1、Page 27 of 27 Required Report - public distributionDate: 1/5/2005CH4838China, Peoples Republic ofRetail Food SectorMainland China Food Retail Annual Report2005Report Highlights:Chinas food retail sector continues to grow and develop as hypermarket and convenience store chains expand across the count
2、ry. Foreign-invested hypermarkets are likely to continue growing as restrictions on their activity and ownership are scheduled to be loosened in 2005.Table of ContentsI. Market Summary3I.A. Overview of the Retail Food Market in China3I.B Major Food Retail Chains in China6I.C. Advantages and Challeng
3、es for U.S. Exporters in China7I.D. Regional Market Profiles8II. Road Map for Market Entry18II.A Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Warehouse Outlets23II.B Convenience Stores23II.C Traditional Markets, Wet Markets and “Mom and Pop” (Xiaomaibu) Stores24III. Competition25IV. Best Product Prospects26IV.A P
4、roducts Present in the Market Which Have Good Sales Potential26IV.B Products Not Present in Signficant Quantities, Which Have Good Sales Potential27V. Post Contact and Additional Resources27I. Market Summary I.A. Overview of the Retail Food Market in ChinaThe transformation of Chinas retail sector i
5、s continuing, and all three of the leading cities, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, are now home to multiple hypermarkets and convenience store chains. Supermarkets continue to be the most common retail format, but hypermarkets are gaining in popularity, and are now present in most medium and large
6、sized cities. Having reached saturation levels in Shanghai and Guangzhou, convenience store chains have turned their attention to other cities. Although progress has been slow, Beijing has finally become home to several convenience store chains. Meanwhile, many chains have found fertile ground in th
7、e booming cities that dot the landscape around Shanghai and Guangzhou. Growth in the cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou may slow somewhat, as both markets are close to saturation levels, particularly with hypermarkets. Beijing shows more potential for near-term growth, but the fastest development is l
8、ikely to take place in two areas: satellite cities near Shanghai and Guangzhou, and the large second and third-tier cities further inland. Most foreign-invested retailers already present in China have opened stores in these areas and have ambitious plans for further expansion.05000100001500020000250
9、00300003500040000Wholesale &RetailCateringOther*Figure 1: Retail Sales of ConsumerGoods, by Sector, 1990-2003Source: China Statistical Yearbook, 2004, Table 17-3*Beginning in 2002, direct sales of commodities by farmers were excluded from this figure.In the leading three cities, the emphasis appears
10、 to be shifting toward differentiation, with chains pursuing different strategies to distinguish themselves from the competition. Some with longstanding reputations hope to cash in by offering more house-brand products, while others offer extended store hours or more ready-to-eat products. In all ca
11、ses, competition is driving down margins and forcing stores to supplement their revenue from other sources. One of the most widely favored sources of income are ever-higher listing fees charged to suppliers of new products. These are becoming an obstacle to innovation, as suppliers are unwilling to
12、take the chance that a new product will not be able to recover the substantial layout for the listing fee. In the post-SARS environment consumers have become more sensitive than ever to food-safety concerns. This has been reinforced by a continuous drumbeat of food adulteration and food poisoning sc
13、andals that receive wide coverage in local papers. This heightened awareness has helped to drive consumers to the major chain stores, which are generally seen as less likely to carry counterfeit or unsafe products. On the other hand, at least one major foreign-invested chain in Shanghai was itself c
14、aught producing food under unsafe conditions. If repeated, such incidents could undermine the reputation of the entire chain.The Chinese government has expressed concern over the rapid expansion of foreign-invested chains, and is making efforts to ensure that domestic chains are able to compete. The
15、se efforts have taken a number of different forms. Late in 2003, the government hinted that it would pursue violations of the complex licensing rules more aggressively. Carrefour was the most prominent victim, having its expansion plans suspended until issues related to the share of foreign ownershi
16、p were resolved. The central government also warned local and provincial governments that approvals for foreign-invested retail projects would be contingent on tighter licensing procedures. At the same time, the government is attempting to make Chinese chains more competitive by encouraging mergers. The largest of these was the merger of Chinas two largest retail chains, Lianhua and Hua
