Erinome:Hello dear friends, today we are going to talk about a hot news—Hema X Member Stores are closing down. Have you heard about it?
Enceladus:Oh no! Really? I remember Hema X Member Stores were quite popular before. When will they close?
Erinome:Yes, it’s true. Many stores have already closed. The last one in Shanghai, Senlan Store, will stop operating on August 31st. All 10 Hema X Member Stores across China will be gone then.
Enceladus:Wow, 10 stores? When did they first open? I thought they just started a few years ago.
Erinome:Right! The first store opened in 2020, and they expanded a lot in 2021. They were in cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Nanjing. Hema wanted them to be the "second growth curve", competing with Costco and Sam’s Club.
Enceladus:Oh right! I heard they对标 (duìbiāo) Costco and Sam’s. So why are they closing now? That’s sad.
Erinome:Hmm, maybe it didn’t go well. The news says Hema is adjusting its business. They want to focus more on Hema Fresh and community stores. You know, their core businesses.
Enceladus:What about the members? I think they had two types: Gold and Diamond members. How much were the fees?
Erinome:Gold members paid 258 yuan a year, Diamond 658 yuan. Some people liked it. Netizens said, “The products were good” and “I loved shopping there”. They have good memories, you know?
Enceladus:Aww, that’s sad. I have a friend who went to the Suzhou store when it opened. She said it was so crowded, like a big party. Now it’s empty with empty shelves.
Erinome:Yeah, the pictures online show empty stores. But wait, are member benefits still valid?
Enceladus:Good question! The news says yes. Members can still use “Yun Xiang Hui”, an online service. They can buy Hema MAX brand products and get free delivery if they spend over 49 yuan.
Erinome:Oh, that’s good. But some members are upset. Because Taobao’s 88VIP has a new activity. 88VIP users can get 90 days of Hema X membership for free, or pay 88 yuan for a year. That’s cheaper than the original 258 yuan!
Enceladus:Oh no! So old members paid more. Are they asking for refunds?
Erinome:Yes! Many people are trying to get refunds. The customer service lines are super long. One person said they waited in a queue of 202 people. That’s crazy!
Enceladus:Why did Hema do this? Maybe they want more people to join through 88VIP?
Erinome:Maybe. Hema wants to focus on core businesses now. They also have NB stores—Neighbor Business stores. They are like hard discount stores near communities, with low prices. For daily meals, you know?
Enceladus:Hard discount? Like cheap but good products?
Erinome:Exactly! “Everyday low prices, every item is a hit”, that’s their slogan. They are opening these in smaller cities now, not just big ones.
Enceladus:So Hema is moving to more下沉 (xiàchén) markets? Focusing on communities instead of big member stores?
Erinome:Yes! They think Hema Fresh and NB stores can work better together. Hema Fresh for big cities, NB for smaller communities. Maybe that’s a smarter plan.
Enceladus:I hope it works. I still like Hema’s fresh food. Their fruits and seafood are always fresh.
Erinome:Me too! Even though X Member Stores are closing, Hema says they’ll try harder on core businesses. Maybe we’ll get more surprises in the future.
Enceladus:That’s good to hear. It’s sad to say goodbye to the X stores, but change can be good, right?
Erinome:Absolutely! Let’s hope Hema does well. Okay, that's it for today. Let's talk again next time. Bye!
Enceladus:Bye!
