Eh, sales numbers and profits keep declining. > Last year, Walmart dropped to China’s fourth-largest operator of hypermarkets, from second-largest a decade ago

Eh, sales numbers and profits keep declining. > Last year, Walmart dropped to China’s fourth-largest operator of hypermarkets, from second-largest a decade ago, according to market researcher Euromonitor International. Sales at all Chinese hypermarkets shrank an average 3% a year from 2016 through 2020, according to a report by management consultancy Bain & Co. and Kantar Worldpanel, a consumer research firm. Over the same period, the report said, e-commerce sales in China rose 32% a year on a compound basis. As far as a wealth of options: > Today, when Mr. Zhang needs household staples, he turns to Freshippo supermarkets, owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. He said he enjoys frequenting Freshippo because its offerings and layout are refreshed often. Part of the appeal is rapid home delivery. The supermarket can deliver orders in less than 30 minutes. > "Going to a Walmart just isn’t exciting," said Mr. Zhang, a sales and marketing director. "They rarely change their layout or refresh their product offerings. You always know you’ll get the 330 ml. Coca-Cola there, but never the latest Cherry Coke flavor, or the popular fizzy drink trending on social media." https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/walmart-consumer-china.amp https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/walmart-consumer-china.am... At this point, Walmart China feels more like a “strategic” (read: FOMO) decision than anything that makes sense long-term. > "It’s been a regular part of [Walmart’s] cadence to be there to understand what’s happening," Mr. Berke said. "Historically, it’s been, ‘This is the biggest retail market in the world and its growth has far outpaced any other. How can we participate, and be part of all that growth?’"