Headline of the Week
1. Sam's Club opens its 70 store in Jiangyin, aiming for 10 stores by year-end.
On 10 13, Sam's Club opened its 70 store nationwide—the Jiangyin location. With a total investment of 10 billion yuan and a building area of approximately 6.55 square meters, it features 1000-1200 parking spaces. This marks Sam's fourth store in a county-level city.
This year, we have opened 6 new stores in Wuxi, Foshan Shunde, Jinan, Qingdao, Shijiazhuang, and Beijing Fangshan. Including the Jiangyin store and upcoming locations in Foshan Chancheng, Taizhou, and Tianjin Hongqiao, we will add a total of 10 new stores this year, matching last year's record. We have also signed agreements for over ten new projects, including Nanjing Yanjizi, Shantou, Nanchang, Kunming, and Wuhan Hongshan.
💡 For Suppliers: Faster onboarding = more product opportunities + larger supply volume, but with higher quality standards. Suppliers that keep pace with this expansion will benefit first.
2. New rules for Sam's supplementary cards take effect on 10/16
Within every 365 days, a Family Card holder can bind up to 2 different primary cards in total, with a maximum of 1 per transaction. The previous loophole of endlessly deleting and re-binding cards has been completely closed. Sam's Club customer service confirmed: the new policy is directly aimed at curbing the resale of secondary cards.
Gray-market chains selling secondary passes for 60-120 yuan and charging 5-30 yuan per guest have existed on second-hand platforms for years. Can the new regulations truly plug these loopholes? "One-day access" schemes exploiting refund rules are already emerging. The arbitrage challenges posed by membership models in the Chinese market warrant serious industry reflection.
3. Costco's 2026 fiscal year revenue surpasses $2 trillion for the first time
Q4 net revenue of $93.9 billion (up $11.2% year over year), with $939 global warehouses and $8410 million paid members. Renewal rate in the U.S. and Canada was $92.3%. Mainland China currently operates only $9 stores, with plans to add $7 more over the next $4 years, bringing the total to $16.
💡 Sam's Club opened 30 stores in 70 years vs. Costco opening 9 stores in 7 years. Both expansion strategies have their logic, but the takeaway for China's retail industry is that patience and precision matter more than speed.
Headline Enterprise News
🔵 Sam's Club / Walmart China
- Sam's Club Paid Membership Surpasses1070K, omnichannel sales exceeded1400 billion, contributing over 80% of Walmart China's revenue
- Walmart's first community store in Zhejiang officially opens at Hangzhou Xixi InCity, with year-end launch. 500-1000 sqm, approximately 2000 product varieties.
- "Our private label 'Wojixian' accounts for over 60% of sales, featuring simple ingredients, fresh origins, and stable low prices."
- Walmart China celebrates its 30th anniversary; net sales for Q2 of fiscal year 2027 grew 20.7% year over year.
- Community stores expand from Shenzhen to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, accelerating cross-regional replication.
🟢 Hema
- First entry into Nanning, Guangxi: online launch in 11 month, followed by store operations.
- Hema opens its first store in Wujiang District, Suzhou at Dongxing Wanbao; expected to open by year-end.
- Super Box NB store count approaching300 companiesTarget: cover 300 counties and cities by year-end
🟠 ALDI China
- Nanjing Xianlin Lake Meilin Hui Store Officially Joins Us; Opening in 12
- Suzhou: 15 stores open, 7 opening soon. Leading national store density.
- Suzhou Wuzhong Bilu Time Store will begin renovation in 11.
🔷 Yonghui Superstores
- Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crabs now available in South China. 75 million crabs from dedicated farms delivered via 8h cold chain directly to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
- Year-over-year sales growth of key products during the Double FestivalMore than 60%Swimming crab sales nationwide grew by nearly 40%.
- "Quality Yonghui" and "Yonghui Custom" private brands continue to scale up, expanding from hit products into a broader range of categories.
🟣 RT-Mart / Gaoxin Retail
- 29th Anniversary: Refreshed Theme & Launch of Dual-Brand Private Label Matrix 800+SKU
- Orders up 46% year-over-year, revenue up 83% year-over-year, next-month retention rate exceeds 35%.
- M Member Store drops paid membership model, pivots to "Light Enjoyment" format
- Pre-warehouses launched simultaneously in Tianjin, Shanghai, Wuxi, and Tongliao.
🔴 Other Activities
- Olé Premium Supermarket:Two cities, one transformation: organic products now account for nearly 40% as we bet on "organic everyday living."
- 7-11：All 31 stores in India have closed, with annual revenue of approximately 0.66 billion yuan and losses nearing 0.65 billion yuan in 5.
Industry Trends & Insights
Trend 1: Private brands driven by "price competitiveness + quality"
WoJiXian 4.0 Pure Milk 1L is now only 9.99 yuan. RT-Mart's dual-brand strategy and Yonghui's multi-category private label expansion are gaining momentum. BCG analysis shows that private labels of equivalent quality can be priced 15-20% lower at retail, while boosting per-unit gross profit by approximately 5 yuan. Private labels are not merely "low-cost alternatives" but the core weapon for retailers to achieve "customized differentiation."
Trend 2: Top supermarkets go "small and refined" into county towns
Sam's Club enters Jiangyin (its 4th county-level city), Walmart Neighborhood Markets debut in Zhejiang, Superbox NB targets 300 counties/cities, and ALDI expands densely in Suzhou. Unlike the previous hypermarket wave: 500-1000 sqm light-asset, fast-turnover stores with localized supply chains and synergistic format combinations. The shift from "big and comprehensive" to "small and refined" defines this round of market penetration.
Trend 3: The fresh snacks sector enters the capital validation phase
Golden Grain Gate secures strategic investment from KK Group; Liuliumei, after reaching a 10 billion RMB valuation, enters the market; Ju Lizi opens its first store in Beijing. The 2026 market size is projected at 400-500 billion, but the "impossible triangle" (scale/quality control/pricing) remains a core challenge. Golden Grain Gate operates fully directly (owning 99% of brands with a gross margin of 35-40%) versus Jiduo's franchise model (200+ stores, planning to add 600-1000 more). The outcome will be clear within 12 months.
Policy and Supply Chain
Food Safety Law Undergoes Systemic Overhaul
On 10 10, the State Administration for Market Regulation opened a public consultation. More than 2/3 clauses were added or revised—the largest-scale overhaul since 2015:
- AddSpecial Section on Online Food OperationsFor the first time, live-streaming commerce is brought under regulatory oversight; platforms verify merchant credentials over a six-month period.
- AddSpecial Section on School Food SafetyPrincipal Responsibility System + Meal Accompaniment System
- Smart regulation enacted into lawKey processes must be equipped with cameras and connected to regulatory authorities for "Internet + AI" oversight.
- Change fine from fixed amount toValue multiplier penaltyAddress "disproportionate punishment for minor offenses"
- Professional Malicious ClaimantsExcluded from punitive damages
New Arrivals of the Week
Highlights for Next Week
Information Source
Lianshang.com, 36 Kr, Shangguan News, Foodaily Daily Food, FoodTalks Global Food Information, Sina Finance, People's Daily/People.cn, State Administration for Market Regulation, Securities Daily, Qianjiang Evening News, Shenzhen Evening News, and others.