Bailian Group
Chinese commercial retail holding group operating department stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, discount outlets, specialty stores, e-commerce and logistics businesses.
Last updated October 12, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Bailian Group is a Chinese commercial retail holding company established in 2003 through the consolidation of four Shanghai-based commercial enterprises: the former Shanghai 100 (Group) Co., Ltd., Hualian (Group) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Friendship (Group) Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Materials (Group) Head Office. The combination brought together department-store operations, supermarket and convenience-store networks, wholesale and distribution capabilities, specialty retail, and related commercial assets under one group structure. The group’s business scope spans a broad portion of the consumer-retail value chain. Its activities include traditional department stores, standard supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, shopping malls, brand-discount stores, professional specialty stores, e-commerce and logistics. This diversified format portfolio allows Bailian to operate both large destination properties and everyday neighborhood retail. Its operating footprint is concentrated in China and includes outlets across numerous provinces and cities. Bailian’s retail portfolio includes long-established Shanghai commercial names such as First Department Store, Yong’an Department Store, Oriental Commercial Building, First Eight Hundred Ban, Bailian South, Western Suburbs, Central and Youyi City. The group also operates the Bailian Outlets discount-store brand and has businesses associated with specialist retail, including eyewear chains such as Wu Liangcai and Maochang. Other named businesses and brands in the group’s portfolio include Kesongfang, Haomeijia and Hualian Jimaisheng, as well as Bailian E City, an e-commerce or online-shopping operation. The group’s structure includes five listed companies identified in the reference material: Bailian Co., Ltd., listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under code 600827; Lianhua Supermarket, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under code 0980; Wumao Co., Ltd.; Friendship Co., Ltd.; and First Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It also includes Yong’an Department Store, which was renamed from the former Shanghai Hualian Commercial Building. These companies and operating units give Bailian exposure to department stores, food and general merchandise, pharmaceuticals, specialty retail and property-based commercial formats. Bailian has been described as one of China’s largest commercial retail groups. Reference material reports nearly 6,000 business outlets in 25 provinces and cities, although the source does not provide a consistent reporting date for that figure. It also records the group’s rankings in Chinese enterprise and retail-chain lists, including second place among the top 100 Chinese chains in 2012 and a position among the Fortune Global 500 in the cited period. Because those rankings and scale figures are time-specific, they should not be treated as current operating statistics without updated company or ranking sources. The group’s identity is closely associated with Shanghai’s modern retail sector. Rather than representing a single product line, Bailian functions as a multi-format retail platform and corporate house, combining legacy department-store brands, mass-market grocery operations, shopping centers, discount retail, specialty chains and digital commerce. Its principal strategic challenge is therefore the coordination and modernization of a large, historically diverse store network while maintaining the distinct identities of its constituent brands.
History
Bailian Group was formed in 2003 through the integration of four Shanghai commercial organizations: the former Shanghai 100 (Group) Co., Ltd., Hualian (Group) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Friendship (Group) Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Materials (Group) Head Office. The formation created a large commercial holding structure with activities extending beyond conventional department stores into supermarkets, wholesale and distribution, shopping centers, specialty retail and related services. The consolidation reflected the increasing scale and complexity of China’s retail sector. By bringing together established department-store companies, supermarket and convenience formats, and commercial-materials operations, Bailian was positioned to serve multiple consumer occasions rather than depend on one store type. Its resulting portfolio included large urban department stores, shopping malls, discount outlets, grocery businesses, convenience stores, specialist chains, online commerce and logistics. A number of historically important Shanghai retail properties and brands became part of the group’s commercial identity. These included First Department Store, Yong’an Department Store, Oriental Commercial Building, First Eight Hundred Ban, Bailian South, Western Suburbs, Central and Youyi City. The group also developed or operated the Bailian Outlets format and maintained specialist businesses such as the Wu Liangcai and Maochang eyewear chains. Yong’an Department Store was identified as the renamed successor to the former Shanghai Hualian Commercial Building. Bailian’s corporate structure includes several listed companies. The reference material identifies Bailian Co., Ltd. on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Lianhua Supermarket on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Wumao Co., Ltd., Friendship Co., Ltd. and First Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. as listed companies within the group structure. These holdings extend the organization’s reach across general retail, grocery, specialty commerce and pharmaceuticals, while other group businesses cover shopping-center operations, discount retail, e-commerce and logistics. The group expanded its geographic reach beyond Shanghai through a network reported at nearly 6,000 outlets in 25 provinces and cities. The source does not give a reliable current date for this network figure, so it is best understood as a historical scale description rather than a present-day count. Bailian was also recorded as second among the top 100 Chinese chains in 2012 and as a highly ranked Chinese enterprise in the cited Fortune and domestic enterprise rankings. These references illustrate its historical scale but do not establish current revenue, employee numbers or market position. Bailian Group is therefore best understood as a corporate retail platform rather than a narrowly defined consumer brand. Its history is the history of combining major Shanghai commercial legacies with national supermarket, discount, specialty and digital-retail operations. The available reference material does not provide sufficient detail to document later reorganizations, leadership changes, individual store closures, campaign performance or current financial results.
- 2012
Ranked second among China’s top 100 chains
[1]Reference material states that Bailian Group ranked second in the 2012 ranking of China’s top 100 retail chains.
- 2003
Bailian Group established
[1]Bailian Group was formed by combining the former Shanghai 100 (Group) Co., Ltd., Hualian (Group) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Friendship (Group) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Materials (Group) Head Office.
Products and positioning
A large, multi-format Chinese retail group combining department stores, grocery retail, shopping malls, outlet stores, specialty chains, e-commerce and logistics, with a strong historical connection to Shanghai commercial retail.
Department stores and commercial property
Department stores and shopping malls
Bailian operates a portfolio of department stores and shopping-center properties, including First Department Store, Yong’an Department Store, Oriental Commercial Building, First Eight Hundred Ban, Bailian South, Western Suburbs, Central and Youyi City. These properties represent the group’s traditional urban retail base and combine branded merchandise, general retail and destination shopping functions.
Discount retail
Bailian Outlets
Bailian Outlets is the group’s named brand-discount-store format. It forms part of Bailian’s effort to cover value-oriented shopping and branded merchandise outside the conventional department-store model. The supplied reference identifies the brand but does not provide enough information to specify its launch date, current store count or detailed category mix.
Food and everyday retail
Supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores
The group’s operating scope includes standard supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores. These formats extend Bailian from periodic department-store shopping into routine purchases of food, household goods and general merchandise. The reference material does not identify every current banner or provide format-level financial or store data.
Optical specialty retail
Wu Liangcai and Maochang
Wu Liangcai and Maochang are specialist eyewear businesses listed among Bailian’s principal brands. Their inclusion gives the group a presence in optical and professional specialty retail in addition to general merchandise and grocery operations. Detailed product, geographic and operating information is not provided in the supplied sources.
E-commerce
Bailian E City
Bailian E City is identified as the group’s online or e-commerce shopping business. It represents the digital-commerce component of a portfolio otherwise anchored in physical stores, shopping malls and outlets. The available reference does not establish its current website, platform structure, launch date or operating status as a standalone brand.
Pharmaceutical retail
First Pharmaceutical
First Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is identified among the listed companies included in the Bailian Group structure. Its presence indicates exposure to pharmaceutical-related retail or commercial operations alongside the group’s broader consumer businesses. The supplied material does not provide enough detail to describe its product range or current relationship to the group.
Controversies
Sources6 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/bailian-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled