane store. Lianshang.com called the store multiple times; staff briefly confirmed "This store is a brand under Pet Fresh" and hung up without further details. Some analysts believe that just as the market thought Hou Yi would temporarily leave the pet track, this adjustment signifies a strategic shift from offline to online channels for Pet Fresh. From high-profile expansion to urgent contraction, then precise restart, Hou Yi's entrepreneurial trajectory not only reflects the opportunities and problems in the pet track but also demonstrates a seasoned entrepreneur's rapid iteration capability. The Rise and Fall of Pet Fresh The low-key launch of Chong Tiantian is inseparable from the exploration and accumulation of its predecessor Pet Fresh. Back in November 2024, pet fresh food brand Pet Fresh was established in Shanghai, carrying the halo of "Pet Version Hema", attracting industry and capital market attention from birth due to founder Hou Yi's reputation and resources in fresh retail. In terms of business model, Pet Fresh adopted a high-profile "all-scenario + all-category" approach, with a three-dimensional model of "fresh food workshop + social space + full category coverage" and differentiated fresh products to meet pet owners' needs for high-quality, personalized feeding. In February this year, Pet Fresh opened its first store at Haisu Cultural Plaza, Changning District, Shanghai, covering 200 square meters. The store is divided into functional areas for pet supplies, fresh food preparation, and social interaction. Based on traditional products like dry food, wet food, cat strips, and cans, it innovates with "fresh" as the core, offering freshly made and sold fresh food, refrigerated fresh food, staple foods like noodles, and baked innovative pastries. Subsequently, Pet Fresh launched a rapid "territory expansion" in Shanghai, quickly seizing core business districts like Changning, Xuhui, Pudong, and Qingpu. By late March to early April, it formed a strong "ten stores opening simultaneously" situation. According to Pet Fresh, some stores achieved daily turnover exceeding 100,000 yuan within less than a month of opening. In May this year, Pet Fresh announced completion of a $25 million (approximately RMB 177 million) angel round financing, setting a new high for angel rounds in the pet industry in recent years, confirming the huge potential of the pet economy track. Hou Yi once publicly stated that choosing Shanghai as a starting point was due to its consumption upgrade potential as an international metropolis and its soil for innovative business models. He planned to open 100 stores in Shanghai in 2025, with a long-term goal of 1,000 stores nationwide, establishing industry standards for fresh pet food. However, the brand entered an adjustment period in less than a year. On November 14 this year, Lianshang.com exclusively learned that all Pet Fresh stores would close, less than 9 months after the first store opened. Currently, Dianping shows Pet Fresh has 17 stores (the Pudong Qiantan Park Lane store has been renamed Chong Tiantian), with 6 showing "suspended" or "closed", including new stores open only 3 months, while many still operating are holding clearance sales with "50% off everything". Official customer service confirmed that the first Pet Fresh store is planned to close on November 25. Regarding the store closures, Hou Yi exclusively replied to Lianshang.com: "Business adjustment, very normal." Subsequently, Hou Yi confirmed to Yicai that Pet Fresh physical stores, due to excessive operational pressure, plan to fully close all stores by mid-December, with some already terminating operations early. He also emphasized that online business will continue, and future directions may be explored. In a livestream, Hou Yi admitted: "Today, the fresh pet food track is not a good market; the market size is too small, it's unsolvable. Many big companies have come in and become precedents, including Pet Fresh. We visited the US and Japan, opened stores quickly, and they were very popular at first. But when consumers actually choose pet food, they rarely choose extensively or switch." He also said he would continue entrepreneurship: "My next venture will definitely be in the retail industry I understand; fresh food is my forte. In the future, it will definitely be product-brand-centric with a strong product system." Lianshang.com also reported that Hou Yi is adjusting his focus, trying to become a fresh food livestream host. Notably, Hou Yi is focusing on building his personal IP "Hou Yi Says" and experimenting with new forms like livestream e-commerce. Some analysts say this move may indicate a shift from physical retail to content e-commerce, exploring the combination of "persona economy" and supply chain resources. Opportunities and Challenges in the Hundred-Billion Track In recent years, with the improvement of national living standards and the shift in pet ownership concepts from "companionship" to "family", the pet economy has upgraded from "niche consumption" to "mass necessity", becoming a new engine driving consumption growth. KPMG's "2025 China Pet Industry Market Report" points out that China's pet market shows strong growth momentum, with the market size expected to exceed RMB 811.4 billion in 2025. Pet food, as a necessity, occupies the largest market share and is the core driver of the pet economy. Pet medical, supplies, and services segments are also growing rapidly. According to the "2025 China Pet Industry White Paper", 41.2% of post-90s pet owners incorporate fresh food into daily feeding plans, up 27 percentage points from 2023. Searching for keywords like "pet fresh food", "cat meal", "dog meal" on e-commerce and social platforms yields a large number of fresh food products; fresh pet food has become a new trend. From a commercial value perspective, the fresh pet food track offers attractive profit margins. Compared to traditional dry food, fresh food unit prices can be 30%-40% higher, with gross margins generally reaching 60%-70%. There is also ample room for differentiation, as brands can launch functional formulas or provide customized meals and subscription delivery services, making it easy to build core competitiveness. But behind the opportunities, the hidden barriers and challenges in this track are equally severe: First, cost and supply chain pressure are enormous: fresh food requires high standards for ingredient freshness and production processes, has short shelf life, and cold chain storage and transportation costs account for one-third of total costs, posing dual tests for supply chain management and financial strength. Second, lack of industry standards leads to quality control problems: there is no unified production standard for fresh pet food in China, key parameters lack regulation, and low-quality products from small workshops enter the market, harming consumer rights and causing trust crises for compliant brands. Third, market competition is increasingly fierce: the top five global pet food manufacturers hold about 80% market share. Domestic and international giants squeeze small and medium brands with brand and supply chain advantages. Coupled with an influx of startups, homogenized competition intensifies, making it difficult for new brands to break through. Additionally, experts point out that while the pet economy develops rapidly, it also faces issues such as industrial homogenization in some regions, insufficient core technology and brand competitiveness, and imperfect standard systems. To promote high-quality industry development, it is necessary to adhere to the principles of "market-led, government-guided, innovation-driven, and standardized development", focusing on introducing capital and laying out the industrial chain. With consumption upgrades and industry standardization, the trend toward refinement and quality in the pet economy is irreversible. Brands that can accurately insight into demand and quickly adapt to the market will ultimately reap growth in this promising track. For brands, how to seize industry opportunities and address multiple challenges is key to gaining a foothold. In this hundred-billion pet economy track, blind expansion and full-category coverage are not optimal solutions. Precisely focusing on segmented needs, balancing innovation and cost, and establishing stable supply chains and quality control systems are the core logic for sustainable development.