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Browse 42 New Distribution articles by 汪海.
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Freshippo Goes Downmarket, NB Targets East China: Hema Abandons Benchmarking Against Sam's Club
If last year's keyword for traditional supermarkets was 'adjustment and reform,' then for new retail supermarket Hema, it was definitely 'profitability.' Compared to the 'borrowed' approach of adjustment, Hema's innovation is undoubtedly worth learning from for many traditional retailers. In March last year, Hema changed its leadership, with new CEO Yan Xiaolei taking office. On December 31 of the same year, Yan Xiaolei sent an internal letter to all staff stating that over the past year, Hema achieved double-digit growth on the basis of nine consecutive months of overall profitability, with customer numbers growing by over 50%. The letter also clearly indicated Hema's future development direction—focusing on Hema Freshippo and Hema NB, with the former replicating the successful model and the latter refining the advanced model.
汪海Yanjin Shop's Damowang: Category Innovation and Globalization Strategy, How Sesame Sauce Su Maodu Creates Big Flavor x Big Single Product Snacks
Recently, the author visited many snack food distributors and found that although they represent many products, truly fast-moving products are becoming fewer. The root causes: severe homogenization in the snack market, brands competing on price, insufficient consumer insight, and lack of product innovation; fragmented media with no deterministic communication channels, leaving brands unsure where to spend money; weak control over the upstream supply chain, making brand innovation easily 'choked'. In such a complex and changing environment, brands that can calmly focus on products, marketing, and supply chain are particularly precious, and Yanjin Shop is a good example.
汪海From 'Germany's Discount Supermarket' to a Rising Star in the Yangtze River Delta Community Retail: What Kind of Supermarket Is ALDI?
In recent years, many foreign companies have withdrawn from the Chinese market, but ALDI, the German supermarket giant, has bucked the trend by opening 62 stores in Shanghai. At the end of last year, it also announced the simultaneous opening of new stores in Suzhou and Wuxi. This marks ALDI's first expansion outside Shanghai in its eight years in China, reflecting its ongoing iteration and deepening focus on the Yangtze River Delta region.
汪海Traditional Small Stores Under Siege
“If I don't renovate, young people won't even step inside,” Lao Huang said with a wry smile. His storefront, once faded, now boasts a bright, wide sign, and the cluttered shelves have been reorganized with a trendy, 'internet-famous' aesthetic. But this transformation wasn't proactive—it was a desperate response to three new snack stores opening nearby. Behind this lies the plight of millions of mom-and-pop shops across China: as discount stores expand aggressively, chain convenience stores push into lower-tier markets, and near-field e-commerce's '30-minute delivery' cavalry charges through community commerce.
汪海JD.com Enters the Fray, Doubling Down on Food Delivery!
On February 11, JD.com officially announced the launch of JD Delivery, initiating recruitment of "quality dine-in restaurant merchants" with an attractive offer: merchants registering before May 1, 2025, enjoy zero commission for the entire year, limited to "quality dine-in restaurants." JD.com has been strategically positioning itself in the instant retail sector for years, having launched JD Daojia as early as 2015. Last year, JD.com integrated JD Hourly Delivery and JD Daojia into "Miaosong," placing it prominently on the JD App homepage to strengthen its instant retail presence. As of now, Miaosong covers over 2,400 counties, districts, and cities, with more than 600,000 partner stores, and JD.com states that over 90% of the top 100 national retailers cooperate with JD Miaosong.
汪海Behind the Supermarket Overhaul: Winning Back the Years Lost to E-commerce
The buzz around 'overhaul' has been evident over the past six months. Once-glamorous supermarkets have become traditional industries in need of change. In recent months, the author visited suppliers involved in these overhauls, who all felt this was a golden opportunity for China's supermarket sector. The article highlights how the shift is disrupting established regional distribution networks as more internet-famous and imported products enter physical shelves.
汪海Remembering the Source: What's Behind the Brand Named After Its Water Source?
Recently, the debate between mineral water and purified water has been intense, with consumers hotly discussing how to choose drinking water. In the mineral water category, very few brands dare to name themselves directly after their water source, reflecting the scarcity of high-quality sources. New Distribution's market research found that Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water has almost secured the top position in the high-quality mineral water market, and this article explores how it achieved this.
汪海Yonghui's Store Revamp: Removing Inflated Prices, Making Shelves a Test of Product Strength
On August 7, Yonghui's Zhengzhou Hanhai Haishang revamped store opened, the second Yonghui store adjusted by Pangdonglai. The revamp focused on product structure, pricing, environment, and employee management, removing 10,841 SKUs (81.3% of the original) and adding 12,581 new ones. Four months later, the store shows significant changes: wider aisles, reduced displays, lower prices on standard items, and a shift toward brand strength over promotional tactics, while also impacting suppliers and distributors.
汪海Leading Supermarkets Busy with Adjustments, Is RT-Mart Quiet?
Traditional supermarkets are facing declining revenue and performance pressure. Many leading domestic supermarket chains have embarked on adjustment paths this year, such as Butbuy, Jiabaile, Yonghui, and Heli, which have implemented Donglai-style adjustments. For retailers, the core factors attracting consumers are low prices for regular goods and differentiated products. RT-Mart, despite rumors of being sold, has been quietly developing its private brand 'FP' and achieving initial success.
汪海24-Hour Operation, 55% Discount Price War: Snack Stores Compete at New Heights
The snack retail sector is experiencing the typical internet playbook—aggressive store openings, cash-burning expansion, and mergers. In some regions, snack stores are fiercely competing for territory and customers. During a market visit in Shandong, the author discovered two snack stores engaged in a price war, with 24-hour operations and 55% discounts, truly pushing competition to new heights.
汪海Yonghui's "Turbulent" Two Decades
On September 23, Miniso and Yonghui Superstores announced that Miniso plans to invest 6.27 billion yuan to acquire 29.4% of Yonghui's shares at 2.35 yuan per share. Despite media jokes about a "10-yuan store" bottom-fishing Yonghui, Miniso's net profit in the first half of the year was nearly six times that of Yonghui, highlighting its strong profitability.
汪海Supermarkets in Shopping Malls Are Really Struggling!
Supermarkets in shopping malls are really struggling! During a recent market visit, the author found three malls in a local business district, each with a supermarket in the basement. All three supermarkets had almost no customers. Even in the mall with the highest foot traffic, the supermarket saw few shoppers and low transaction values, while the other two faced even worse conditions, with one announcing closure.
汪海“Small Category” Distributor: Covering 3,000+ Supermarkets, Turning Pet Supplies into “FMCG” with Full Rack Output
Traditional trading businesses are increasingly difficult, so where is the way out for distributors? In the past era of “dividing the cake,” as long as you were willing, it was only a matter of eating faster or slower and getting a bigger or smaller share; but now it is an era of “grabbing the cake,” and distributors must continuously innovate to keep up with market changes. In Zhengzhou, Henan, there is a boss who initially ran a general merchandise trading business, then entered the pet supplies industry, became a supplier to Pangdonglai, and through deep cultivation of the pet category, built strong product solution capabilities, becoming a one-stop, full-store output operation solution provider for pet supplies in supermarket channels.
汪海Head Snack Chains Expand Aggressively: Should Regional Players Advance or Retreat?
On June 12, Mingming Henmang Group announced surpassing 10,000 stores, becoming the first local snack chain to achieve this scale. Since 2020, snack discount stores have entered a rapid expansion era, with head players expanding nationwide and consolidating through mergers. According to NielsenIQ, the snack discount store sector grew by 75.8% in 2023. In early 2024, Henmang introduced a 'zero franchise fee' policy, driving its store count from 6,000 to 10,000. Regional players face intense competition but are finding survival strategies such as product differentiation, fee waivers, alliances, and transitioning to discount supermarkets.
汪海The Post-00s Who Just Entered the FMCG Workplace Have Already Resigned
In his sixth month at the company, Xiao Yang (pseudonym), the only employee under 30 in his department, resigned. He cited low pay, heavy and miscellaneous tasks, long working hours, and a lack of belonging as the main reasons. His experience highlights the challenges young people face in the FMCG industry, where high turnover and difficulty in retaining fresh talent persist.
汪海78 FMCG Listed Companies Release Annual Reports: 26 See Revenue Decline, 29 See Profit Decline
In 2023, the slogan 'It's not that XX is unaffordable, but that XX offers better value for money' spread across short-video platforms, making cost-performance and quality-price ratio the market's main themes, with consumption stratification becoming more pronounced. As companies released their 2023 annual reports, issues from the past year came to light. The beverage market grew positively, with intense competition, as the FMCG industry saw a 6% growth rate.
汪海Freshippo's Discount Transformation Faces New Uncertainties
On March 17, rumors emerged that Freshippo would be sold to COFCO Corporation. Although the rumors were denied, the next day, Hou Yi, who had served as CEO for nine years, retired, and CFO Yan Xiaolei took over. In recent years, Freshippo has faced numerous challenges, including reduced membership benefits, packaging bag incidents, IPO suspension, and Hou Yi's retirement. Recently, reports suggest Freshippo plans to restart its membership system and pause its discount strategy.
汪海Costco's First Store in South China Opens with a Bang, Intensifying Competition in China's Warehouse Club Industry!
On January 12, Costco's first store in South China opened with great fanfare, attracting over 140,000 new members on the first day, ranking first globally, and achieving the highest daily sales in China. Amid sluggish physical retail, the Shenzhen store's success highlights a shift from consumption downgrading to consumption stratification, with the vast middle class and lower-tier markets becoming key drivers. Warehouse clubs are increasingly targeting the middle class in first-tier cities, intensifying competition among major players like Costco, Sam's Club, and Hema.
汪海