BRIEF: Meituan launches $13.7 billion subsidy to support merchants, consumers

Meituan (3690.HK) has pledged to invest 100 billion yuan ($13.7 billion) in the restaurant industry over the next three years, focusing on consumer subsidies, merchant support, incentives for high-quality restaurant operators, and infrastructure upgrades such as a “transparent kitchen” program.

Xue Bing, General Manager of Meituan ‘s takeaway division, announced the plan on Monday at the 2025 China Chain Restaurant Summit. According to Caixin, Meituan will also collaborate with more than 480 restaurant chains to pilot a “satellite store” model. In 2025, the first 1,000 satellite stores will receive a range of support, including zero commissions for the first year, long-term subsidies, free access to Meituan’s AI-powered site selection tool, and exclusive traffic exposure.

Meituan’s recent moves are widely seen as a response to rising competition from JD.com’s recently launched rival food delivery service. JD.com (JD.US; 9618.HK), which formally entered the market in February, launched its own “10 billion yuan subsidy” campaign last Friday, offering users daily subsidies of up to 20 yuan. To attract more merchants, JD also announced that vendors who join before May 1 will enjoy commission-free operations for a full year.

JD.com reported that its daily delivery orders had surpassed 5 million through Tuesday this week.

By Lee Shih Ta

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