China Retail & E-commerce Weekly Update presents the latest developments in two of China’s fastest changing and rapidly evolving markets – retail and e-commerce.

Key highlights in this issue:

I. Sector Review

Internet & E-commerce

• Freshippo Lifestyle Services begins inviting external partners in home services
• JD.com 618: More than 300 beauty brands record sales growth of more than 100% in first four hours
• Tmall 618: 43 beauty brands achieve sales of over 100 million yuan
• Tmall 618: 368 new brands rank first in trend categories
• Kuaishou launches group purchasing home delivery service for food
• Taobao Live launches full livestream management service for merchants
• Meituan’s 1Q24 revenue increases by 25% yoy to 73.3 billion yuan

Apparel

• UNIQLO sister brand GU opens first location in Shenzhen
• Massimo Dutti launches flagship store on JD.com
• Lululemon’s China revenue goes up by 45% yoy in 1Q24

Food & Beverage

• Yum China expects to operate 800 Chinese restaurant locations by end of 1H24
• Starbucks opens an ‘intangible cultural heritage concept store’ in Suzhou

II. Policy Spotlight

• CCFA: Sales of the top 100 chain stores reach 2.03 trillion yuan in 2024
• Duty-free shopping in Sanya increases by 23% per year on average