# consumer spending
Latest news and articles about consumer spending
Total: 4 articles found
The ‘Hermès of Nuts’: How Xueji’s Luxury Snack Play Exposes China’s Emotional Consumption and Its Limits
Xueji Chaohuo, a fast-growing Chinese chain that styles itself as the luxury choice for roasted nuts, has provoked both ridicule and long queues with high prices and glossy mall stores. Its premium rests on mall location, heavy investment in store design and a carefully cultivated emotional pitch to middle-class gift buyers, but supply stabilization, fierce peer competition and wavering freshness claims expose the model’s fragility.
Apple Slashes iPhone Air Prices in China — Official Cut Plus State Subsidy Cuts Up to ¥2,500
Apple has cut the iPhone Air price in China by up to ¥2,500, combining a ¥2,000 official discount with a national subsidy to bring the starting price to about ¥5,499. The unprecedented promotion reflects weak smartphone demand and intense competition in China, and raises questions about Apple’s premium positioning and margin strategy in its largest overseas market.
Haidilao’s Founder Returns as CEO as Customers and Profits Slide
Haidilao’s founder Zhang Yong has resumed the CEO role after a steep decline in customers and profits. The chain faces falling foot traffic, squeezed per-customer spending and costly service standards, prompting a pivot into incubated sub-brands and experiential formats that have yet to scale.
Hainan’s One-Month Boom: How China’s Sealed-Border Free-Trade Port Has Unleashed a Shopping and Investment Rush
One month after China sealed Hainan as a full free-trade port, duty-free retail, tourism and new business registrations have surged. Cheaper imports, expanded visa-free access and relaxed tariff rules have turned the island into a magnet for shoppers and firms, but the rapid boom poses sustainability and distributional questions.