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Articles by 赵胜男
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Sunshine Supermarket GM: Adjustments Without Category Management Are All in Vain
As we enter 2026, supermarket adjustments are no longer a new concept. Many companies try to copy benchmarks to find a cure, but few achieve a closed-loop business logic. In a recent interview, Si Kai, GM of Handan Sunshine Supermarket, shares his 30 years of frontline experience, emphasizing that retail has no mysticism; all growth must be built on a scientific framework. He argues that adjustments without target customers, category logic, and efficiency models are all in vain.
赵胜男The Twilight of Hypermarkets, the Fall of Convenience Stores: Who Is Holding the Last 500 Meters of Offline Retail?
The traditional retail landscape is collapsing as convenience stores lose their convenience advantage to instant retail and hypermarkets face hollowing out. A veteran retailer argues that the future lies in community stores of 500-800 square meters, which can intercept consumers within a 500-meter radius through proximity, efficient expansion, and localized offerings, while emphasizing the importance of private labels and adapting to local tastes.
赵胜男Elephant Supermarket Opens First Offline Store, Meituan Bets on Two Answers Offline
On December 19, Elephant Supermarket (Xiaoxiang Supermarket) opened its first offline store in Beijing at the Beijing Hualian Wanliu Shopping Center. This marks the first offline store in Beijing's urban area by an online giant, following attempts by Happy Monkey Supermarket, JD Discount Supermarket, and JD Huaguan to open stores on the outskirts. The store's opening generated significant buzz, with over 10,000 views on its official WeChat account within a morning, and many readers from different provinces asking when it would open in their cities.
赵胜男Against Happy Monkey, 'Money Can't Get You In': JD Discount Supermarket's First Beijing Store Is a Hit
JD Discount Supermarket's first Beijing store recently opened to huge crowds, with customers queuing for over half an hour just to enter. The store, located in Mentougou District, competes closely with Meituan's 'Happy Monkey' supermarket nearby, showcasing a battle for offline traffic between internet giants.
赵胜男Pupu Supermarket Moves Offline: From Instant Retail to Physical Stores, E-commerce Platforms Begin a Wave of Brick-and-Mortar Expansion
Innovative Retail Society has learned from multiple sources and confirmed through cross-checks with internal staff and core suppliers that Pupu Supermarket will launch its offline expansion, starting with an experience store in Fuzhou next year, with plans to extend to other cities. This marks the beginning of a commercial transformation from online to offline, as major players like Meituan, JD.com, and Alibaba have also intensified their offline efforts.
赵胜男Over 80% of Retail Enterprises Are Not Profitable: Is Offline Retail Coming to an End?
In recent years, the challenges facing offline retail have become common knowledge. The model of waiting for customers to come is no longer sustainable, and news of store closures, adjustments, and business transformations is everywhere. As the year draws to a close, how have retail enterprises performed this year? The author reviewed the first three quarters' financial reports of 24 listed retail companies. The results are not optimistic: only 2 companies achieved growth in both revenue and profit; when compared with the same period in 2024, only 1 company achieved consecutive growth. Only 2 companies saw double growth—where did the foot traffic go? Comparing 2025 with 2024 data, among the 24...
赵胜男A Super Single Product with Tenfold Monthly Growth: What Did Maizima's No-Cook Pasta Do Right?
A distributor from Taizhou, Zhejiang, shared, "After two years of cooperation, Maizima's products are well-loved by our long-term customers, with a great product reputation. Their sales reps often help us open new distributors, making the partnership pleasant, and we never worry about inventory." In today's market flooded with products, a 'good product' recognized by distributors is a scarce resource. As a convenient and healthy fast-food brand under strategic investment from Genki Forest, Maizima is committed to providing consumers with safe, high-quality table solutions. The brand has repeatedly received international recognition, including the 'Global Taste Award' from the International Taste Institute in Belgium...
赵胜男Diaoyutai Liquor Night: Breaking Through with Culture, Brewing in Tune with the Times
The baijiu industry is undergoing structural transformation, with traditional channels facing intense competition, price transparency, and high inventory, creating a typical 'red ocean dilemma.' Meanwhile, consumption shifts among younger generations toward lower-alcohol and craft beers, with 'drink less, drink better' becoming mainstream, pressuring traditional liquor companies. Against this backdrop, Diaoyutai Liquor, a leading sauce-flavor baijiu brand, leverages culture and cross-industry marketing to forge new growth paths through agile, targeted efforts.
赵胜男31 Retail Enterprises Release Q1 Financial Reports: Wanchen Net Profit Surges 3344%, Yonghui Net Profit Plunges 79.96%
In Q1 2025, extreme contrasts within comprehensive retail, supermarkets, and snack food stores intensified. Suning.com, a leading enterprise, validated its transformation resilience with four consecutive profitable quarters, while Bailian Group offset a 14% revenue decline through REITs innovation and first-store economy. Regional leader Tianhong Co., Ltd. achieved profit recovery through business format restructuring, whereas Liqun Co., Ltd. and Dalian Friendship were mired in the dilemma of revenue growth without profit increase. In the supermarket sector, Bubugao leveraged the Pangdonglai model to achieve a 488% surge in net profit, while Yonghui Superstores saw profits plummet by 79.96% due to store closure pains. In the snack industry, Wanchen Group led with a 3344% net profit growth, crushing traditional brands, while Liangpin Shop and Laiyifen retreated in the price war. This industry reshuffle, driven by a supply chain efficiency revolution, is reshaping the competitive landscape of China's retail sector.
赵胜男31 Retail Companies Including Walmart, Miniso, and Wanchen Group Release Annual Results/Forecasts; Only 10 See Revenue Growth!
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 48.7895 trillion yuan in 2024, up 3.5% year-on-year, but this figure masks deep industry fragmentation. Traditional retail formats continue to face pressure, with accelerated online-offline integration and intensified impact from emerging models, signaling a battle for survival and transformation. Among 31 listed retail companies tracked by New Distribution, only 10 achieved revenue growth and 13 saw profit growth, highlighting a widening divergence. Global companies with omnichannel layouts are breaking through against the trend, while those relying on traditional models struggle with high costs and weak consumption.
赵胜男Wanchen Group Enters Full-Category Hard Discount Market, Laiyoupin Savings Supermarket Officially Launched!
After years of rapid development in the snack discount store sector, store formats and models are undergoing a new round of innovation and iteration. Laiyoupin, under Wanchen Group, one of the industry's leading brands, announced its official entry into the full-category hard discount supermarket field. On December 21, the Wanchen Group Laiyoupin Savings Supermarket launch event was grandly held in Hefei! As an in-depth industry observation media, New Distribution was invited to attend and witness the event. At the launch, Laiyoupin debuted with the theme "New Supermarket Concept, Laiyoupin Pioneers," presenting its new vision. In the presence of senior industry media, Asia's top consulting firm Hua & Hua, and Laiyoupin franchisee representatives, Zhou Peng, partner of Wanchen Group's Haoxianglai brand retail, announced the new supermarket concept—Laiyoupin Savings Supermarket—and unveiled its store model. This move by Wanchen Laiyoupin to open savings supermarkets will further consolidate Wanchen's leading position in the industry and accelerate the integration of the entire hard discount sector.
赵胜男Experience in Traditional Trade Is Completely Useless for B2B Supply Chains!
This year, New Distribution conducted a small-scale sample survey showing that distributors' snack food business in supermarkets has declined by 10%-20% year-on-year for standard packaged goods and about 30% for bulk items, due to the impact of snack food stores. Facing these challenges, many distributors are transitioning to B2B, but as the case of Hu Xiaosheng, founder of Wuhan's 'Guoran Shifen' platform, illustrates, traditional trade experience may not be directly applicable and can even lead to pitfalls. After a period of confusion, the platform now covers 6,600 small and medium stores, offers over 5,400 SKUs, and achieves annual revenue of 180 million yuan.
赵胜男Revenue Less Than 1/5 of Yonghui, Yet Spending 6.27 Billion to Acquire Yonghui: Where Does Miniso's Confidence Come From?
In September, Miniso announced it would acquire a 29.4% stake in Yonghui Superstores for 6.27 billion yuan, including 21.1% held by Dairy Farm and 8.3% by JD.com. Upon completion, Miniso would become the largest shareholder of Yonghui. Despite Yonghui's cumulative losses exceeding 8 billion yuan and a reduction of over 400 stores in the past three years, it remains a representative traditional supermarket chain with a solid foundation. Comparing revenues, many have dubbed this acquisition a 'snake swallowing an elephant,' as Miniso's 2023 revenue was less than one-fifth of Yonghui's.
赵胜男Major Move: Three Squirrels Strategically Acquires Two Discount Brands, Ailingshi and Aidazhe, Signaling a Potential Tripartite Landscape in Snack Retail
On October 28, Three Squirrels announced its intention to acquire Ailingshi, a snack discount store chain based in Changsha, and Aidazhe, a full-category discount brand in Tianjin. Although the deal is still in preliminary stages and no formal agreements have been signed, it has already stirred significant attention, deepening Three Squirrels' presence in offline retail. Tang Guangliang, founder of Ailingshi, predicts that the bulk snack market will form a tripartite competitive landscape. This acquisition raises questions about Three Squirrels' strategy and its potential impact on industry trends.
赵胜男37 Retail Companies Including Yonghui, Suning, and Zhongbai Release Semi-Annual Reports: 26 See Revenue Decline, 22 See Profit Decline
According to data from the China Commercial Information Center, retail sales of 50 key large retailers nationwide fell by 3.8% year-on-year from January to May 2024. In the first half of 2024, among 37 listed retail companies, 26 saw revenue declines and 22 saw profit declines, reflecting the ongoing challenges in the retail sector.
赵胜男Chayan Yuese Ventures into Hard Discount Supermarkets: Easy to Chase Trends, Hard to Succeed!
On August 31, Chayan Yuese announced via its official Weibo that it had opened a new discount store named "Hard Discount Bulk GO" in Changsha. The store, located at 360 Huangxing South Road, Tianxin District, features a two-story design and offers over 200 selected products, including tea, candies, biscuits, stationery, and cups, which are not available in its standard stores, mostly private label or self-distributed items. It also includes a "water bar" area for a fresh tea experience. For years, Chayan Yuese has adhered to a direct-operated model, and in 2018 received angel investment from Tiantu Capital, followed by investments from Shunwei Capital, Source Code Capital, and Yuansheng Capital. In 2023, it achieved a net profit of approximately 500 million yuan. Despite its strong core business, the company is venturing into an unfamiliar field, raising questions about whether this move is driven by short-term trends or long-term strategy.
赵胜男Pioneer of Affordable NFC Orange Juice: GanNing Brand Rises Rapidly with Dual Drive of Supply Chain and Market
In recent years, due to the downward economic cycle, consumers have increasingly valued the 'quality-price ratio' of products, posing sales challenges for high-end market categories with high production costs. In this context, quality factories capable of cost control and efficiency improvement will encounter new market opportunities. The case introduced in this article—GanNing brand—started with fresh orange business. In 2022, based on insights into consumption trends, it ventured into NFC orange juice, offering products of uncompromised quality at half the industry price, striving to break the boundaries of the high-end market.
赵胜男Sam's Club Supplier Steps into the Spotlight: Factory-Owned Brand Hezhengran Seizes New Opportunities in Convenience Foods
As snack stores and discount retail channels reshape the FMCG distribution order, factories with strong manufacturing capabilities are gaining rare growth opportunities. Zigong Guoran Food, a former OEM/ODM supplier to Sam's Club, launched its own brand Hezhengran in late 2023, leveraging its manufacturing and cost advantages to target hard discount channels, campus stores, B2b platforms, and wholesale markets, with projected first-year sales of 100 million RMB.
赵胜男35 Retail Companies Release Financial Reports: 18 See Revenue Decline in 2023, 20 in Q1 2024
In 2023, traditional retail formats faced unprecedented pressure and challenges due to the rise of e-commerce and other retail formats, especially as post-pandemic changes in consumer shopping habits intensified market segmentation and competition. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, per capita consumer spending in 2023 was 26,796 yuan, a nominal increase of 9.2% year-on-year, and real growth of 9.0% after adjusting for price factors. Total retail sales of consumer goods reached 47,149.5 billion yuan, up 7.2% year-on-year, but supermarket retail sales declined by 0.4%.
赵胜男Two Years into the Snack Store Boom: How Are Distributors Faring?
Over the past year, snack discount stores have sprung up across China, especially in central and southern regions, dominating the market. Amid this retail revolution, the trend of 'disintermediation' has left many distributors at a loss. However, some distributors have bucked the trend, stabilizing or even growing their businesses by adapting and finding new opportunities.
赵胜男Can Distributors Switch to Retail? Li Xinmin of Youtong Convenience Gave the Answer 20 Years Ago
In recent years, as market conditions have changed, distributors' businesses have become increasingly difficult, prompting many to explore new paths for transformation and upgrading. New Distribution has reported on numerous transformation cases, such as B2B and snack stores. In fact, trading has never been an easy business, and each era has its own challenges. Twenty years ago, many distributors sought transformation due to limited growth, but few succeeded. This article presents a successful case of a veteran with over 20 years in the FMCG industry who transitioned from distributor to retailer.
赵胜男Hard Discounts Are Coming on Strong, and Walmart Finally Can't Hold Out
On January 17, Walmart China announced that the first batch of 29 hypermarket stores in 8 cities nationwide had completed upgrades. This news has been reported by several industry media outlets, highlighting customer-centric changes such as reducing SKUs by 50%, cutting ineffective promotions, improving cost-effectiveness, and enhancing product differentiation. Walmart officially defines this as 'leapfrog' cost-effectiveness, meaning enjoying quality products at low prices that exceed your price expectations. In recent years, the retail industry has been impacted by discount stores, making cost-effectiveness the industry's main theme.
赵胜男"Low Prices" Have Gone Wild in the FMCG Industry!
Low prices have become the industry benchmark, forcing manufacturers into price wars. This article explores how both online and offline channels are competing on price, the impact on brands like Three Squirrels and Bestore, and the challenges faced by manufacturers and small brands in maintaining quality while cutting costs.
赵胜男Snack Discount Stores Pressuring Traditional Supermarkets to Seek Self-Rescue
Traditional supermarkets are facing declining foot traffic and sales as snack discount stores proliferate, offering the same products at significantly lower prices. To survive, many are exploring discount-oriented reforms, such as opening discount stores, creating store-in-store concepts, or implementing full-scale discounting, though success depends on supply chain efficiency and decisive transformation.
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