The food delivery subsidy war is coming to an end, but JD.com’s actions in the food delivery field have not diminished. On July 21, China Business News exclusively learned that JD.com’s self-operated takeout store called “Qixian Xiaochu” officially opened on July 20. This is JD.com’s first self-operated takeout store. Users can place orders online and adopt the "takeaway + self-pickup" model, but there is no dine-in option.
More than a month ago, JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong said at a communication meeting that the food delivery market is huge. In another month, JD.com will soon have a business model that is completely different from Meituan. It is also expected that this business model can completely solve food safety issues.
However, JD.com has not responded to the specific situation of the above-mentioned business models as of press time.
Photographed by China Business News reporter Lu Hanzhi
On the afternoon of the 21st, China Business News paid an on-site visit to the above-mentioned JD.com takeaway self-operated store. The store is named "Qixian Kitchen". The store is located on the first floor of a building in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The kitchen is a transparent kitchen, so you can see the working status of the chef. There is also a machine in the kitchen similar to a cooking machine to assist. In addition to the transparent kitchen, the store also has a takeout area and a self-pickup area. There are a large number of takeout cabinets in the takeout area and there are no seats for dine-in. On-site staff revealed to China Business News that it took a lot of time to select the location for the store.
In terms of dishes, "Qixian Little Chef" provides dishes including wonton pasta, Longjiang pig's trotter rice, Korean bibimbap, and pasta. The above-mentioned staff told reporters, "They are all freshly fried and cooked, and there are no pre-made dishes."
At present, "Qixian Little Chef" has been launched on JD.com's takeout channel. The unit price of the products ranges from 10 yuan to 30 yuan, and it shows that 800 copies have been sold. China Business News found that "Qixian Chef" is currently not available on Meituan and Ele.me. On social platforms, some users also posted takeaways from "Qixian Chef".
Tianyancha shows that the trademark "Qixian Xiaochu" is held by Jiangsu Zhuoyu Information Technology Co., Ltd., which is 100% controlled by Suqian Jingdong Jiapin Trading Co., Ltd.
Liu Qiangdong has previously stated that all JD.com companies serve the supply chain, including the food delivery business, which also serves the fresh food supply chain. Liu Qiangdong said at the time, "What everyone sees is the takeout dispute with Brother Xing (Wang Xing). People order food, but in fact what we do is the fresh food supply chain behind it. This is what I really want. I can never make money selling food on the front end. It is okay to make money through the supply chain."
The newly launched "Seven Fresh Kitchen" is self-operated by JD.com, which also confirms Liu Qiangdong's previous goal of making profits through the fresh food supply chain. However, officials have not yet disclosed details about the specific operations of the above-mentioned self-operated takeaway stores.
At present, the food delivery war is in full swing. Zhuang Shuai, founder of Bailian Consulting, told reporters that the industry will see a more differentiated development trend in the future. JD.com will strengthen its self-operated and 3C home appliance categories, as well as the offline business formats of Qixian Supermarket and JD.com MALL, while strengthening collaboration with e-commerce businesses. At present, Meituan has also begun to strengthen its in-store group buying business, strengthen its self-operated Xiaoxiang Supermarket, and open offline physical supermarkets (Happy Monkey) to enhance its differentiated competitiveness. Taobao flash sales will inevitably strengthen the advantages of clothing and beauty categories, expand instant consumption in non-catering categories, and continue to strengthen synergy with e-commerce businesses.