Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-11-11 11:01Core Insights - JD Retail has established a new Prepared Food Business Unit, elevating its strategic importance within the company and marking a significant shift towards self-branded product development in the prepared food sector [1][3] Group 1: Business Strategy - The new Prepared Food Business Unit will report directly to CEO Xu Ran, indicating a high-level commitment to this sector [1][3] - JD's previous efforts in the prepared food market date back to 2017, with ongoing collaborations with well-known restaurant brands from 2019 to 2023, aiming to create multiple billion-level sales brands within three years [1][3] - The focus will shift from category operations and brand partnerships to the development of proprietary branded products, emphasizing innovation in food technology and alignment with Chinese culinary culture [1][3] Group 2: Market Positioning - The prepared food unit will serve both B2C and B2B markets, providing supply support to offline stores like Qixian Supermarket and Huaguan Discount Supermarket, thus creating a multi-channel synergy [5] - This initiative aligns with the retail logic of "fresh food driving traffic, standard products generating profit," and accurately captures the industry trend of "B-end dominance, C-end acceleration" [5] Group 3: Logistics and Infrastructure - JD's mature cold chain system supports the development of prepared foods, with approximately 60 temperature-controlled cold chain warehouses dedicated to fresh, frozen, and refrigerated foods, covering an operational area of about 400,000 square meters as of June 30, 2025 [5] - The establishment of the Prepared Food Business Unit and the self-operated Qixian Kitchen will enhance the requirements for JD's cold chain systems, technology, and cost control, serving as a catalyst for accelerated upgrades [5]