On October 20, Pang Donglai Commercial Group announced via its WeChat official account that it will establish an "Open Day" to provide external visitors with the opportunity to tour its facilities. The company emphasized its mission to promote advanced cultural ideologies, lifestyle concepts, and sound management practices, aiming to help more people understand how to run healthy and prosperous businesses while enjoying a fulfilling life.
The implementation details outline that the Open Days will commence on November 1, 2025, occurring on the 10th and 20th of each month, targeting corporate-level educational visits. The visit scope includes the "Industrial Park + Angel City + Times Square," with eligibility criteria requiring participants to aspire to create quality, happy enterprises that benefit employees and society. Each session will host a maximum of 15 participants, allowing up to five individuals from the same company, at a cost of 20,000 yuan per person. Each enterprise can arrange for one visit per participant per year. Reservations must be made through a system that requires information submission, and Pang Donglai will conduct qualification reviews of the applying enterprises.
According to the details, a maximum of 30 people can visit Pang Donglai for corporate-level tours each month. However, further specifics are not disclosed, such as opportunities for interaction with executives or the duration of the visits. Some netizens commented on Pang Donglai's strategy, calling it "hunger marketing," where limited availability enhances the perception of scarcity, leading customers to be eager to secure a spot.
Founded in March 1995, Xuchang Pang Donglai Commercial Group Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive retail enterprise, currently boasting 13 stores across Xuchang and Xinxiang, including five department stores, seven mid-sized community supermarkets, one specialized clothing and footwear store, one central kitchen, and two logistics centers. The company has developed its own brand and online sales platforms. Its business operations cover supermarkets, department stores, appliances, clothing, dining, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, tea, cinema, video games, books, and eyewear. As of January 2025, it employed approximately 8,300 people and facilitated jobs for around 18,000.
In 2024, its total sales reached nearly 17 billion yuan, with taxes exceeding 600 million yuan and profits over 800 million yuan; average monthly income per employee was around 9,000 yuan. As of October 19, Pang Donglai Group's cumulative sales for October have reached 1.516 billion yuan, with total sales for the year amounting to 18.866 billion yuan.
On October 14, founder Yu Donglai shared highlights from his speech at the 2025 China Supermarket Reform Conference on his personal account, emphasizing that enterprises must uphold social responsibility—not solely catering to familial interests or displaying personal wealth—but focusing on employee well-being. He advised against blind expansion and noted that Pang Donglai currently has no loans, holding 4.1 billion yuan in capital.
In recent years, Pang Donglai has gained recognition for its commitment to employee welfare and attentive customer service, being hailed as the "ceiling of the supermarket industry." Many industry insiders believe that Pang Donglai's model serves as a valuable reference for the future development of the retail sector. To adapt to market changes, several listed companies, including Yonghui Superstores (601933), Zhongbai Holdings Group (000759), and Better Life Commercial Chain (002251), have actively sought to learn from Pang Donglai's approach, engaging in transformation and adjustment. The capital market has shown optimism towards the "Pang Donglai model," reflected in multiple stock limit increases for these related companies.
What defines an entrepreneur? What qualities, character, and professionalism should entrepreneurs possess? In a live broadcast in 2024, Yu Donglai emphasized the importance of being a joyful entrepreneur, thriving in the journey, with elegance, romance, and passion, while also empowering others. He remarked that the teams he cultivates should not merely be staff but rather generals, leaders, and angels. Additionally, Yu stated that Pang Donglai aims to foster employees with beautiful souls and a relaxed lifestyle—working not just for survival but to enjoy a fulfilling life—while enterprises must provide reasonable compensation for a healthier operation.
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