📌 This Week's Headline
1. Sam's Club opens its 70th store and announces full coverage of the three northeastern provinces.
On 10 13, Sam's Club opened its 70th store nationwide at Wuxi Jiangyin, establishing a "three-store-in-one-city" presence in Wuxi. More significantly, on 10 15, construction officially began on the Harbin New Area Sam's Club project (expected to operate in 2028), and on 10 13, Sam's Club in Changchun was also confirmed to be opening.This means Sam's Club will achieve full coverage across the three northeastern provinces.
Super Sampling Review:Sam's Club plans to open 13 new stores this year, with a clear strategy targeting lower-tier markets—cities like Jiangyin and Kunshan are among the top 100 county-level economies. However, quality control pressures from rapid expansion cannot be ignored. "#Sam'sClubQualityDrop" recently trended on Weibo, and the State Administration for Market Regulation has already summoned Sam's Club headquarters. Balancing scale with quality is now the central challenge.
2. Walmart opens three new stores in January, launching its first community store in Zhejiang.
On 10 11, Walmart opened its KK ONE store in Futian, Shenzhen. This is the first "Next-Gen Store" in Shenzhen and the third location opened within a month, following the Wenchuan store in Chengdu and the Dongmeng Shengtian Di store in Nanning. Spanning approximately 3800 square meters, the store features a curated selection of 1 SKUs with Vocsen (Walmart's private label) as its core. Additionally, the community store format has officially expanded to Zhejiang, with new locations planned for Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Super Sampling Review:Walmart is taking a different path than Sam's Club—making hypermarkets smaller and sharper. After renovations, both foot traffic and sales grew by double digits. We've completed about 70 upgrades this year, with an annual target exceeding 100. "It's not just about downsizing big stores; it's about redefining what customers need in a supermarket."
3. Revision of the Food Safety Law: Infant Complementary Foods Proposed for Inclusion Under Special Food Regulation
On 10 10, the State Administration for Market Regulation released the "Draft Regulations for Revision of the Food Safety Law (for Public Comment)," proposing to classify infant complementary foods (such as rice cereal and fruit puree) as special foods subject to filing management. The draft also adds dedicated sections on "Online Food Operation" and "School Food Safety," while prohibiting misleading practices involving deceptive trademark tactics.
Super Sampling Review:This is a major development for baby food suppliers. With the new regulations taking effect, industry consolidation is inevitable as compliance thresholds rise significantly. Additionally, the dedicated section on online food operations imposes stricter compliance requirements on digital food businesses.
🏢 Top Enterprise News
- Sam's Club Store #0 (Jiangyin) opens on 10/13, spanning 2 sqm with 1050 parking spaces.
- Sam's Club in Harbin breaks ground on 10/15; Changchun store officially announced — full coverage across the three northeastern provinces.
- New Family Card rules take effect on 10/16: Max 2 links every 365 days.
- Quality Control Controversy: #Sam'sClubQualityPlummeting trends on Weibo, with over 1.5 complaints on Black Cat Complaints.
- Walmart's newest store at Shenzhen KK ONE opens on 10/11, marking the third location to launch this month.
- Community store makes its Zhejiang debut, expanding to Suzhou and Hangzhou.
- Sourcing Leadership Change: Sean Jackson Appointed Chief Sourcing Officer at Sam's Club
- Taiyuan Longcheng Wanda Store opens on 10/16, covering approximately 2000 sqm with over 7000 product styles.
- Two new stores will open in Linfen and Jincheng this year.
- Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Suzhou High-tech Zone to expand store coverage.
- Taizhou's First Store Opens on 10 Month 24 (Golden Eagle International Shopping Center)
- Suzhou Wanjia Linli Store opens on 10/24, Xujiang Li Store on 10/31. Suzhou now has 15+7 stores opening soon.
- Wuxi Baosheng Tiandi Store opens on 10/24
- Over 80 stores nationwide, with own-brand products accounting for 90%
- Apricot dried fruit manufacturer fined 32.99 million yuan for exceeding additive limits; retest still fails—third penalty this year
- Net sales for fiscal year 2026 were $2972 billion (+10.1%), with annual sales in mainland China reaching ¥100 million.
- Establish a subsidiary in Qingdao with registered capital of 2000 ten thousand yuan.
- Major progress in 36 billion yuan arbitration case: Court rejects Dalian Yujin's application to non-enforce the award
- H1 revenue 237.91 billion (-20.56%), net profit attributable to parent 2.53 billion (turned from loss to profit)
- JD 7Fresh: 10/16 Food Mall + Supermarket debuts in Beijing, with 36 dining brands opening
- Dingdong MaicaiEntering the fresh snacks market with an initial lineup of over 100 SKUs, featuring an A–F freshness grading system.
- Pang Dong LaiHiring 112 technical staff with an annual salary of 10-50K, including 40 days of paid leave plus additional benefits.
- Meituan Happy Monkey SupermarketOpened 6 new stores in a row
- Muji: 2026 fiscal year operating profit breaks 100 billion yen for the first time, with 433 stores in mainland China.
📊 Industry Trends & Insights
Sam's Club 70 stores now cover all three northeastern provinces, while Costco announced plans to add 9 new locations over the next five years. Yet this week, Costco was fined $20,000 and Sam's Club faced public scrutiny over quality control issues, underscoring a critical lesson for the industry: rapid expansion must be backed by robust quality assurance capabilities. For suppliers, the bar for quality standards at warehouse membership clubs will only continue to rise.
Dingdong Maicai enters the market, Jinlimen opens its first Shanghai store, and Wojiexian launches bitter melon ham sausages... According to a calculation by Changjiang Securities, the fresh snack market size in 2025 is estimated at 180-250 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 20%. "Short shelf life," "clean label," and "minimal additives" are becoming essential criteria for product development.
The "Big Drinks" trend went viral on 10/15, with large-capacity beverages becoming a hit among young people. Nongfu Spring, Genki Forest, and others have rapidly launched larger-sized products. For beverage suppliers, big-pack offerings must focus on flavor, packaging design, and scenario-based marketing.
📜 Policies & Supply Chain
- Public Consultation on Draft Amendment to the Food Safety Law: Infant Complementary Foods to Be Regulated as Special Foods
- Add a dedicated section on "Online Food Operation," assigning platforms the role of "gatekeepers."
- Add a dedicated section on "School Food Safety" and establish the principal responsibility system.
- Strictly prohibit deceptive or misleading trademark practices.
- Wojixian Mooncake Label Non-compliant: Walmart Recalls Single Batch; "0 Trans Fatty Acids" Levels Exceed Standards in Testing
- Costco dried apricots fined 32.99 million for excessive additives
- Sam's Club quality control controversy continues; previously summoned by the State Administration for Market Regulation.
- Walmart partners with "East China Smart Logistics Hub," marking its largest single supply chain investment in China after 30 years.
- Yonghui and Xiangjia Stock Sign Strategic Cooperation: Co-develop Dedicated Fresh Poultry and Black Pig Breeding Bases
🆕 New Arrivals This Week
Specifications: 200g/pouch (5 pieces)
Price: 10.99 CNY
Highlight: Snacks with Dish-Style Flavors
First launch: 100+ titles
Core: A–F Freshness Grading System
Highlights: Shelf life ≤ 60 days
Highlights: Osmanthus Narcissus Oolong Kombucha Sparkling Water
Trend: Developing Chinese Seasonal Themes
Category: Puffed Snacks
Highlights: Citrus notes with black pepper spice
Status: Listed in the U.S. in 2027