Is Fudi Membership Store Beijing's Answer to Sam's Club?
Beijing is no stranger to membership stores or potential membership stores – Sam’s Club calls the capital home, and yet unrealized plans for the city’s first Costco are still afoot.
But what if there was a Chinese brand offering more reasonable prices than that of the US names, and with decent locations to boot? The answer might just be Fudi.
Founded in 2020, this Chinese-owned and operated shopping center is coming out strong against the likes of Sam’s Club and – when the time comes – Costco. How exactly? Good selection, competitive prices, and then some.
I found myself paying a visit to Fudi on a sunny Thursday morning, all the way up at Shine Hills in Shunyi.
Entry can take place through the parking garage or ground floor, and it’s pretty much like entering a Costco in the US: going inside I’m greeted by massive flatscreen TVs and a lot of electronics. This is a recent addition, thanks to a partnership with the Chinese electronics market Sunning.
Fudi’s motto is “Fudi is for foodies,” and the rest of the massive store proves that. Rows upon rows of fruits, vegetables, meat, and more.
Catching my eye first is a Sushi counter, stocked with nigiri, sashimi, and other sushi, most of it salmon. Then there’s the unagi, a big hunk of it to be exact. While the price is a bit up there – RMB 86 for a piece – it’s competitive when considering that a normal bowl of unagi and rice runs in excess of RMB 75 at most Japanese places in China.
These competitive prices can be found throughout – like a 500g pack of premium steaks for RMB 59 and, more interestingly, packaged meals for takeaway.
This isn’t just salads and sushi, mind you, but hot pot packs of various sizes at around RMB 98 a pack, German-style snail sausage and accompaniments for RMB 85 a pack, as well as curry for RMB 35 a pack. All meals are crafted by an executive chef who has worked for the likes of Shangri-La Hotel and China World Summit Hotel.
But past all these meals, steaks, tanks of fish, and wines from around the world, what sets it apart as a membership store besides selection and competitive prices?
This is where another angle from the folks at Fudi comes in. They want it to eventually become more than a mere grocery store.
Much like IKEA, it’s meant to be a whole experience and to get that experience, they’ve planned a few extras. There’s a food court (with those same competitive prices, like RMB 1 for ice cream and even RMB 18-20 or so for main dishes) but then there’s also a play area for kids and a dental clinic in the works – because eating with bad teeth or no teeth is pretty darn difficult.
What’s in it for members? Discounts galore and other perks.
Standard membership (RMB 365 a year) brings with it six car wash coupons, three free delivery coupons, and two discounted tooth cleanings (originally RMB 498, while the discount brings it down to RMB 99). Standard members can also enjoy other benefits, like a 32 percent off coupon for flowers and cakes.
Premium membership (RMB 680 a year) brings with it yet more benefits. These include rebate points – spend RMB 1,000 and get RMB 20 in return the next month – plus 12 car wash and free delivery coupons. There’s an even steeper discount for the two teeth cleanings (down to RMB 68) and the flower/cake discount coupon (50 percent off).
There’s all of the above, and then there’s the convenience of location. Besides the Shine Hills branch, Fudi has a second branch near Yaowa Lake Park, just a skip and a hop away from Line 14’s Jiulong Station and Line 10’s Shuangjing Station.
If that’s still too far for you, then there’s the WeChat mini-program, which allows you to shop from the comfort of your own home or office and get the good stuff from Fudi delivered right to your door.
Walking away from the whole Fudi experience has my head in a whirlwind. Here’s a store that’s combined the likes of Sam’s Club, a bit of Costco, and a sprinkling of IKEA for a membership shopping venture that’s not too shabby. I’m not yet a Fudi customer, but it might just be my very next grocery run.
READ: Do You Know This Lowest Price Guarantee Feature on JD?
Images courtesy of Fudi
