C-Store

Convenience Store Retailc-store.com.cn

C-Store (喜士多便利店) is a private Chinese convenience store chain operating across East and South China, selling fresh prepared foods, beverages, and daily necessities via company-owned and franchise stores, plus cloud-based smart refrigerator vending for enterprise locations.

Company typePrivate
Founded2015
HeadquartersXuhui, China
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What C-Store does

C-Store (喜士多便利店) is a privately-held Chinese convenience store chain operating across Eastern and Southern China, headquartered in Shanghai with regional offices in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Wuxi (East China) and Guangzhou, Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou, and Foshan (South China). The company sells fresh prepared foods—including bento meals (¥3-¥16), oden, steamed buns, sushi/rice balls, grilled skewers, beverages, fruits/salads, and desserts—alongside packaged snacks and daily necessities through company-owned and franchise storefronts. Founder Lingmei Xu serves as General Manager. Corporate headcount is 51-100, and the business is operated predominantly through a franchise model, supplemented by direct retail.

The company's technology layer centers on the Smart Refrigerator (智能冰箱) product line, a cloud-connected vending system with QR code access designed for placement in office buildings, technology parks, and residential complexes. Deployed units support remote inventory monitoring and automated restocking and are presently installed at locations including Jiuxing Hongqiao Business Center, Caohejing Development Zone, and Alibaba Binjiang Headquarters. The system extends the convenience-store proposition into B2B enterprise vending without requiring a staffed footprint.

C-Store generates revenue through two streams: direct retail sales of food, beverages, snacks, and daily necessities through company-owned and franchise stores (transaction-fee model), and franchise fees and royalties from partners paying for the right to operate C-Store-branded stores with full operational support (recurring subscription model). Go-to-market is hybrid—direct-to-consumer via stores, franchise recruitment via eight regional hotlines, and B2B enterprise vending via the Smart Refrigerator line. In November 2018, the company raised approximately $71.87 million from Alibaba Group, establishing a strategic relationship evident in the Smart Refrigerator deployment at Alibaba Binjiang Headquarters. A sub-brand, "Xiao Xi Jia" (小喜嘉), has been introduced to broaden franchise accessibility.

C-Store firmographics

Firmographics

Name: C-Store
Legal name: 喜士多便利店
Website: https://c-store.com.cn
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2015
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: C-Store (喜士多便利店) is a private Chinese convenience store chain operating across East and South China, selling fresh prepared foods, beverages, and daily necessities via company-owned and franchise stores, plus cloud-based smart refrigerator vending for enterprise locations.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

C-Store industry classification

Industry

Product category: Convenience Store Retail
NAICS: Convenience Retailers (445131)
SIC: Retail-Convenience Stores (5412), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
akta.pro primary industry: Traditional Convenience Stores (C-Stores) (CRAHABAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Prepared Foods & Catering-Focused Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAM)

Keywords

Convenience store retail
Fresh prepared foods
Franchise operations
Smart vending
Snack and beverages

Where C-Store is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Xuhui
HQ country: China
HQ region: Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

C-Store business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Retail Sales: Revenue generated from direct retail sales of food, beverages, snacks, fresh meals, and daily necessities through company-owned and franchise convenience stores across East and South China regions.
Franchise Fees and Royalties: Revenue from franchise partnerships where franchisees pay for the right to operate C-Store branded convenience stores. The company provides store design, training, equipment, and ongoing operational support in exchange for franchise fees.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Fresh food items (bento, noodles, grilled items)
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Beverages and coffee
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Snacks and packaged goods
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Steamed buns and dim sum
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Japanese food (sushi, rice balls)
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Odeng (hot pot items)

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

C-Store product offering

Product offering

Core offering

C-Store (喜士多便利店) operates a chain of convenience stores across East China and South China, selling fresh prepared foods (bento, oden, steamed buns, sushi, grilled items, beverages, desserts), packaged snacks, and daily necessities. The company runs both company-owned and franchise stores, and additionally offers a cloud-connected Smart Refrigerator (智能冰箱) vending solution for enterprise clients in offices, campuses, and residential complexes.

Product overview

C-Store (喜士多便利店) is a convenience store chain operating across Eastern and Southern China. The company operates a physical store network offering fresh prepared foods (美味鲜食) including bento meals, oden, steamed buns, sushi, grilled items, beverages, and desserts, alongside packaged goods and snacks. The core product portfolio includes the main convenience store format, the Smart Refrigerator (智能冰箱) cloud-connected vending solution for enterprise locations, and comprehensive franchise services. The fresh food category (便当, 关东煮, 蒸包, 寿司/饭团, 烧烤, 饮品, 水果/色拉, 甜品) represents the company's prepared food focus, complemented by popular packaged products (人气商品) featuring third-party brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Companies that use C-Store

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

C-Store technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

C-Store partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

C-Store competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Meiyijia (美宜佳): Largest convenience store chain in China by store count, franchise-driven, with strong presence in Guangdong (same region as C-Store's South China footprint). Direct franchise-style convenience retail competitor.
7-Eleven China: Operates 7-Eleven convenience stores across China under license from Seven & i Holdings, with a strong fresh-food focus (rice balls, bento, oden) that directly competes with C-Store's daily-prepared fresh offerings. Same customer base of urban office workers and residents in tier-1 cities.
Lawson China: Major Japanese convenience store chain operating in China with heavy emphasis on freshly prepared bento, steamed buns, sushi, and coffee — directly mirroring C-Store's fresh food and franchise positioning in the same Shanghai/East China catchment.
FamilyMart China (全家): One of the largest franchise-model convenience store chains in China, backed by Ting Hsin (Taiwan) and Lawson alliance. Operates thousands of stores across East and South China with comparable bento, coffee, and snack product mixes.
BianSheng Convenience (便利蜂): Tech-driven Chinese convenience store chain using data analytics and AI-driven ordering to optimize fresh-food inventory. Compete directly with C-Store on smart-operations and Chinese-tier-1 convenience.
Today Convenience (Today24h): Emerging nationwide chain using an "intelligent franchise" model with centralized product sourcing and digital operations, expanding rapidly in tier-1 cities and competing with C-Store on fresh food, coffee, and franchise economics.

Broad incumbents

Hema Fresh (盒马鲜生): Alibaba-owned omnichannel grocery platform combining physical stores with delivery. Sister-company to C-Store given common Alibaba investor; offers broader fresh-food assortment and an app-driven ordering experience C-Store lacks.
Easy Joy Convenience (易捷便利店): Sinopec-affiliated convenience store chain operating China's largest c-store network through gas-station forecourt retail. Differentiation is location-driven rather than fresh-food quality, but scale and energy-station traffic represent a structural advantage.

Regional players

Kuaike Convenience (快客便利店): Walmart-owned chain concentrated in East and South China, overlapping C-Store's core catchments. Comparable convenience store footprint and product mix, leveraging Walmart's supply chain advantages.

Emerging players

Bee Store (蜜蜂便利): Newer tech-enabled Chinese convenience chain focused on smaller-format, automation-driven retail in office buildings — directly competitive with C-Store's Smart Refrigerator enterprise placement strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

C-Store financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

C-Store leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

C-Store funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

C-Store M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C-Store

What does C-Store do?

Is C-Store a public or private company?

C-Store is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.

When was C-Store founded?

C-Store was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is C-Store based?

C-Store is headquartered in Xuhui, China, in the Asia region.

How does C-Store make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Royalties.

Who are C-Store's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Meiyijia (美宜佳), 7-Eleven China, Lawson China, FamilyMart China (全家), BianSheng Convenience (便利蜂) and Today Convenience (Today24h). Broad incumbents are Hema Fresh (盒马鲜生) and Easy Joy Convenience (易捷便利店). Kuaike Convenience (快客便利店) is listed as a regional player. Bee Store (蜜蜂便利) is listed as an emerging player.

Does C-Store have an API?

No public API is recorded for C-Store.

What industry is C-Store in?

C-Store's product category is Convenience Store Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHABAA, Traditional Convenience Stores (C-Stores), with a secondary code of CRAHAGAM, Prepared Foods & Catering-Focused Specialty Stores. Its NAICS code is 445131 and its SIC code is 5412.