Discount Duel: China’s Top Retail Giants Go Head-to-Head on Prices

Beginning August, Walmart-owned Sam’s Club and Alibaba’s Freshippo — China’s leading supermarket giants — have been striving to outdo each other in an intensifying tit-for-tat price war aimed at enhancing their market dominance and attracting more consumers. According to China Economic Weekly, the price war began on Aug. 1 when Freshippo, known as Hema in Chinese, cut the price of its durian layer cake from 128 yuan ($17.60) to 98.90 yuan in Beijing and Shanghai. Soon after, Sam’s Club reduced the price of the same cake to 98.80 yuan.

tips

walmart 沃尔玛

Freshippo 盒马生鲜

strive 努力；奋斗；斗争

outdo 超越

intensify 加强

tit-for-tat 以牙还牙

durian layer cake 榴莲千层蛋糕