A customer takes a picture of organic vegetables on sale at a Muji store in Shanghai. photo: Qi Xijia/GT

 
Japanese retailer Muji has recently opened a new store in Shanghai offering a farm-to-table dining experience. The new business format comes as a fresh attempt to attract consumers amid a rapid recovery in food and beverage consumption in China, experts said.

The store, which opened on Friday, markets itself as an organic store, selling fresh vegetables grown at a local farm in Shanghai, as well as readymade salad and various snacks.

A Global Times reporter visited the store on Tuesday and saw the organic vegetable section was attracting the most customers. It offers a dozen kinds of vegetables, including cabbage, carrot and spinach, all in small packages of 250 grams.

In the packed meal section, a few green salads were lined up neatly in the fridge, attracting the interest of some office workers.

There is also a Muji Diner canteen, which mainly serves Western-style food, as well as afternoon tea and cocktails. Some 20 customers were seen dining in the area on Tuesday afternoon, chatting over their meals. At peak business hours, people have to queue for the seats, a waiter from the canteen told the Global Times.

“I felt that the concept was so original and attractive that I wanted to take a look at it,” a customer surnamed Xu told the Global Times.

Muji entered the Chinese market in 2005. It is known for its minimalist aesthetic and accessible products ranging from clothing to lifestyle items. 

After China optimized its approach to epidemic prevention, it is expected that more foreign brands will enter China's catering service market, which is poised for a strong rebound, Zhao Jingqiao, director of the Service Economy and Catering Industry Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

“Due to China’s accelerated urbanization and pace of life, the public's demand for dining out is increasing. They are not just satisfied with filling their bellies, but are also looking for high-quality, innovative and unique catering services,” Zhao said.

China's consumption has been recovering quickly, ensuring a good start to the year in terms of economic growth.

During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the sales revenue of China's consumption-related sectors rose 12.2 percent from last year, data from the State Taxation Administration showed.