BEIJING, CHINA – Fresh food e-commerce is disrupting the retail landscape in China by making it easier for consumers to purchase fresh, healthy, and imported food products. According to iResearch, in 2017 the approximate Gross Market Value of China’s fresh food e-commerce market reached RMB 140 billion, a nearly 60-percent increase from 2016. Leading the change are e-commerce giants using their experience in online retail, logistics, and deep pockets to invest in 'new retail' business models, cold food chain, and the supply chain.
New retail businesses, such as 7Fresh and HEMA, which are backed by JD.com and Alibaba, respectively, operate integrated online and offline supermarkets. While offline consumers are treated to experiential shopping and in-market restaurants, online customers can purchase fresh foods and in some cases expect them to be delivered within 30-minutes. Currently, these instant online services are mostly limited to tier-1 and tier-2 Chinese cities because of the cold food chain infrastructure. Recognizing the importance of cold chain logistics, SIAL China, Asia’s largest food innovation exhibition, scheduled for May 16 to May 18 in Shanghai, will again cooperate with Cold Chain Logistic Committee (CCLC) of China Logistics and Purchasing Federation (CFLP) , the leading cold chain governmental association of China, and dedicate Hall W5 to International Cold Chain Logistics.
The International Cold Chain Logistics Hall will be dedicated to exhibiting the newest innovations in cold transportation, warehousing, packaging, preserving, IT, and energy solutions. In total, more than 150 exhibitors will be participating, including cold chain logistics service provider JD Logistics, SF Express Cold Chains, HNA Cold Chains and CJ Rokin Logistics, energy saving, and equipment manufacturers such as Testo, Aucma, Speed Log, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Along with new innovations and sector leaders, several events have been organized to inform professional visitors, including Ask the Expert Programme for Cold Warehousing Planning, Last-Mile Solution Competition & Presentation, and Global Cold Chain Market Trend Seminar.
One trend to inquire about at the Global Cold Chain Market Trend Seminar is fresh food e-commerce. With access to quality and imported foods being two of the main drivers of online consumer demand, online retailers are eager to find new suppliers and increase their international product offerings. To date, fruits, milk & dairy, vegetables, meat, poultry & eggs, and seafood have emerged as the top five fresh food categories purchased by online shoppers. To support these consumer demands, SIAL China 2018 will Sappe and Malee Group from Thailand, Solen and Venus from Turkey, and Me Trang from Vietnam will be among the expected 3,400 exhibitors and 110,000 professional visitors at SIAL China 2018.
Food and beverage industry professionals are invited to pre-register for SIAL China 2018. With a focus on promoting innovation and international commerce, SIAL China offers professionals the opportunity to be introduced Asia’s changing food and beverage industry and new business opportunities. For those interested, our BAB platform connects global suppliers with more than 200,000 specialty distributors. At SIAL China 2017, this service helped enable an export agreement between Argentina and Chinese retailers for 5,000 tons of Argentine beef. For more information and registration, please visit www.sialchina.com
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