In recent years, low prices have swept through China's retail industry, and hypermarket businesses have been retreating under pressure from membership stores, snack stores, community group buying, and other retail formats. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of chain supermarket closures in China reached 12,000 in 2024, with the closure rate up 2.3 percentage points from 2023, and regional supermarkets accounting for 68% of closures, further compressing the survival space of traditional hypermarkets. To seek survival, many leading supermarket chains last year embarked on adjustment reforms. Better Life, Jiabaili, Yonghui Superstores, Wumart, Heli, and many other supermarkets successively underwent Donglai-style adjustments. In contrast, RT-Mart, the 'king of supermarkets,' when mentioned externally, often quotes its founder's words: 'We defeated all competitors but lost to the era; when the era abandons you, it doesn't even say goodbye.' Last year, aside from news of being sold, Gaoxin Retail seemed quiet in its operational measures. But it was this quiet RT-Mart that achieved a turnaround to profit in fiscal year 2025, delivering a commendable report card. Low price, good quality Remains the market's main theme On the evening of May 20, RT-Mart's parent company Gaoxin Retail released its fiscal year 2025 financial report for the period ending March 31. This fiscal year 2025 report is the first full-year financial report after Gaoxin Retail was acquired by DCP Capital. It achieved revenue of 71.552 billion yuan and net profit of 386 million yuan, turning from loss to profit year-on-year (fiscal year 2024 loss was 1.668 billion yuan). The report mentioned that with the continuous improvement in price competitiveness, the average transaction value across channels grew steadily, driving same-store sales growth. Offline sales revenue saw a moderate recovery, mainly due to stabilizing offline customer traffic and stabilizing average transaction value. The low-price, good-quality strategy is one of its core competitiveness. Over the past year, RT-Mart has continuously developed its private brand 'Da Mu Zhi Chao Sheng' (FP) series, balancing 'price power' and 'product power' in operational innovation to provide consumers with a good shopping experience. Products like 9.9 yuan shampoo, 2 yuan sanitary pads, 8.9 yuan dishwashing liquid, etc., cover everything from rice, flour, and cooking oil to daily chemicals and household cleaning, to leisure snacks, and even some frozen products. The author visited RT-Mart stores in Shandong several times, and in the shopping carts of in-store consumers, it was not difficult to see that the Chao Sheng series performed quite well at the terminal. The 'Da Mu Zhi Chao Sheng Series' shelves occupying the main aisle made many entering consumers pay for them to some extent. RT-Mart stated: Reshaping the low-price mindset has brought continuous improvement in RT-Mart's price competitiveness, and this strategy will continue to deepen in the new fiscal year, bringing surprises and value to customers. 'Home delivery business' accounts for 36.5% RT-Mart joins the last-mile competition Under the impact of instant retail, Gaoxin Retail's online business has become a key pillar for its turnaround. According to the financial report, in fiscal year 2025, online B2C revenue grew 6% year-on-year, with online business accounting for 36.5%, of which its own app 'RT-Mart Youxian' contributed significantly. According to RT-Mart's official website, consumers within a 5-kilometer radius of RT-Mart stores can place orders via mobile phones and enjoy the convenience of online shopping with delivery within 1 hour. In 2018, RT-Mart cooperated with Hema Fresh, introducing Hema's hanging chain system in stores, achieving rapid sorting and delivery of goods, which also provided the prerequisite for RT-Mart's efficient online delivery today. In recent years, major retail enterprises have been closely deploying in the instant retail industry. In Sam's Club China's financial report, it showed that of its 100 billion yuan in sales, 50% came from online business. Last month, Yonghui Online Supermarket also opened a warehouse in Chongqing. It is not difficult to see that traditional retail enterprises are decisively entering instant retail, and this path has become a 'must-fight place' for major enterprises. 'Everyday low price + community life center' RT-Mart Super becomes the future main force In the past fiscal year, Gaoxin closed eight hypermarkets and one medium-sized supermarket; at the same time, it opened one hypermarket, four medium-sized supermarkets, and four M membership stores. As of the end of March this year, Gaoxin had a total of 465 hypermarkets, 33 medium-sized supermarkets, and 7 M membership stores, covering 207 cities. Same-store sales growth (calculated based on merchandise sales excluding supply chain business) was 0.6%. The medium-sized supermarket format RT-Mart Super performed outstandingly, opening 4 new stores during the reporting period, bringing the total to 33 stores, and its business model has basically been validated, with same-store sales achieving a high growth of 5.9%. It will become the main format for Gaoxin Retail's future new store openings. RT-Mart Super focuses on two points: first, product focus on 'wide categories, narrow items' and 'long-term low prices'; second, precise positioning, focusing on community needs and modular design, enabling rapid replication. RT-Mart Super has an area of 1,500 to 3,000 square meters.
On one hand, stores select 5,000-8,000 products, of which 1,000 are long-term low-price items (such as 9.9 yuan shampoo, 4 yuan Runfa crispy egg tarts) to strengthen price competitiveness.
On the other hand, achieve scene integration. Add community canteens, children's playgrounds, and other experience areas to transform supermarkets into 'community life centers.' Hua Yuneng, Chairman of Gaoxin Retail, said: 'In the current increasingly competitive retail industry, customer traffic is the foundation of our development. We will create a 'everyday low price + community life center' model, combined with improved product power, optimize store traffic flow, and enhance customer experience; while doing lean operations, listening to customer voices, and valuing employee satisfaction, we will use modern technology and digital tools to achieve a balance between cost, efficiency, and service.' In the past year, major retail giants have been trying to save themselves. Although the traditional hypermarket format is gradually showing signs of improvement, whether it can truly break the ice remains unknown. But what is certain is that only enterprises that continuously innovate and adapt to market changes can survive this winter and welcome the arrival of spring.