China: Decoding Hard Discount & Private Label - DRC & Rayland Partners Host Executive Retail Workshop in Shenzhen
On July 18–19, 2026, Discount Retail Consulting GmbH (DRC), in strategic partnership with Rayland Partners (睿远联合) and Retail World Media, hosted an exclusive, closed-door International Retail CEO Workshop (国际零售CEO闭门研习会) at the C Central Hotel in Futian, Shenzhen.
Designed for C-suite decision-makers, retail owners, category heads, and FMCG brand leaders, the intensive two-day masterclass delivered an operational blueprint on Hard Discount Retail Operations and Private Label Product Development (硬折扣零售与自有品牌商品开发).
Mastering the Hard Discount & Private Label Playbook
The program brought together an elite panel of international discount pioneers and Chinese retail veterans to bridge European operational discipline with China’s fast-moving retail ecosystem:
Marc Houppermans: Executive Partner at DRC and former ALDI senior executive with 13 years of leadership in hard discount execution.
William Snollaerts: DRC partner and former ALDI senior executive with 17 years of hands-on discount management experience.
Pei Xiaoyu (裴晓煜): Senior Vice President at Rayland Partners, 30-year retail operations veteran, and former Head of Category Management at Walmart China.
Xiao Feng (肖锋): Former Merchandising Director at Sam’s Club China with 20 years of experience building omni-channel supply chains and membership retail systems.
Four Core Strategic Modules
The curriculum focused on four high-impact focus areas designed to transform retail profitability and SKU efficiency:
Hard Discount Operations & Best Practices: Deconstructing the core mechanics, cost discipline, and operational speed of international discounters.
Private Label Development & Management: End-to-end strategies for building high-margin, consumer-trusted private brands.
Membership Store Sourcing & Operations: Aligning product curation, bulk sourcing, and customer retention systems.
Category Planning & Closed-Loop Assortment Control: Streamlining SKU counts and inventory velocity to maximize sales per square meter.
Driving Transformation in Asian Retail
As retailers across Asia face shifting consumer habits and margin pressures, the Shenzhen workshop highlighted the urgent industry demand for structured discount frameworks, efficient private label programs, and lean category management.
Through ongoing masterclasses, strategic advisory engagements, and executive partnerships across Greater China, DRC continues to lead the global expansion of hard discount principles.
To mark the success of the executive retail workshop, DRC and Rayland Partners officially solidified their ongoing alliance with the formal handover of a strategic partnership plaque.
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