7-Eleven debuts in "second-tier cities" is the peak How do local convenience store brands "pick up"?

This newspaper reporter Jiao Yue, trainee reporter Li Ruyi

On December 31, the convenience store "7-Eleven" officially opened its fifth store in Kunming (Yueyun Tiandi store). Since the opening of the first store in Kunming on November 19, in more than a month, five 7-Eleven stores have been opened in the local area, bringing new "inner volume" pressure to local convenience store brands.

In recent years, 7-Eleven has mainly adopted a sinking expansion strategy, focusing on second- and third-tier markets, and cooperating with local enterprises to carry out franchising models and quickly entering the local market. In the face of the international convenience brand that has just entered the "Internet celebrity punch card", how should the local convenience store brand under pressure "accept the recruitment"?

The entry of "net celebrities" to promote the diversification of convenience stores

The "Securities Daily" reporter learned that in the second half of this year, 7-Eleven began to settle in Jinan, Yangzhou, Kunming, Xiamen and other second-tier cities. According to the data released by the official public account of 7-Eleven, the sales of the first store of 7-Eleven in Xiamen, Fujian Province, exceeded 439,000 yuan on the opening day; the first store in Kunming, Yunnan Province, also attracted many customers to queue up for a long time, becoming a local "net red punch card".

Young people after work are lining up to buy a hot oden

Among them, the opening of the Yunnan regional store is authorized by Yunnan Qianglin Lejia Chain Convenience Store Co., Ltd. to obtain the operation authorization of 7-Eleven convenience store. According to the company's plan, 30 stores will be opened in 2022, 80 stores will be opened by 2023, and the number of stores will be opened in the next ten years. And in 2022, the province's franchise business will be opened.

One of 7-Eleven's winning formulas is its extremely diverse range of products, with most of the products sold in the convenience store being developed with its own R&D capabilities. In particular, the bento series is deeply affected by the dining needs of office workers in a busy society, including rice dishes such as rice balls and bento; bread foods such as sandwiches and pastries; pasta foods such as Chinese cold noodles and pasta; and ready-to-eat products such as oden and buns.

Lai Yang, expert committee of the China Chamber of Commerce, told the Securities Daily reporter: "The development of convenience stores seems simple, but in fact, it also requires core technology. Young people are entering 7-Eleven as a gastronomic experience, indicating that the company has a high quality guarantee in terms of R&D such as taste. ”

Before 7-Eleven entered the Chinese market, almost no convenience store could cook hot Chinese cuisine directly in the store, and since then, local convenience store brands have gradually begun to improve in the direction of "more convenient".

Although there is no shortage of convenience stores in Kunming, Wanyi Home, Zhijia Convenience and Yixin Convenience that will soon be rolled out of the city occupy the streets and alleys, and it is not unusual for five 7-Eleven stores to land in Kunming; objectively speaking, large-scale convenience stores with unified quality, novel models, extremely rich product varieties and powerful services are still rare in Kunming, or bring diversified routes to the development of local convenience stores.

Local chain stores unlock the "new consumption scenario" segment

In addition to the large-scale entry of international convenience store brands into "second-tier cities", many local chains have also extended the services of pharmacies and added elements of convenient life.

Just as Yixintang began to lay out the "Yixin Convenience" around the pharmacy in June this year, and the cooperation reached with the Yunnan Sports Lottery Management Center, it is actually through the position of customers to achieve the "life" and "shopping" of the product series and combination.

Lai Yang said: "Selecting the goods in convenience stores is a very important content, and convenience stores need to get out of their own fashion. If you want to enhance the "freshness" of young people to stores, you need to create new consumption scenarios and carry out new categories and models. "The company's newly added lottery and cosmeceutical consumption scenarios will bring customers in, and greatly increase the time that customers stay in the store, so that employees and customers have more opportunities to communicate." The relevant person in charge of Yixintang was introduced.

Local chain stores are also taking the Japanese and American pharmacy models as a benchmark, paying more attention to customer experience as the core, providing services and meeting customers' expectations for a better quality of life. Lai Yang said: "There are still some gaps in the analysis of consumer habits and behaviors in domestic convenience stores in maintaining characteristics. ”

Under the exploration of local chain stores, the model of "pharmacy + convenience" has become a characteristic road. According to Li Heng, secretary of the board of directors of Jianzhijia, told the Securities Daily reporter: "In addition to opening a convenience store franchise store called 'Zhijia Convenience'; as a chain retail pharmacy in Yunnan, it also cooperates with health food, personal care products, medical equipment, and convenience product suppliers on the basis of drug sales in pharmacies, and joins brand products such as Vichy, Avène, and Skin Spring that are loved by sensitive skin customers." ”

(Editing by Shangguan Monroe)