NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How can distributors keep growing across fragmented channels?
Front-line analysis of product selection, organization, channel strategy, profit models, and business transformation for FMCG distributors.
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4620 articles · Page 15 of 193
Fifth Stop of the "B2b Platform Distributor In-depth Study Tour" - Dongguan Caihua Trading (Yueheji) Concluded Successfully!
From April 18 to 19, the fifth stop of the "B2b Platform Distributor In-depth Study Tour" was successfully held at Dongguan Caihua Trading (Yueheji). The tour focused on topics such as avoiding pitfalls in B2b supply chain platforms, the correct logic of B2b platforms with annual sales of 2.5 billion yuan, 23,000 stores, and 4,000 SKUs, warehouse and distribution cost leaks, store classification management, and 52-week category activity planning, as well as deep store control and retail supply cooperation.
New Distribution“Excessive” Innovation Hurts Ice Cream Distributors
As temperatures rise, ice cream distributors are questioning whether the 2025 market is worth pursuing. Despite stable or even increased consumption, consumers have lost trust in pre-packaged ice cream after the "ice cream刺客" (pricey ice cream) incidents, largely due to brands' excessive innovation. This article advises brands to focus on quality, distributor profitability, and brand building rather than chasing novelty.
百万食饮人都在看The Business of Millions of FMCG Distributors Is Being Acceleratedly Plundered
“The market is changing too fast and too drastically!” This is the deepest feeling from our visits over the past year. Many distributors are lamenting that the industry is changing so rapidly that they are left behind if they are not careful. Four months into 2025, what changes are happening in the industry? What opportunities exist for distributors? And what deserves attention? At the recently concluded 10th China FMCG Innovation Conference, through exchanges with industry experts and observation of market dynamics, we have gained insights into some trends that distributors should pay close attention to. These trends not only reflect the future direction of the industry but also directly relate to the survival and development of distributors.
张雨薇Multiple Distributors in One Region, Nationwide Channel Crossing: Who Is Destroying the Last Line of Defense in the Beverage Industry?
China's beverage industry is undergoing unprecedented structural divergence. While leading brands like Nongfu Spring, Genki Forest, Dongpeng Beverage, and Wahaha are conquering markets with double-digit growth, small and medium-sized brands are seeing declining survival rates, with most struggling to stay afloat. Behind this divergence lies the collapse of regional protection systems for small and medium-sized brands. The question of whether to firmly implement 'long-term strategy' or address the immediate 'survival crisis' has become a key issue for many such brands. Wen Zhibing, partner at Pinyinhui, stated: 'For most small and medium-sized beverage brands, 'sales growth' and 'market stability' cannot be achieved simultaneously; they must choose one.'
穆宇“Can't Recruit, Can't Manage, Can't Retain”: 90% of Distributors Lack Talent
Distributors commonly face talent shortages, making it hard to recruit, manage, and retain employees. Successful cases show that clear compensation, defined roles, growth paths, and a sense of belonging are key to building a stable team.
何雯Campus Daily Sales Nearly 10,000 Yuan! Capico's 'Taste of China' Uses Cultural Symbols to Win Over Young Consumers!
From a distributor's perspective, what makes a 'good product'? New Distribution's market research identifies key factors: profit and turnover speed, brand support, consumer experience and word-of-mouth, and differentiation and innovation. After the pandemic, many distributors adjusted their product lines based on these criteria. For example, a Wuxi distributor, Mr. Li, cut instant foods and expanded into puffed snacks, ultimately giving Capico's 'Taste of China' potato chips three full shelves.
田静Annual Sales of $54 Billion, Covering Over 100,000 Outlets: The Business Logic of McLane as a 'Middleman'
China's current retail transformation, whether it's membership warehouses, discount retail, or instant retail, as well as the forced adjustments in supermarkets and convenience stores, is all about improving supply chain efficiency. Improving industry efficiency inevitably involves supply chain adjustments, and distributors, as a key intermediate link, are the hardest hit. Many distributors are confused about their future business positioning. However, this cycle of industry chain adjustment has been experienced in the retail development history of all developed countries. Naturally, the solution for the 'middleman' business can also be found in global retail history.
张振宇Snack Food Distributor: 57 Employees, 200 Million in Annual Sales, Small Goal to Become Hefei's No.1 Snack Food Brand Operator
The distributor business is not complicated; it essentially acts as an intermediary, passing goods from upstream to downstream. However, despite the unchanged underlying model, operational difficulty has multiplied due to lower margins, declining per-store sales, rising costs, new channel impacts, and bare procurement by supermarkets. Snack food distributors face additional pressure from the rapid expansion of snack stores with discounts like 8.8折, 8.5折, even 5.5折. This article shares the case of Hefei Baili Food, which achieved 200 million yuan in sales with only 57 employees, aiming to become Hefei's No.1 snack food brand operator.
周群Under the Supermarket 'Bare Price Direct Sourcing' Storm, What Should the Cut-Off Distributors Do?
In March, Yonghui Supermarket's acting CEO Ye Guofu announced a 'bare price direct sourcing' strategy, eliminating intermediaries, which has shocked FMCG distributors. This move, along with the rise of private labels, is forcing traditional distributors to transform or face elimination.
关关1 Yuan Ice Cream Bars Make a Comeback in 2025?
As the ice cream industry shifts toward value-for-money, 1 yuan ice cream bars are regaining popularity among distributors and consumers, especially in lower-tier markets and specific scenarios like schools and community stores.
不旧Distributors Need to Fully Tap into Localized Markets
In August 2024, a New Distribution industry report showed that over half of distributors experienced declining sales. However, in the first two months after the Chinese New Year, visits to over twenty top regional distributors revealed that despite difficulties, their business remained stable or grew, albeit with lower profits. Their common trait was full-channel coverage in localized markets, especially in non-first-tier cities.
周群Scaling Down and Cutting SKUs: Beverage Distributors Seek Stability in 2025
In 2025, the beverage industry is undergoing a quiet transformation as distributors shift from expansion to contraction, focusing on core SKUs and cost efficiency. Facing squeezed profits and high inventory pressure, many are cutting SKUs, deepening regional focus, and evolving into service providers to survive and thrive.
饮品营销B2b Transformation: The Pitfalls and the Paths
In recent years, transforming to B2b has become a hot topic, mainly because many distributors face increasing challenges in their operations, forcing them to reassess and adjust their business models. These challenges include shrinking supermarket channels, the impact of new retail formats, high returns with low profits, difficult payment collections, sluggish growth, and inventory backlog, all of which are pushing distributors to transform. B2b offers a relatively clear and structured path, drawing widespread attention. On March 19, 2025, at the 10th China FMCG Innovation Conference and the 4th China FMCG Distributor Conference hosted by New Distribution, Mr. Liu Peng, Dean of the Business School of Chengdu Laiken Information Technology Co., Ltd. and Deputy General Manager of Operations at Chengdu Qilian Technology Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech titled "B2b Transformation: The Pitfalls and the Paths," which resonated deeply with many manufacturers and distributors present, sparking lively discussion. New Distribution is pleased to share the highlights of his speech with our readers.
刘朋Spending Billions in 4 Years! This B2b Incubator Reveals the Real Path for Distributor Transformation...
In early March, Tongfu Shared Platform released regional agency rights nationwide, with 616 city partners joining in that month alone. With 700 manufacturers, 1,500 traditional distributors transformed digitally, and over 50,000 terminal stores becoming community service centers, a county-level commercial revolution is quietly sweeping the country.
田静Spring Sugar Fair Concludes Successfully, Jinsha Distillery Amplifies Presence with 'Exhibition + City + Conference' Strategy
The 112th National Sugar and Wine Fair and 2025 Spring Sugar Season concluded successfully in Chengdu on March 27. As the chief partner, Jinsha Distillery impressed the industry and market with its 'Strive Upstream' brand narrative, delivering a multidimensional event covering product experience, cultural interaction, and industry dialogue, celebrating the upstream genes of the Chishui River and declaring its commitment to the industry's future.
金沙酒业The Channel Evolution of a 137-Year-Old Brand: How Lee Kum Kee and Its Distributors Navigate Cycles Together
How does a condiment brand that has spanned three centuries and 137 years of history face the new era? At the 10th China FMCG Conference, Ms. Zhang Yaping, Vice President of Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group China and Head of New Retail Operations Center, delivered a keynote titled "Thinking of Others, Winning with 'Lee' – Manufacturer-Distributor Collaboration for Shared Value." The presentation was divided into three parts: Redefining Distributor Value: From Channel Movers to Value Creators; How Distributors Develop Amid Retail Channel Transformation; and A New Paradigm of Manufacturer-Distributor Symbiosis: From Transactions to Co-creation.
张亚苹From Distributor to Category Operations Service Provider
The core value of intermediaries will no longer be limited to the physical transfer of goods, but will evolve into a hub for value exchange in the digital world. At the 10th China FMCG Innovation Conference held in Chengdu from March 17 to 19, Chen Yixin, founder of Haocheng Pet, delivered a keynote speech on this transformation, sharing insights on how distributors can evolve into category operations service providers.
陈一鑫When Bottled Water Enters the Era of Grading, Why Has Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water Become the First Choice for Healthy Drinking?
A distributor in East China lamented, 'Selling water is a good business, but choosing the right water is the real skill!' This reflects the current dilemma in the bottled water market. Consumers are often confused about the differences between 'natural water,' 'purified water,' and 'mineral water,' while distributors struggle to find differentiation. Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water, with its high-altitude golden water source, has gained industry recognition and become a benchmark case for high-quality water interpretation on 'People's Lounge.' This article analyzes how Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water solves the dual dilemma for consumers and distributors through scientific standards, scenario marketing, and long-termism.
张雨薇Is Deep Distribution Dead? Who Will Save Millions of FMCG Distributors?
Deep distribution, once the golden strategy of the FMCG industry, is now facing an unprecedented survival crisis as market growth slows and store closures surge. However, an innovative solution called 'Spark of Thought' is leveraging data and AI to help distributors achieve growth and navigate the new market landscape.
墨廷AI in Action: How Distributors Can Achieve 3x Growth
At the 10th China FMCG Innovation Conference, Pan Kun, General Manager of Zhoupudata's Digital Intelligence Division, shared insights on how distributors can integrate AI with their operations to drive growth. He highlighted the challenges distributors face, such as 'intelligent anxiety,' and presented practical solutions like intelligent store expansion, new product distribution, and cost control, all supported by AI tools.
潘坤Digital Empowerment, Reconstructing People-Goods-Places: Rebuilding Deep Distribution
At the 10th China FMCG Innovation Conference, Gao Bo, CFO of C&S Paper, delivered a keynote on how digital tools can rebuild deep distribution. He identified three reasons why deep distribution is struggling in 2024—slowing retail growth, high store closure rates, and product abundance—and proposed solutions: selecting the right stores using AI models, choosing the right product categories, and targeting specific consumer segments.
高波Ren Wenqing of New Distribution: The 'Label Dividend' of Hard Discounts Is Gone
On March 18, 2025, the 4th China FMCG Hard Discount Conference was held in Chengdu, where Ren Wenqing, CEO of New Distribution, delivered a keynote speech. This article is based on that speech. In the past six months, several events in the discount retail sector have drawn attention, including Three Squirrels acquiring two discount retail companies, leading snack chains launching 'money-saving supermarkets,' and Hema NB opening over 200 stores in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. These events signal that discount retail has moved beyond its early stage, with mainstream players finding their paths and more entering the field. Ren shares seven viewpoints, emphasizing that the 'label dividend' of hard discounts is over, urging a return to market logic, and highlighting the ongoing reconstruction of FMCG distribution order.
任文青AndyNew Distributors Shape a New Order in FMCG Distribution
The theme of this conference is 'New Order, Symbiosis.' In the FMCG distribution chain, brand owners and distributors are the most critical links. Today, they face a severe challenge: in an era of shrinking volumes, can traditional joint business plans still work? In the past, leading brand owners typically set growth targets and guided distributors to build capabilities, but as growth becomes harder, the old order may collapse, requiring a shift from a planned economy to a market economy, with both sides achieving symbiosis through data-driven channel services.
周震In the Digital Intelligence Era, Where Does Distributors' 'Money' Come From?
In January this year, DeepSeek's phenomenal popularity ignited a nationwide AI craze, making intelligent assistants a new standard in children's schoolbags. This phenomenon has made us realize that the wave of digital intelligence has arrived and is unstoppable. For FMCG distributors, this transformation is not just about upgrading technological tools but a comprehensive reconstruction of their way of survival. In the context of the digital intelligence era, distributors are asking: where does 'money' come from?
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