Suning Unmanned 'Biu' Store to make International Debut at CES 2018 to Showcase Smart Retail Worldwide

NANJING, China, Jan. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Suning, the commercial giant ranked second in China's top non-state-owned enterprises and owner of a Fortune Global 500 retail company - will next week showcase its unmanned, automated 'Biu' store at CES 2018, the global stage where next-generation innovations of consumer electronics are introduced to the marketplace.

The company's booth (booth 21048, LVCC South 1) promises to give visitors a glimpse of the latest innovation in the firm's Smart Retail programme which is sweeping across China. CES 2018 runs from 9-12 January 2018 in Las Vegas, USA, and comes as Suning prepares to launch its business development actions overseas.

Mr Joshua Xiang, Executive Vice President of R&D of Suning Commerce Group and the General Manager of Suning Global Research, said: "Suning's Biu store concept showcases the latest in our online-to-offline ("O2O") retail strategy, designed to offer consumers a one-stop seamless shopping experience. We're thrilled to be bringing it to CES 2018."

Bringing together the company's experience and forward-thinking technology applications in "O2O" retail, Suning's 'Biu' store concept is big-data driven and powered by Facial Recognition and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Since launching its first self-service store in Nanjing in August 2017, Suning has unveiled a further four cashier-less stores in China, with new stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing and Xuzhou, along with the inaugural store, proving a huge success with consumers.

Chinese tech-savvy shoppers have been flocking to the Biu stores to buy the latest gadgets, personal electronics, FMCG and sports accessories. They can also find branded merchandise from famous football clubs including legendry Italian Serie A team F.C. Internazionale Milano - itself owned by Suning.

The Biu stores feature Facial Recognition, meaning any shopper linking their bank card to the Suning Finance app is immediately identified by camera at the entrance and granted access to the store. Inside, equipped with Suning Smart Recommendation, the shopping guide system based on big-data analysis, the stores are able to help customers make purchasing decisions in an easier way. RFID technology then means products need only be carried along the payment pathway, resulting in an effortless check-out experience taking no longer than 15 seconds, simpler and faster than most existing self-service retail practices.

At CES, Suning will also be showcasing its e-commerce services and tech products which are focused on enhancing the consumer experience. These include the 'Smart Sue' shopping assistant, with voice and text interaction system; Suning's Anywhere AR shopping experience, allowing shoppers to place virtual products into a real scene; Suning Smart Home, incorporating advanced Internet of Things automation systems to control electronic home appliances and functions of the building; Smart retail chain solutions; and Suning's own logistics and shopping financial services.

On Wednesday 10 January 2018, a 'Created in China' forum hosted by Suning and China Household Electric Appliance Research Institute will take place at CES. The event will explore the electronics industry trends in China and also demonstrate Suning's experience of Smart Retail.

About Suning

Founded in 1990, Suning is the largest Omni-channel retailer in China with powerful commercial capability and leading technologies of Smart Retail. The company reported a 321.23 per cent surge in year-on-year Net Profit through the first three quarters of 2017, reflecting the success of its online-to-offline "O2O" retail strategy, designed to offer consumers a one-stop seamless shopping experience.

Suning has over 1,500 technology-driven bricks-and-mortar stores among almost 4,000 physical stores throughout 600+ cities in China and overseas. By the end of 2018, Suning plans to add a further 5,000 physical stores to its rapidly expanding portfolio, all being connected to its online presence. Along with retail, Suning also operates in real estate, financial services, media and entertainment, sports, and investment.

For more information see www.suningholdings.com

SOURCE Suning Holdings Group