Discount Retail Consulting management team recently visited the Pangdonglai Angel City (天使城) store in its home town Xuchang. Pangdonglai (胖东来), often hailed as China's "retail miracle" or the "Trader Joe's of China," is a beloved supermarket and shopping mall chain based in Xuchang, Henan Province. It is only active with its 13 stores in the Henan province and plans to open a new store in the capital of Henan Province Zhengzhou in 2026. Pangdonglai is privately owned by the f

Discount Retail Chain Pangdonlai is one of the most talked-about phenomena in China’s contested retail segment is seeing executives from across the country travelling to its stores to learn from its successes. It isn’t a glitzy new experience centre based in one of China’s megacities, but a 29-year old supermarket chain, Pangdonglai (DL). It started in a fourth tier city and has just 13 stores, all in central China’s Henan province. Many of China’s largest retail chains are t