NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How is instant retail changing stores, platforms, and supply chains?
Coverage of flash warehouses, front warehouses, discount stores, supermarket transformation, and local commerce platforms in China.
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2996 articles · Page 21 of 125
Retail is in an Era of Major Circulation Transformation; One-Stop Hypermarkets Will Eventually Be Eliminated
This year, retailers continue to face tough times. We are confronting a circulation revolution as Chinese retail has raised the banner of price destruction, which has had a huge impact on the distribution system. The old circulation system is collapsing, while a new one has yet to be established—this is the current state of our industry. The entire Chinese circulation industry is undergoing revolutionary changes. Japanese circulation expert Professor Shuji Hayashi, in his 1962 book "Circulation Revolution," proposed a viewpoint that I strongly agree with: retail revolution inevitably triggers the reorganization of the entire supply chain system, which is the circulation revolution.
窄播Benchmark FMCG Distributor: Treat Stores as Warehouses, Make POS the Core of All Sales!
In the offline trading sector, distributors of daily chemical products face the greatest challenges. Despite this, some outstanding distributors manage to break through. This article features Guo Xiaolin, GM of Nantong Jindihuang Trading Co., who has achieved annual sales of 300 million yuan through a multi-brand, multi-category, and strong-channel model, with a focus on POS-driven performance and innovative marketing.
何雯E-commerce: Time to Return to the Shelf
The 'golden age' of live-streaming e-commerce seems to be fading. Once a magnet for consumers with its novel format and interactivity, the industry's top streamers like Li Jiaqi, Xiao Yangge, and Dong Yuhui turned their live rooms into shopping extravaganzas. However, this year, live-streaming e-commerce has lost its former luster, with no memorable new streamers emerging as in previous years. Recent incidents, such as Macau Coco姐's failed sales of cordyceps underwear and Tingquan Jianbao's recurring product issues, highlight the industry's growing lack of inspiring newcomers.
寻空RT-Mart Super Focuses
Sun Art Retail Group's (06808.HK) latest interim results for fiscal year 2025 show the company has returned to a healthy growth trajectory. Among its businesses, the mid-sized supermarket format RT-Mart Super, which serves as the company's second growth curve, opened 30 stores across 10 provinces and cities during the reporting period, achieving mid-to-high single-digit same-store sales growth after self-adjustments. Unlike the rapidly expanding M Membership Store and the actively revamped RT-Mart, the question of whether the smaller, more refined RT-Mart Super with community canteens can successfully scale its business model this year is a key concern for the industry.
博雅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Purchasing Agents for Pangdonglai: Some Have Made Millions
Recent consumers have been hurt by sanitary pad brands collapsing and down jackets being exposed by CCTV. Unexpectedly, whenever other brands collapse, Pangdonglai becomes a beneficiary. Recently, hashtags like 'Customers say Pangdonglai down jackets are sold out' and 'Pangdonglai sanitary pad section ransacked' have topped the hot search list.
财经天下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Preparing for the Year-End: Promotions Can Be Done This Way
The year-end is a prime opportunity for FMCG companies to turn around their annual sales performance. Well-executed promotions can not only boost sales and achieve a strong start, but also lay the groundwork for the coming year's marketing strategy. How should promotional plans be designed to help improve year-end performance? Let's discuss this with specific cases.
崔自三A Company Should Not Be Like a Frog, Biting at Anything That Moves
When a company has a star product, it gains a ticket into various retail systems and basic traffic on e-commerce platforms. This gives the company the ability and willingness to spend money to continue buying shelf space, allowing weaker products and non-competitive 'generic goods' to also get on shelves and gain traffic, becoming options for consumers. Many companies mistakenly believe this is due to their 'brand' strength, but in reality, it's often a differentiated good product plus advertising that gives their other products a chance on shelves. Once retailers shift from selling shelf space to selling products, they will eliminate weak products and generics, keeping only the strongest competitive products. This will lead to a significant decline in overall company performance, but also presents opportunities amid the upheaval.
苗庆显In 2024, Supermarkets That Closed, Disappeared, or Fell into Crisis
In 2024, China's supermarket sector was turbulent, with once-prominent brands facing closures, bankruptcies, or crises. This article examines four traditional supermarket chains—Shanghai CityShop, Xinglong Family, Ganyuting, and Fudi—that declined due to strategic errors, management issues, or failure to adapt to market changes.
楚勿留香The 'Chinese-style health food' track that Genki Forest and others are eyeing: 'It's highly likely a 10-billion-yuan blockbuster product will emerge'?
Run Kang Pharmaceutical's deputy general manager Guan Yuling told FBIF that it is highly likely a 10-billion-yuan blockbuster product will emerge in the Chinese-style health food track. In recent years, Run Kang has focused on OEM business for Chinese-style health foods, collaborating with brands such as Zishi, Haidilao, Metro, Wanglaoji, Leiyunshang, Tongrentang, and Honeymoon Dessert. From 2021 to 2023, downstream orders continued to grow, prompting Run Kang to expand capacity every six months. Guan Yuling's judgment is based on witnessing sales growth of partner brands and Run Kang's revenue doubling for three consecutive years.
FBIFSnack Discount Retailers in 2024: Small Brands Exit, Giants Aim for 'Terminal Dominance'
The snack discount retail industry is entering a new competitive phase, marked by the formation of a leading tier. In June, the MMHP Group, formed by Snack Busy and Zhao Yiming Snacks, surpassed 10,000 stores and now exceeds 14,000, while the second-place Wanchen Group is close to that threshold. Meanwhile, mid- and lower-tier brands face squeezed survival space, with some franchise stores incurring losses and closures, fueling industry skepticism.
楚勿留香Reviewing the Past Five Years of Convenience Stores: What Kind of Relationship Should Retailers Build with the Supply Chain?
Gong Yi operates for over 20 hours a day, yet daily revenue may be less than 1,000 yuan, barely covering costs—a true reflection of many convenience stores in lower-tier markets today. CCFA data shows that in 2023, 13,148 new convenience stores opened, with a net increase of 9,072. On the surface, the number of convenience stores is growing, but behind this is the pressure from discount formats like warehouse clubs and snack discount stores, forcing convenience stores to expand downward in search of new growth. Struggling to survive or even holding on at a loss may be more in line with the actual feelings of convenience store practitioners today.
弓羿At Yonghui's First Self-Renovated Store in Beijing: Seeing Manufacturing-Development Retail
Ye Guofu: "The best retailers are manufacturing-development retailers; those with design and development capabilities are the ultimate future model." The renovated store features bakery, self-operated deli, DL products, and Yonghui private labels, offering quality-price ratio and a return to the warmth and experience of supermarkets, creating a wallet-share-shifting experience gap compared to similar products in other channels. Ye Guofu: "Yonghui has a good foundation, a solid team, and sufficient scale. Today, with the right approach and a change in working methods, the results are different." The renovation: after one month of self-renovation, the store has addressed livelihood needs, quality, and younger product selection, proving its ability to pivot locally; the next milestone is 40-50 renovated stores around the Spring Festival, which is fully verifiable.
芩珲Unsweetened Teas Finally Rise to Become the 'Protagonist'
China's beverage industry is becoming the 'salvation' for Japanese unsweetened tea giants. Suntory's star brand 'Iyemon' hit a record low in Japan last year, and Ito En is considering adjusting its 2025 targets. In China, however, Japanese unsweetened teas frequently top e-commerce bestseller lists, with Suntory oolong tea achieving about 200% sales growth for two consecutive years, prompting executives to express firm commitment to investing in China. Similarly, domestic pioneer Oriental Leaf saw sales surge 90% in the first half of this year, and the market is now flooded with brands.
洞见数据研究院In the Era of Interest E-Commerce, Are Brands Still Important?
Liu Chunxiong discusses whether brands remain important in the era of interest e-commerce, prompted by a question from expert Gong Fanggang. He argues that while newbie dividends can create rapid success, sustainable business requires converting these into stable assets like brands and offline channels, as interest is fleeting and platforms do not provide permanent support.
刘春雄What Exactly Are Chinese Retailers Missing Compared to Walmart?
Global retail giant Walmart has been in the Chinese market for 28 years. On November 19, at the '2024 China Retail Leaders Summit' hosted by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA), Walmart China President and CEO, and CCFA Vice President, Zhu Xiaojing delivered a speech titled 'Reshaping Customer Value, Leading the Future with Trust.' She said, 'The evolution of retail is not about the replacement of concepts, but about the persistence and innovation of every retail practitioner, supplier, and partner, jointly creating lasting value for consumers...'
联商网编辑部"Hold on for two more years; if it doesn't make money, I'll close the shop."
A few days ago, I walked into a small supermarket at the entrance of my residential community to buy a bottle of water. I noticed a thin layer of dust on the shelves and saw that the shelf life of the products was only half a year left. It was clear that sales were sluggish, and the salesperson hadn't visited to tidy the shelves for a long time. Seeing the sparse customers in the store, I chatted with the owner. The couple, trapped in their small shop with low foot traffic and thin profits, shared their struggles.
何雯Instant Retail Enters 'Hand-to-Hand Combat' and 'Price War' Stage
After JD's self-operated supermarket 'JD 7Fresh' integrated with its front warehouses and launched the 'Breakthrough Price, Real Cheap, Not Afraid to Compare' campaign, on November 15, JD 7Fresh again declared: 10% cheaper! If competitors dare to follow, 7Fresh will continue to cut prices. Even though JD 7Fresh previously responded to price war rumors by saying it wasn't targeting anyone specifically, just offering low prices, this fiery statement has undoubtedly escalated the price competition in instant retail, showcasing JD 7Fresh's determination to go low-price.
博雅Pangdonglai Is Seriously Deified
After visiting Pangdonglai twice in the past month, the author concludes that Pangdonglai is seriously deified, which highlights the incompetence and tragedy of China's retail industry, especially the supermarket sector. Despite its relatively small scale, Pangdonglai's influence is immense, but the author argues that its success lies in returning to retail fundamentals: offering good products at fair prices.
任文青AndyThe E-commerce Middlemen Being Eliminated
Xu Ji's return to the essence of consumption during Double 11 has once again brought growth to e-commerce platforms and merchants. However, the e-commerce agency operation companies that were once thriving have now fallen silent. As brands strengthen their e-commerce capabilities and platforms deepen their services, the 'water sellers' in the e-commerce market are being marginalized. This is an inevitable trend as e-commerce matures, since the original purpose of e-commerce was to eliminate middlemen. Now, this trend is being pushed further.
徐霁A Tobacco and Liquor Store Owner's Confession: During E-commerce Promotions, I Closed Shop and Went Traveling
In the past, 'Double 11' was about flashy strategies and complex steps, but in recent years, mainstream platforms have shifted to 'simple marketing'—attracting consumers with straightforward 'low-price competition', igniting online frenzy. The most typical example is Pinduoduo's 'billion-dollar subsidies', which prompted imitation across platforms and normalized the 'low-price competition' model. However, behind the online 'low-price competition', offline tobacco and liquor stores are seeing their prosperity fade. This 'Double 11', Lao Han (pseudonym), a tobacco and liquor store owner in Xi'an dealing in several famous liquors, closed his shop and took his wife on a trip.
名酒研究所团队The FMCG Industry Has Fundamentally Changed
With just over a month left in 2024, this year's business is nearly over. If one word were to sum up this year's FMCG industry, it would be 'difficult.' Retail channel transformations have come one after another, with intense competition both online and offline, including supermarket overhauls and the aggressive expansion of snack stores. Brand owners have also struggled, with financial reports showing severe declines, having been held hostage by e-commerce in the past and now by new retail. Distributors face even greater challenges, squeezed by upstream and downstream players in the past, and now facing abandonment by them, with the trend of big fish eating small fish becoming increasingly evident.
周群Double 11 Transformation: From Low-Price Competition to Value Spillover
The 16th Double 11 has quietly concluded. Behind its seemingly calm surface, a profound transformation is underway. The cancellation of Double 11 galas signals the gradual decline of centralized promotional events, while a broader, more layered, and value-diverse consumer consciousness awakens. As Double 11 evolves, the industry must consider how to present and satisfy new demands beyond the traditional sales event, such as addressing the needs of young consumers who are shifting from projectors back to large-screen TVs or helping gamers make high-ticket purchase decisions.
张从容