📌 This Week's Headline
I. The Era of "Free Packaging" in Instant Retail Has Officially Ended
On 9/28, Pupu Supermarket announced that starting from 10/5, a fee will be charged for each order.0.45 yuan packaging feeAll-inclusive pricing for cold-chain items; major OEM parts are automatically exempted.
This is the final official mainstream platform. Sam's Club generated 2021 yuan in revenue in 1, Hema made 2024 yuan in 1, ALDI earned 0.8-0.9 yuan, XiaoXiang Supermarket brought in 7 yuan in 0.5 per month, and Dingdong Maicai collected 8 yuan in 0.6 per month—the framework for packaging fees is now essentially complete.
Super Sampling Review:Instant retail is shifting from "burning cash for scale" to "profitability driven by efficiency." The subsidy era is over; the next battleground is supply chain efficiency and user experience.
II. Costco 2026 Fiscal Year Sets Record; China Strategy Accelerates
Global Total Revenue3031.54 billion USD(+10.1%), net profit of 92.26 billion USD (+13.9%), both reaching record highs. Global paid members: 8410 million, renewal rate: 89.8%.
China Strategy: 7 stores currentlyPlan to add 9 new locations over the next five years5 stores in South China and 4 in East China. The Shenzhen Longhua store will serve as the flagship "model store" for South China. According to CCFA data, Costco China's sales volume has surpassed 10 billion yuan for the first time.
Super Sampling Review:Membership club competition intensifies as Costco pursues steady growth. The South China region is now a strategic priority, drawing close attention from suppliers.
3. Walmart China "Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones," Like Sam's Club
Several major signals this week:
- Guangzhou's first community store opens in Liwan, 500-1000 sqm, curated selection of 2000 SKUs, with "Wojixian" holding a dominant share
- Wojixian sales share accounts for 40%(Renovated stores), community stores up by over 60%. "Little Green Bottle" 4.0 pure milk frequently out of stock.
- Sam's New Chief Procurement OfficerSean Jackson was transferred from the U.S. and has dedicated 30 years to retail.
- Construction begins on Wuhan's fifth Sam's ClubTotal investment of nearly 20 billion yuan
Super Sampling Review:Walmart China's 1700 billion growth engine is entirely in Sam's Club; hypermarkets have remained stagnant at 300 billion for years. The combination of Wow Mart and community stores represents a key attempt to build the second growth curve.
🏢 Top Enterprise News
🔵 Sam's Club / Walmart China
• Construction begins on Sam's fifth Wuhan location, with a total investment of nearly 20 billion yuan.
• Sam's Club appoints new Chief Procurement Officer Sean Jackson
• Shanghai Putuo's National Day vouchers ignite Sam's Club—first customer checked out in 1 minutes
🔵 Hema
• Foshan MixC World Store opens: "Upgraded Trendsetting Space" spans nearly 4000 sqm
• "AI Crab Inspector" launched: Double-check mode guarantees refund if not plump.
• At least 7 new stores in Guangdong by 2026
🔵 ALDI China
• Shiseki lawsuit: 24.9 yuan primer packaging dispute, court hearing on 11/5
• Added more than 50 stores in 2026, expanding into Anhui
• Nationwide stores exceed 100, with annual sales of approximately 40 billion yuan in 2025.
🔵 Yonghui Superstores
• Final ruling on 36.39 billion arbitration case: Court rejects application to set aside award
• Completed store renovations for 331 stores, representing 87% of all opened locations
• Turned profitable in the first half of the year; net profit attributable to parent company reached 2.53 billion yuan.
🔵 RT-Mart / Sun Art Retail
• Four-city network of forward warehouses; target online share at 40%-50% within three years.
• Autumn & Winter Hot Pot Season Launches: Four City-Inspired Broths Now Available
🔵 Dingdong Maicai (Meituan)
• Established in Suqian, Jiangsu; launched across multiple cities this year with over 50 new stations since 6.
• After integration, Meituan operates over 2000 forward warehouses.
📊 Industry Trends & Insights
Trend 1: Instant retail packaging fees fully implemented
Sam's Club 1 → Hema 1 → ALDI 0.8 → XiaoXiang 0.5 → DingDong 0.6 → PuPu 0.45. After the subsidy wave subsides, making real costs transparent has become an industry consensus.
Trend 2: Private Brands Compete for "Shelf Voice"
In 2025, private label sales in China's supermarkets and retail chains surpassed 3800 billion yuan, accounting for 9.2% of total sales—a year-over-year increase of 17%. Aldi led with 90%, followed by Sam's Club at 38%, Hema at 35%, and Wujixian exceeding 40%. Retailers are shifting from "leasing shelf space" to "defining products."
Trend 3: Compact, community-focused stores are becoming the new standard.
Walmart Neighborhood stores: 500-1000 sqm; ALDI: ~900 sqm. Super Box NB is pursuing the neighborhood store model. The era of hypermarkets is over; "smaller, sharper, closer, faster" has become the mainstream.
📋 Policies & Supply Chain
Guangdong's New Takeout Sealing Regulations(Effective 10/1): Takeout meals must be sealed with food safety seals; damaged packages may be refused.
Shanghai's New Regulations on Consumption Promotion(Effective 10 1): Support emerging models such as instant retail and live-stream e-commerce.
US FDA 2026 Edition of the Food CodeRelease: Unified Standards for Retail Food Safety
First Release of Food Safety Inspection Dataset2289 million records listed on the Jiangsu Data Exchange
🆕 New Arrivals This Week
Hema's "AI Crab Inspector" Hairy Crabs
AI double-check guarantee: if not full, refund. Female crab 55.9 per piece
Wojixian "Little Green Bottle" 4.0 Pure Milk
4.0g protein / 100ml | $9.99/L | Phenomenal bestseller
Hema Four-Flavor Cheese Cake
Four-Cheese Flavor | Perfect for Festive Social Sharing
ALDI Great Value Series 1.2kg Yogurt
1.2kg for only 9.7 yuan | Hard discount, ultimate value
Multi-Platform Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab Season
Yonghui 75 million "One Crab, One Code" crabs shipped directly | Also available on Hema, RT-Mart, and Taobao Flash Sale