INTERNET giants are taking their online price war to the high street. Last month Meituan opened its first Happy Monkey supermarket in Hangzhou — Alibaba’s home city — on Aug. 29, and is preparing a Beijing outlet. JD.com launched its first discount supermarket in Zhuozhou, Hebei, in mid?August and opened four more in Suqian, Jiangsu, on Aug. 30. On the same day the Hangzhou Happy Monkey debuted, Alibaba’s grocery arm Freshippo renamed its affordable community chain from Hema NB to Super Box Budget NB (neighborhood business). The brand had nearly 300 outlets at the end of last month. Meituan’s push into physical stores aims to reach older shoppers and those who rarely buy online, and to build trust through self?run outlets — strengthening the platform’s competitiveness, said Zhuang Shuai, e?commerce expert and founder of Bailian Consulting. Analysts say the move reflects slowing growth in online retail and a wave of supermarket closures in recent years that created openings for digital giants. The number of supermarkets run by China’s top 100 operators fell 10% to 25,200 last year, according to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association. “With their capital, user bases, technology, delivery capabilities and ecosystem advantages, e?commerce giants are well positioned to develop diverse offline formats that reinforce their dominance,” Zhuang said. (SD-Agencies) | 