Grocery shops, laundromats, hairdressers... All kinds of convenience outlets are scattered and will be more rationally arranged, and will surround the Beijing community in a newer form. Recently, in the 2022 Beijing Commercial Brand Conference and the 2021 (17th) Beijing Top Ten Commercial Brand Activities, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce revealed that at present, there are 90,000 convenient commercial outlets in Beijing, and next, it will also increase the support for cafes, pharmacies and front warehouses. Under the catalysis of the policy, the community business in Beijing will also accelerate the restructuring and development will become more refined.
90,000 outlets The new model has accelerated
Consumption has returned to the doorstep, and Beijing's community-friendly commercial facilities have been continuously improved. Recently, Yan Ligang, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, revealed in the "2021 Beijing Commercial Development Blue Book" that Beijing will continue to enrich the supply of commercial facilities, increase support for cafes, pharmacies, front warehouses, etc., further improve the dynamic map function of life service outlets, enhance the density of rural convenience commercial networks, deepen the construction of a quarter of an hour convenient living circle, and improve the comfort of citizens' consumption.
With the help of policies, the number of convenient commercial outlets in Beijing has been increasing. According to statistics from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, as of now, there are 90,000 convenient commercial outlets in Beijing. Among them, in 2021, the city will build and upgrade a total of 612 outlets of various types, including 103 vegetable retail, 209 convenience stores (community supermarkets), 132 breakfasts, 14 housekeeping, 15 washing and dyeing, 78 beauty salons, 60 terminal distribution, and 1 convenient maintenance, which has basically achieved full coverage of urban community convenience commercial service functions. In particular, there are more than 6,700 chain convenience stores (community supermarkets) in Beijing, with an average of 310 chain convenience stores (community supermarkets) per million people, exceeding the annual task.
It is worth noting that in October 2020, Beijing had an average of 280 chain convenience stores (community supermarkets) per million people, and the number achieved rapid growth.
In the supply of people's livelihood commodities, Beijing's supply network is also improving. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce has mentioned that Beijing has built a circulation system of fresh agricultural products dominated by large-scale wholesale markets for agricultural products, based on community vegetable markets, chain supermarkets and vegetable shops, and supplemented by a variety of formats such as online ordering and home delivery.
The "Beijing Municipal Commercial Service Industry Development Plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan Period" also puts forward a small goal for the improvement of convenient business. By 2025, Beijing will have 330 chain convenience stores (community supermarkets) per million people, and the city's 8 basic convenience business service functions such as chaining, branding, standardized breakfast, convenience stores (community supermarkets), and vegetable retail will cover 100% of the city's communities, and the coverage rate of logistics terminal distribution outlets will reach more than 85%.
Expanding stores Community business continues to be bullish
Beijing's convenience consumption shortcomings are being filled. According to the "2020 China Convenience Store Prosperity Index Report" released by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association, 66.7% of enterprises said that they will continue to increase investment in 2020 and actively promote the digital transformation of enterprises. The digitalization of convenience store enterprises is already the trend of the times. During the epidemic period, while offline operations are under pressure, many convenience store companies have also opened up new growth space by increasing digital operations.
Behind the "convenience store desert" to the blossoming everywhere, commercial enterprises have accelerated the pace of opening stores. For example, JD.com's Qixian Supermarket has laid out 63 stores in 13 cities across the country, including 34 stores in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and 7 new stores in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in 2021. In 2022, Qixian will cooperate with more than 10 leading commercial real estates such as COFCO Joy City, China Resources Land, Longhu Real Estate and Sino-Ocean Real Estate to open 15 stores in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with an annual growth rate of 240% year-on-year.
In addition, the number of convenience store brands in Beijing has approached 1,000 stores in Beijing. According to public information, Convenience Bee opened its first store offline in Beijing in 2017. Up to now, convenience bees have gradually expanded in more than 20 cities across the country and opened more than 2,000 stores.
Not long ago, at the press conference of the "two sessions" in Xicheng District, Xicheng District proposed that in 2022, according to the actual needs of the people, 20 basic convenient commercial outlets will be newly built and standardized, and the transformation and upgrading of 2 people's life service centers will be promoted. It is reported that in 2021, 24 new and upgraded outlets will be built and upgraded in Xicheng District, achieving four 100% community coverage rates for basic convenience commercial service functions, chain rates for new specialized stores, resident participation, and community service coverage rates.
Enjoy the dividends and take the convenience business to the next level
Commercial enterprises also enjoy dividends in the upgrading of convenience policies. Wu Daiqi, CEO of Shenzhen Siqisheng Company, pointed out that chain convenience stores can be widely distributed in various communities because they meet the convenient and fast needs of consumers and have a small business area, and are less affected by e-commerce than other traditional retail stores. When convenience stores form a brand chain effect, there will be good prospects for development.
Wang Peng, associate professor of Chinese Min University, believes that convenience stores, as a fast-moving consumer consumption model, develop office business based on community life, and convenience stores are relatively good businesses that are compatible with social and economic development.
The newly opened convenience store wants to quickly stabilize the market, and it is more important to pay attention to product development. Lai Yang, executive vice president of the Beijing Business Economics Association, said that convenience stores need core technical support to achieve high-quality development. Especially today's young people, entering convenience stores as a food experience, which means that convenience stores should pay more attention to research and development in product taste and other aspects to continue to attract the attention of young customers. In order to enhance the "freshness" of young people to convenience store stores, brands need to create new consumption scenarios, carry out new categories and models, attach importance to selection, and make young consumers want to buy.
Convenience stores should also try to carry more services and become a convenient consumption platform for residents. Lai Yang pointed out that convenience stores are not only traditional retail venues, but also a terminal for consumer services. In the future, community business should achieve comprehensive "zero distance" services, which is the trend of the future development of convenience stores.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Wang Weiyi