Freshippo Accelerates Expansion of Discount Store Format Across China

On May 15, Freshippo NB, Freshippo’s discount store format, opened 16 stores in a single day. The cities of Suqian in Jiangsu, Taizhou in Zhejiang and Hefei in Anhui all saw the brand’s first entry, with a total of 11 new stores opened across these three cities. Meanwhile, Ningbo, Huzhou and Hangzhou together accounted for another five new stores.

Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, saw Freshippo open three NB stores in the districts of Baohe and Yaohai. Taizhou, an important coastal city in eastern Zhejiang, saw three stores opened in Luqiao, Wenling and Tiantai. In Suqian, an emerging city in Jiangsu province, the newly arrived NB stores will compete with JD Discount stores, four outlets of which opened there last year.

Earlier this year, Freshippo opened its first NB stores in several cities in southern China, including Foshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan. At this point, the brand’s discount store format has expanded across eastern, southern and northern China, and it is expected to enter Beijing for the first time in late June.

The NB format reduces prices by sourcing directly from upstream factories, eliminating intermediate distribution channels, and simplifying store decoration and packaging costs. It is currently the fastest-growing hard-discount supermarket in China in terms of both store openings and total store count.

According to official data from Freshippo NB, the brand aimed to reach 400 stores by the end of 2025, a target that it has already significantly surpassed. Each store typically carries around 1,500 stock keeping units, with private-label products and fresh produce accounting for over 60%. Eggs, meat and fruit are among the most popular categories with consumers.

Image: Freshippo NB

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.