Walmart, which was accused of "choosing one of the two", responded: hoping that the parties concerned would stop disrupting the market order

Sam's Club, which has been operating in the Chinese market for 25 years, was suddenly sent to Weibo by Carrefour and Hema.

On October 22, Carrefour China's first member store officially opened in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. Subsequently, he posted an apology letter on Weibo, saying that competitors had pressured suppliers to buy out related goods on the day of the opening of carrefour member stores, so that member consumers could not buy them. The "competitors" referred to in the apology letter point to Walmart's Sam's Club. Since then, some media reports have reported that Hema X Club has also joined the report on sam's club's "two choices" behavior.

In response to the above allegations, Wal-Mart's latest response said: "We believe that all discussions that attract public attention should first be based on facts, starting from the overall situation of promoting the benign and healthy development of the industry, protecting the interests of consumers, and maintaining fair competition and harmonious development of the market." So far, we have not seen any direct or indirect facts provided by the parties indicating that Sam's Club has a so-called 'either-or' problem. We hope that the parties concerned can proceed from the facts, stop the behavior that disrupts the market order, focus on their own operations, and benefit more consumers. ”

Hema: No formal report has been made to the relevant departments

According to Carrefour's apology letter, on the day of the opening of the company's first member store in Shanghai, it was pressured by competitors to buy empty related goods, making it impossible for many member consumers to buy.

In addition, Carrefour affiliates also said that from the time of their establishment to the opening, competitors continued to pressure some brands to remove the brand's competitors' products if the brand was supplied to Carrefour affiliates. In this regard, Carrefour has reported it to the relevant departments.

Since then, some media reports have reported that Hema X Club has also joined the report on sam's club's "two choices" behavior. According to Chang Yin, general manager of Hema X Club, "Since the opening of the first store in October last year, Hema X Club has also suffered from a similar situation to Carrefour for a long time. At the beginning of the opening of the first store in October last year, it encountered the situation of a small number of suppliers 'buying short' goods; so far, from the 3C home appliance category to the individual food category, partners have continued to bear pressure, such as some style restrictions, and some suppliers have been forced to stop cooperation with Hema X member stores under pressure, resulting in us needing to re-find partners and rebuild the commodity supply chain. ”

"Some commodities such as Hizero floor tractors, MeikangYa hanging ironers, and Shaoyin bone conduction headphones have been removed from the hema shelves due to malicious competition from opponents, but hema has not communicated with Carrefour to jointly report", according to Hema insiders revealed to Nandu reporters that Hema is still planning and has not yet officially submitted a report to the relevant departments.

Walmart responded: It should be based on facts first

In response to the appeal allegations, on October 24, Sam's parent company, Walmart, said in an interview with the media: "Sam has always paid attention to legal and compliant operations. We welcome healthy competition because it will ultimately benefit our members. At the same time, we also strongly call on and advocate the industry: enterprises should focus on the development of their own characteristics and constantly innovate products and services. This is the basis for the benign and healthy development of the entire industry. Commodity reproduction and homogenization competition, the real loss will be the interests of the majority of consumers. ”

On October 25, Wal-Mart issued a statement again: it should first be based on facts, starting from the overall situation of promoting the benign and healthy development of the industry, protecting the interests of consumers, and maintaining fair competition and harmonious development of the market. At present, we have not seen any direct or indirect facts provided by the parties to indicate that Sam's Club has the so-called "two choices" problem, and it is hoped that the parties concerned can start from the facts and stop the behavior that disrupts the market order and focus on their own operations.

"Sam's Club's operation in China has always adhered to the principle of legal compliance. Upon learning of this rumor, we immediately launched a self-examination. To date, no issues have been identified from the parties concerned. Walmart said in a statement that companies should focus on their own characteristic development and constantly innovate goods and services. This is the basis for the benign and healthy development of the entire industry. Simple commodity reproduction and homogeneous competition really harm the interests of consumers. "Sam's Club values our brand reputation and years of commitment to legal and compliant operations in China. We reserve all legal rights to defend our reputation and legitimate interests. ”

Online and offline retail companies are pouring into membership stores

Nandu reporter learned that as the earliest paid membership retailer to enter China, Sam's Club has opened 5 stores in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and other places in Guangdong, and has 31 stores in the country. According to the expansion plan, by the end of 2022, Sam's Club will increase from the current 29 to 40-45.

Previously, Sam had been "Buddhist" and had only opened a total of 31 stores in the 25 years since entering China. With the entry of Costco supermarkets into the Chinese market in 2019, more capital has begun to flock to the format of paid membership stores.

In October last year, Hema also joined the membership store competition and opened the first Hema X member store; in May 2021, the first warehouse store under Yonghui Supermarket has opened in Fuzhou in a low profile; at the same time, another local retail company fudi also unveiled its first warehouse-style member store in Beijing. On September 9th, Beijing Hualian's first member store opened in Shanshan Outlets Plaza, Chengguan District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. Coupled with the newly opened Carrefour club, the unpopular format of the membership store is suddenly filled with smoke.

Written by: Nandu reporter Ma Ningning