Measures to bolster Shanghai's catering sector

A slew of measures targeting the high-quality development of Shanghai's catering industry were unveiled on Wednesday, which are hoped to better facilitate consumption, benefit people's livelihoods, and stabilize employment, according to official sources.

Focusing on cost reduction, quality enhancement, consumption innovation, and environmental optimization, the 10-item policies came amid emerging challenges confronting the city's catering industry in recent months, according to Deng Jinbing, an official from Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce's service industry division.

"Since the beginning of this year, Shanghai's catering industry has been under mounting pressure due to multiple factors, including rising operating costs," said Deng.

The supportive measures, which include encouraging dining and beverage enterprises to optimize their networks and layouts, upgrading their stores, reducing operating burdens, and offering greater financial support, aim to stabilize and expand food and beverage consumption. Deng said.

According to Deng, Shanghai's retail sales in the accommodation and catering industry expanded from 109.99 billion yuan in 2018 to 150.53 billion yuan in 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 6.5 percent. And the city's food and beverage sector is characterized by globalization, high quality and digitalization.