Freshippo, Alibaba’s grocery retail chain launched in 2016, is the gold standard for the integration of online, offline, technology and logistics to create a greatly enhanced shopping experience. In an exclusive interview with IGD, Guo Xulin, Chief of Staff of Alibaba’s Freshippo Business Group, highlights the aspects that distinguish the New Retail, which Freshippo represents, from old retail. ...

One of the most common questions I get asked by businesses, is how will my market develop over the next few years. While there remains uncertainty over what the next 12 months will look like, there is a strong sense of optimism that 2021 will be a year to rebuild, but also capitalise on the opportunities that have arisen in the ‘new normal’ across Asia. With this in mind, we have identified five ...

We review major events that took place in China's grocery retail industry in the past year. 1. Flourishing of community stores Community store is the next big thing in China. It is estimated that 30% - 40% of the urban consumption expenditure is within 1 km of the community in China. It is an area that big format stores and online players find very hard to reach. The pandemic has acce...