Traditional hypermarket models are facing systemic challenges, leaving little room for trial and error in decision-making. At this critical juncture, Paul She has stepped forward to undertake the core mission of restructuring Yonghui's competitiveness through merchandise. From the standardized management of foreign retail systems to the efficiency-driven models of domestic new retail, and now to the deep transformation of traditional supermarkets, he has traversed three distinct retail paradigms, developing a merchandise philosophy that is both systematic and practical. In Yonghui’s transformation—a journey of survival and reconstruction—this consistently humble and restrained retail veteran is attempting to turn the tide alongside his teammates using clearer merchandise logic. Amidst the highly anticipated "Pang Dong Lai-style adjustments," every move by Yonghui remains under the spotlight. In this session, Paul She will not shy away from the challenges, offering a direct response regarding the practices and reflections behind this transformation.

After four consecutive months of using Dingdong Maicai, I have reached a conclusion: Dingdong’s private label system deserves a serious deconstruction. At the strong recommendation of two business unit heads, we have invited the true architect and driver behind this private label system—Jonathan Shen.

Starting from a systematic study of retail paradigms such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and ALDI, Jonathan Shen pioneered the private label strategy in 2020. For him, private labels are not just a means to improve gross margins, but a way to build a "sustainable treasure hunt experience" within high-frequency consumption—ensuring that every time a user opens the app, they may encounter unexpected yet repurchase-worthy products.

In 2025, the scale of Dingdong’s private labels surpassed 5.5 billion RMB (for comparison, Pang Dong Lai’s private label sales in 2025 were approximately 6.4 billion RMB). Behind this figure is not a series of isolated "hero products," but a systematic capability revolving around supply chain integration, user insight, and organizational synergy: balancing efficiency with the continuous creation of a "sense of discovery." Starting from frontline practice, this session will deconstruct the underlying logic and methodological path of Dingdong’s private labels, exploring how private labels have become a core variable in retail competition amidst a highly fragmented channel environment.

Shaoming is the former Vice President of Dingdong Fresh, where he was responsible for international market expansion. This topic stems from his firsthand visits to markets including China, the United States, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Russia, as well as his in-depth exchanges with Key Accounts (KA). This session will compare the real-world applications of AI across different retail systems, presenting differentiated paths in product selection, pricing, and supply chain management. At the same time, it will deconstruct the key reasons behind these differences: which capabilities AI is truly amplifying and which problems it is exposing.

The snack sections in traditional hypermarkets are losing their appeal. However, once "snacks" are decoupled from hypermarkets and transformed into an independent format, the situation changes completely. Discount snack stores use efficiency to reconstruct price perception, while fresh snack stores use "made-on-site + short shelf life" to rebuild quality and experience. Snacks are evolving from a "supplementary category" into a core track that can be operated and scaled independently. This is precisely why a fresh snack format like Mama Pu is particularly worth studying.

A 280-square-meter store generating 2.5 million in a single month. From its store model to the product experience, Pumama is validating a new possibility: the future of snack stores lies not only in cost-effectiveness but also in a sense of freshness.

For many, browsing through Olé feels like embarking on a "curated journey" of life’s finest moments.

Whether it’s the sophisticated packaging of a unique flavor, the aromatic allure of the bakery, or the accidental discovery of a global gem, there is always something to instantly lift the spirit. Why do certain products hold the "center stage" in premium retail for so long? How does Olé stay one step ahead, presenting those unspoken, instinctive desires right before your eyes?

Selection is never just a cold screening of SKUs; it is a soulful gambit centered on "value." This session will take us behind the shelves, using engaging, insightful, and heartfelt real-world cases to penetrate the core of premium retail selection.

This is more than a sharing of "how to choose"—it is a masterclass in "reading the human heart" and "creating a sense of surprise and fulfillment through expertise." Join us to hear how Olé transforms every single product into a bridge of emotional resonance with its customers.

City'super has always adhered to a "slower" and more difficult-to-replicate path—placing buyers at the core to build deep understanding and judgment of merchandise. What it sells has never been just the products themselves, but a curated, organized, and expressed lifestyle proposal.

In this session, Candy will provide an insider's perspective from a frontline buyer, using city'super’s practices as a case study to deconstruct a truly implementable buyer-based system. She will explore how to transition from being "experience-driven" to "system-driven," and how to build a continuously evolving closed-loop merchandise capability through demand definition, global radar sourcing, localization adaptation, and data review.

Chris is one of the few leaders who has completed the full journey from frontline buyer to group CEO. Before stepping into the CEO role, he spent years at the very front line of merchandise decisions, personally making countless judgments on whether a product should be listed. As his role shifted toward group management and corporate leadership, the challenge he faced was no longer the success of a single product, but how to enable the organization to continue making sound product decisions over the long term.

In this session, Chris will draw on his experience transitioning from an individual decision-maker to an organizational leader, sharing how he transformed experience- and intuition-driven personal judgment into organizational capabilities that can be replicated and continuously calibrated. He will also explore how retail companies should make trade-offs between speed, scale, and long-term value while pursuing differentiation and breakout products.

This is not a methodology-focused talk on “how to create bestsellers”, but a discussion on how judgment can be embedded into systems—and amplified sustainably within an organization.

At the recently announced 2026 Superior Taste Award, eight core products from METRO Chef (Maizhenxuan) stood out. Two received the highest distinction of Three Stars for Exceptional Taste, while several others were awarded Two Stars for Remarkable Taste and One Star for Notable Quality.

What impressed us about Alex is his consistent belief that products are something worth taking seriously. In his work, products are not vehicles for KPIs, but a series of questions that must be asked again and again: What does “truly delicious” mean? What kind of health actually matters? Which flavors are worth standing by, and which choices—though seemingly correct—lack a soul and should be rejected? These judgments do not stop at philosophy; they are embedded in everyday practices of assortment decisions, product choices, and organizational collaboration.

What Alex represents is not a formula for quickly replicating bestsellers, but a product value system that is becoming increasingly rare in the industry—one that builds standards of judgment from personal taste, drives organizational decisions from real experience, and preserves the dignity of the product itself even under pressure from cost and efficiency. This devotion to product is not loud, but it is enduring and consistent.

In MUJI's framework, the product itself is an integral part of its brand language — from material selection and design philosophy to product architecture, every element continuously shapes brand mindshare.

In the past, the core competitiveness of convenience stores lay in point density (proximity to you), standardized products (availability at any time), and operational efficiency (replenishment, turnover, and shrinkage control). FamilyMart has been in Mainland China for 20 years, with nearly 3,000 stores. However, in an era of "ubiquitous availability," merchandisers need to think ahead of their customers and address new questions: Why am I willing to buy? Why do I want to share this on social media? Why am I willing to come back every day?

FamilyMart's recent series of posters may already provide some answers. In this session, Sara will draw from FamilyMart's practices to explore where the "next stop" for convenience stores will lead within this complex and fiercely competitive channel environment.