(Yicai Global) July 3 -- Chinese retail conglomerate Yonghui Superstores Co. [SHA:601933] has ramped up efforts to expand its online businesses. It has set up two stores featuring a business model it names as "retail + catering + App" in Fuzhou, where it is headquartered, and Xiamen. It said it plans to introduce such stores to Hong Kong and Macau in the future. 

Yonghui launched two stores named "Super Species" in January, whose profits are substantially higher than those of similar ones run by Chinese internet giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA]. Yonghui is set to open 30 "Super Species" stores this year to create a new national retail brand.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma proposed what he called a "new retail" concept combining online resources with offline resources and smart logistics last year. Compared with traditional retail shops, such stores rely more on environment and experience to attract users and are viewed as the third retail reform after urban supermarket chains and e-commerce, Alibaba Group claims.