In this “new commercial world”, growth no longer comes from isolated breakthroughs, but from the reinvention of systems.

Capital is reshaping systems, retail is refining them, and AI is amplifying them — while brands and design ultimately determine how these systems are perceived and remembered.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to turn a profit in the Chinese market. From McDonald's and Yum! to Starbucks today, more and more foreign enterprises are handing over control, entrusting their heaviest and most complex operations to local teams. Behind this trend lies more than just a simple “transaction”—it represents a fundamental shift in roles.

For Chinese capital and operations teams, this is undoubtedly an opportunity, but it comes with a reality check: you are inheriting not just a reputable brand, but also immense growth pressure and a significant “brand royalty.” More importantly, the Chinese market today can no longer be navigated solely by a set of headquarters' SOPs; many decisions must be judged and owned locally.

Consequently, the questions have become very direct: How deep should investors get into the “playing field”? What is the systemic capability that truly supports a scale of ten thousand stores? Which breakthroughs in key capabilities allow a brand to truly keep pace, or even rebuild its competitive edge?

As different retail channels come to play distinct roles in consumers’ minds—some representing value for money, others curated quality, and still others speed and instant fulfillment—the core question for brands has shifted accordingly. The challenge is no longer “where to sell,” but how a brand is understood and remembered within each channel.

Within this discussion, we will explore how brands can rebuild their product portfolios and channel strategies based on their positioning in consumer mindsets: which products should serve as vehicles for brand meaning, and which are designed to drive scale and efficiency; how supply-chain flexibility can support the differing rhythms and requirements of each channel; and how deeper forms of brand–retailer co-creation can establish clear and enduring divisions of cognitive roles.

In a highly diversified channel landscape, brands with true growth potential no longer attempt to cover every channel with a single, undifferentiated product. Instead, they learn to express a consistent brand identity through differentiated, intelligible product offerings, tailored to the specific logic of each channel.

In the Chinese market—arguably the most competitive in the world—the logic of scaling is undergoing a fundamental shift. In the past, a clear brand positioning combined with a standardized operational system was sufficient to support rapid enterprise expansion. Today, however, as local companies fully evolve across product, channel, and operational dimensions, the traditional "macro-framework advantage" is being rapidly eroded.

The factor that truly creates a gap is no longer whether the direction is correct, but rather the density of capabilities—an enterprise's ability to continuously achieve refined upgrades across every critical dimension. From consumer insights and product innovation to supply chain management, pricing, channel rhythm, and user experience, every link is being polished and interconnected to form a higher-density, sustainably scalable capability system. Consequently, growth in scale no longer stems from the amplification of a single capability, but from the systemic synergy of these combined strengths.

In a market where products are increasingly similar in function and channels are more segmented than ever, design and aesthetics are no longer just “the packaging”—they are the language through which brands express value, build emotional connection, and earn long-term loyalty. This session will explore how global and local brands can craft a coherent design language, embed cultural relevance, and balance short-term market demands with long-term brand equity—shaping a future where food and beverage brands are not just consumed, but experienced.