30-Minute Fulfillment in Instant Retail: The Race to Reconfigure Warehouse and Delivery Systems

Data shows China's instant retail market reached RMB 650 billion in 2023, with projections exceeding RMB 2 trillion by 2030. In this "30-minute efficiency" race, a high-performing warehouse and distribution system has become the decisive competitive advantage.

The instant retail landscape is primarily composed of platform giants, self-operated brands, and transforming supermarkets. Platforms like Meituan Instashopping and JD Daojia employ capital-light models, leveraging their algorithms and user bases to optimize third-party warehouse networks. Self-operated players such as Freshippo and Dingdong (Cayman) Limited invest in integrated, capital-heavy systems. Supermarkets like Yonghui are also accelerating their footprint, for instance, by leasing the Forest Shaoxing Binhai Logistics Park as a regional distribution center. Ultimately, the design of the warehouse and delivery infrastructure directly determines 30-minute service efficiency. An efficient central warehouse system is crucial for supplying these distributed, front-line nodes.

Forest Logistics Properties has established a high-standard warehouse network in key cities, enabling brands to enter the instant retail space. "Three-Kilometer Efficiency Revolution" of JD which restructures the supply chain using a grid of central, satellite, and front-end warehouses, demands more advanced logistics infrastructure. This includes capabilities for multi-temperature storage and split-case picking. Logistics parks like Forest Tianjin Baodi Logistics Park, with its strategic location, effectively meet the instant retail sector's need for fast inventory turnover, high operational efficiency, and low costs.

In the "minute-level delivery" competition, the precision of logistics node location and operational performance is critical. A scientifically located, high-standard warehouse network is also essential for compressing supply chain costs.

Forest Logistics Properties’s national portfolio of 2.6 million square meters of high-spec logistics space is positioned close to key consumption areas, logistics hubs, and emerging market gateways.

• Tier-1 Core Markets (e.g., Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou): The newly completed Forest Guangzhou Conghua Logistics Park offers rapid access to core commercial districts, supporting one-hour delivery for platforms like PuPu and Meituan, and enabling a synergistic "regional central warehouse + urban front-end warehouse" network.

  
  

  

• Emerging Tier-1 Hubs (e.g., Tianjin, Wuhan, Chengdu): The Forest Tianjin Baodi Logistics Park serves both local instant retail demand and regional distribution, helping companies significantly reduce their last-mile delivery radius.

• Tier-2 Growth Markets (e.g., Foshan, Changsha): Leveraging its location within the Pearl River Delta manufacturing cluster, the Forest Foshan Danzhu Logistics Park enables "factory-direct shipping" solutions, cutting delivery times to Meituan´s “Lightning Warehouses ” from 6 hours to just 2.

For enterprises across the instant retail value chain, utilizing our strategic location and customized warehouse services reduces capital expenditure on heavy assets. This allows them to focus resources on category development and supply chain optimization, ultimately enhancing the end-customer service experience.