Finance & economics | Talking shop

What would get China’s consumers spending?

Clues from a grocer in a fourth-tier city

A shopping trolley filled with people. The front wheel of the trolley resembles a yen symbol.
Illustration: Satoshi Kambayashi
|Xuchang

On a regular Tuesday morning, a large crowd has gathered outside a grocery store in Xuchang, a city of 4m people. Visit Pangdonglai at the weekend and things are even busier. Thousands, some having travelled hundreds of kilometres, arrive before dawn to take their place in a queue that snakes back and forth in front of the store’s entrance. At a time when China’s ritziest shopping centres are often desolate, and the country’s economy is struggling, the success of Pangdonglai’s 13 outlets is captivating executives who want to understand consumer sentiment.

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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Talking shop”

From the May 11th 2024 edition

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