On March 6th, the topic of "Hema being exposed for clearing goods and closing doors" made it to the hot search on Weibo. According to media reports, there have been recent incidents of Hema withdrawing its cabinets and closing doors. Some netizens have reported that the variety of Hema products has decreased, some products have been taken down, and the shelves of Hema stores have been emptied.
In response to this, Hema told Beijing Business Daily reporters that due to the expiration of property contracts and the downturn of some shopping malls, Hema Fresh will carry out tail store replacement in the first half of this year, close 6-7 stores nationwide, and search for properties nearby to meet consumer demand. Currently, over 360 stores are operating normally. It is understood that Hema Fresh plans to open 70 new stores this year, and the number of Hema Fresh stores is expected to exceed 400 within the year.