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Even 7-Eleven Is Closing Stores: Why Are Japanese Convenience Stores No Longer Profitable?
Japan's convenience store industry is entering a contraction phase, with the number of stores falling for the first time in 36 years, including strategic closures by major chains like 7-Eleven. The core issue is that the traditional model of 'convenience plus value' is being squeezed by rising costs and changing competition, making individual stores increasingly unprofitable.
十里Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou Are Packed with Bulk Snack Stores
Bulk snack stores are taking over community entrances. "The same sugar-free drink costs 1.5 yuan less here than at 7-Eleven," says Zhou Heng, a resident who now regularly shops at a new Haoxianglai store. These stores are expanding rapidly in first-tier cities, competing with convenience stores and reshaping community retail.
十里Walmart Opens Four Stores in Shenzhen in One Month: What's the Essence of Its Success?
Walmart's community stores are accelerating. On December 31, three community stores opened simultaneously in Shenzhen, making four in a month, located in Bao'an, Futian, Longhua and other core areas. With previous openings, Walmart now operates nearly ten community stores. Amid cautious retail expansion, Walmart is clearly speeding up. This dense opening pace typically belongs to two types: those betting on expansion as a lifeline, and those with a proven model ready to replicate. Walmart is clearly the latter.
十里Behind the Leadership Changes at Three Retailers: The Same 'Anxiety'
From Aldi to Sam's Club to Yonghui, three retailers of different formats and sizes have completed leadership transitions within months. Beneath the surface, these moves point to a common challenge: as growth slows, competition intensifies, and consumer expectations are rewritten, the marginal returns of existing models are diminishing, forcing retailers to use leadership changes to drive deeper systemic restructuring.
十里New Capital 'Failed to Save' Gaoxin Retail
A loss-making financial report has prompted the market to reassess Gaoxin Retail's reform. On November 11, Gaoxin Retail released its first interim report after DCP Capital took over, showing a net loss attributable to shareholders of 123 million yuan for the six months ended September 30, 2025, compared with a profit of 206 million yuan in the same period last year. This loss is not just a pain of transition but an early test of the aggressive reform.
十里Closing 6,000 Stores and Reopening Them: What Is Ye Guofu's New Strategy Betting On?
Miniso founder Ye Guofu has announced a major reform plan to close and reopen 80% of its stores over the next two years, transforming them into larger IP-themed spaces and shifting from a low-cost retailer to a cultural creative brand. This move aims to capture growth in China's IP licensing market but carries significant risks, including potential loss of price-sensitive customers and operational challenges.
十里Why Are Bulk Snack Companies Rushing to Go Public? The Answer Lies Behind the Stores
When Wanchen Group submitted its prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on September 23, it was only five months after its main competitor, 'Mingming Henmang,' had filed. If Wanchen successfully lists in Hong Kong, it will become the industry's first A+H listed company. The two giants of China's bulk snack industry, after intense competition over store counts, have almost simultaneously extended their battle to the capital markets. This IPO race is not a celebration of the industry's peak but a strategic positioning battle as growth shifts from rapid expansion to a zero-sum game.
十里Demystifying the 'Pang Gai'
A year after the initial hype, the 'Pang Gai' (Pang Donglai-style makeover) of supermarket chains like Yonghui has cooled, revealing structural flaws in the imitators. The transformation, which borrowed Pang Donglai's brand and products, boosted sales temporarily but failed to sustain momentum due to high costs, a mismatch with price-sensitive customers, and a lack of genuine organizational change.
十里Snacks "Folded"
The recent semi-annual reports from the snack industry reveal not just performance fluctuations, but a collective industry lament. Leading players like Liangpin Shop, Lai Yifen, and Three Squirrels are facing significant profit declines or losses due to rising costs and price wars, while emerging channels like bulk snack stores and private labels are reshaping the competitive landscape.
十里Riders Besiege the City, Supermarkets Rebuild
Instant retail is besieging supermarkets. Wang Peng, a veteran retailer running three chain supermarkets in a third-tier city in Shandong, is increasingly anxious as foot traffic declines, especially among young people. The rise of instant retail platforms like Meituan and Ele.me, with subsidies and fast delivery, is diverting demand away from physical stores, forcing traditional supermarkets to confront a digital divide and seek new growth through digital transformation.
十里Wumart's 'Adjustment'
Wumart is learning from Pangdonglai and has transformed its Xueqing Road store, which saw a 190% sales increase during the May Day holiday. However, the success relies heavily on copying Pangdonglai's model, and Wumart is also entering the discount store market with its new 'Wumart Super Value' brand, facing challenges in supply chain and private label development.
十里Small Formats Making a Comeback?
After a period of silence, the community store track is heating up again. Walmart has opened two community stores in Shenzhen, featuring refined store designs and integrated online-offline operations, while ALDI, Hema, and Meituan are also expanding their small-format stores. This resurgence is driven by changing consumer habits and a focus on supply chain efficiency and cost control, marking a shift from the previous 'traffic-first' approach to a more sustainable, profit-oriented model.
十里HotMaxx Expands Product Categories in 'Adjustment'
HotMaxx, a Chinese discount retailer, is expanding beyond its traditional food and snacks to include beauty products, anime merchandise, and clothing, as it seeks new growth engines amid intensifying competition and the limitations of its original 'near-expiry' model. The strategy, however, carries risks in supply chain, brand positioning, and operations.
十里Supermarket 2024 Financial Reports: Store Closures and Adjustments Cannot Mask Industry Pain
A review of 2024 financial reports from 11 listed supermarket chains shows that revenue and profit declines have become the industry norm, with 8 companies reporting lower revenue. While some firms like Better Life and Hongqi Chain showed resilience, the overall picture is one of shrinking profitability, prompting widespread store closures and operational adjustments.
十里County Town Supermarkets Are Getting Harder to Run
The business of county town supermarkets is declining. Operators like Fang Chao and Guo Lin face challenges from changing consumer habits, competition from chain stores and convenience stores, and supply chain issues, leading many to close or struggle.
十里Taocaicai Exits, the Endgame for Community Group Buying?
Taocaicai, Alibaba's community group buying platform, has quietly replaced its next-day pickup service with a delivery-by-courier model, signaling a full retreat from the sector. This move reflects the broader struggles of the industry, as platforms like Meituan and Pinduoduo also scale back, leaving suppliers and group leaders facing mounting pressures.
十里Supply Chain 'Turmoil' for Foreign Retailers
The butterfly effect of tariffs is causing supply chain turmoil for foreign retailers. Costco is pressuring Chinese suppliers to lower prices, following Walmart's demand for a 10% price cut, both triggered by new U.S. tariff policies. This quiet game is reshaping the relationship between retailers and suppliers, revealing deep challenges and potential transformations.
十里Lawson 'Adjusts' Mom-and-Pop Stores
Lawson is targeting mom-and-pop stores with its new 'Lawson Xiaozhan' format in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guangdong, offering lower franchise thresholds and full gross profit retention to attract small retailers. This move aims to accelerate expansion into lower-tier markets, but faces challenges from policy restrictions, supply chain integration, and operational control.
十里Premium Supermarkets' 'Wave of Store Closures'?
Premium supermarkets are facing a wave of store closures. In early March, the blt supermarket at Tianjin Joy City, operated by China Resources Vanguard, closed after 16 years, sparking industry-wide attention. This reflects broader challenges for high-end supermarkets in China, as consumer preferences shift toward value-for-money and competition intensifies.
十里Spring Festival Supermarkets: A Tale of Ice and Fire
Sales and average transaction value both declined. "Closed during Spring Festival" was the decision Gao Hui made this year, with his store located in the center of Shijiazhuang, Hebei. In previous years, his supermarket always opened before dawn during the festival, moving full stock of New Year goods to the entrance for display sales. "Business has been getting worse year by year, so this year I simply closed and rested at home." In fact, the recent trend of many supermarkets closing during Spring Festival reflects a careful weighing of costs and benefits. Gao Hui said: "Operating costs during Spring Festival are high, especially the surge in labor costs—overtime wages double, and labor costs alone rise by about 30%. Not to mention the various promotional activities to attract customers, which further compress profit margins." The money earned from opening may not even cover employee wages.
十里From Expansion, Transformation to Innovation: Top 10 Convenience Store Events in 2024
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to November, total retail sales of consumer goods reached 44,272.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%. Among them, retail sales of consumer goods excluding automobiles were 39,796.0 billion yuan, up 3.7%. By retail format, from January to November, retail sales of convenience stores, specialty stores, and supermarkets in units above the designated size increased by 4.4%, 4.0%, and 2.6% year-on-year, respectively; while department stores and brand specialty stores decreased by 2.9% and 0.7%, respectively. As the "capillaries" of the terminal retail market, convenience stores are still in a development period due to their flexible business models and advantages in serving consumers closely.
十里“花了10万元调改费，超市的利润比改造前还低”
The trend of store renovation is reaching individual operators. Chen Chen spent 150,000 yuan on a franchise renovation, but it turned out to be a lesson. He runs two supermarkets in a third-tier city, and after the renovation, his daily revenue dropped from over 10,000 yuan to around 3,000 yuan. Similarly, Zhao Kang invested nearly 300,000 yuan in renovation, but profits remained flat or even lower than before.
十里The Fate of RT-Mart
With Lin Xiaohai's resignation as CEO of Sun Art Retail, an era has ended, and against this backdrop, RT-Mart's future is largely predetermined. In 2017, after Alibaba acquired a 36.16% stake, RT-Mart became deeply tied to Alibaba and was labeled a 'new retail test field.' Over three years, Alibaba invested over HK$50 billion to solidify RT-Mart's position. RT-Mart performed well, with its parent company Sun Art Retail's market value exceeding HK$100 billion in 2020, ranking first among China's top 100 supermarkets...
十里Pupu Supermarket Raises Delivery Fees, Rumored Layoffs: 'Climbing the Hill'
Pupu Supermarket, a representative of the front-warehouse model, is embroiled in layoff rumors and acquisition talks with JD.com. The company has raised its free delivery threshold in Fujian and Xiamen to 35 yuan, aiming to increase average order value and gross margin, but faces risks of customer loss and increased competition.
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