Liquor Companies' Layout in Bulk Liquor Market: Short-Term Response or Long-Term Strategic Transformation?

In 2025, China’s liquor industry is experiencing an unprecedented deep adjustment period. The downward pressure on the demand side continues to increase, the mainstream price range has shifted downward overall, and the ‘halo’ of the high-end market is gradually fading [1]. However, against the backdrop of the overall pressure on the industry, the bulk liquor market has shown a strong trend of countercyclical growth. According to data released by Sichuan Liquor Group, the scale of the bulk liquor market exceeded 800 billion yuan in 2024, and it is expected to exceed 1000 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% [2][3].

This growth is not an accidental phenomenon. From the consumer side, the bulk liquor market aligns with several core trends in current liquor consumption: First, ‘quality-price ratio’ has become a key factor to impress consumers—providing superior quality at a reasonable price is becoming the mainstream demand of the market [4]. Second, the rise of daily self-drinking scenarios provides a natural application space for bulk liquor, and the ‘on-site dispensing and selling’ mode of bulk liquor just meets consumers’ needs for freshness and convenience. Third, the consumption trends of healthiness and cost-effectiveness are becoming increasingly obvious; 125ml low-alcohol health products have attracted a large number of young consumers and new users [5].

From the channel perspective, the bulk liquor model has unique competitive advantages. Against the backdrop of price inversion and compressed terminal profits, bulk liquor naturally bypasses complex distribution levels, achieving more direct terminal reach capability and a more controllable price system [2]. Bulk liquor shops are often located in communities, on streets, or around commercial complexes, emphasizing daily self-drinking and targeting the high-frequency needs of young consumers, forming a differentiated positioning that is different from traditional liquor sales.

Among the well-known liquor camp, the three giants of Anhui Liquor took action first, showing strategic attention to the bulk liquor market.

The ‘Gujing Liquor Dispensing Shop’ launched by Gujing Gongjiu reflects its strategic thinking of ‘brand youthization + digitalization’. Entering Gujing Liquor Dispensing Shop, the products are more abundant and the ways to play are more diverse, including forms such as starting from 125ml (two and a half taels) dispensing, DIY labeling, live seckill, etc., which is more like a trendy retail experience store [3]. This model combines traditional liquor sales with new retail experiences, trying to establish new brand awareness among young consumer groups.

The strategy of Kouzijiao Liquor Workshop focuses on the differentiated positioning of ‘old liquor + craftsmanship’. Its sauce-flavor base liquor is stored for 3-5 years, and through on-site storytelling about brewing, it highlights professionalism and nostalgia. The core goal of Kouzijiao Liquor Workshop is to retain low-end demand in its own system, prevent being eroded by light bottle famous liquors, and at the same time hedge against the drawbacks of the large distributor system [3]. This strategy reflects Kouzijiao Liquor Workshop’s dual pursuit of channel control and brand premium capability.

Yingjia Gongjiu focuses on the depth and breadth of channels. It adopts the ‘special distributor +1+1+N’ deep distribution model, with a wide price range and dense outlets, and tries to superimpose tasting areas and mixing services to extend bulk liquor consumption from ‘self-drinking’ to small-scale banquet scenarios [3]. This channel strategy gives full play to Yingjia Gongjiu’s existing advantages in regional markets, realizing the reuse and expansion of channel resources.

Sichuan Liquor Group has laid out ‘Bulk Liquor Shop’ as its key project for the sinking market. ‘Bulk Liquor Shop’ mainly focuses on bulk liquor sales, while taking into account small-order customization services, and plans to add more than ten ‘Liquor Customization Centers’ and ‘Bulk Liquor Shops’ in Luxian County within the year [3]. This model combines bulk liquor sales with customization services, which not only meets the needs of mass consumption but also provides flexible solutions for small B-end customers, reflecting Sichuan Liquor Group’s deep understanding of market segmentation.

It is worth noting that the attractiveness of the bulk liquor market has exceeded the scope of traditional liquor enterprises. According to reports, the founder of Genki Forest is also betting on this track [2][3]. Capital entry not only brings financial support to the bulk liquor market but also brings new retail thinking and digital operation capabilities, which is expected to promote the innovative upgrading of bulk liquor sales models.

The four core problems faced by the liquor industry in 2025—overcapacity, high inventory, price inversion, and lack of scenarios—have forced liquor enterprises to find new growth poles [1]. Against this background, the bulk liquor business undertakes the short-term functions of reducing inventory, recycling funds, and maintaining terminals. Through the bulk liquor channel, liquor enterprises can reach consumers more directly, reduce profit loss in intermediate links, and realize a more flexible pricing strategy.

Taking current industry data as an example, in the first three quarters of 2025, the total revenue of 20 listed liquor enterprises on A-share was 320.231 billion yuan, down 5.83% year-on-year; the total net profit was 122.771 billion yuan, down 6.76% year-on-year [5]. Against the background of collective performance pressure, expanding the bulk liquor business has become a practical choice for liquor enterprises to stabilize their basic market.

However, if we only regard the bulk liquor layout as a short-term response strategy, we may underestimate its strategic value. The deep change in the current liquor industry lies in the fundamental transformation of consumption logic—from pursuing ‘quantity’ growth to re-dividing the limited market ‘cake’, and from being driven by government and business consumption to diversified consumption scenarios such as light intoxication, leisure, home drinking, self-drinking, and friend drinking [5].

At the Fenjiu Global Distributor Conference, Yuan Qingmao pointed out that the past rapid growth of the liquor industry was driven by government and business consumption scenarios, which have the characteristics of high frequency and high price, and also made the industry form a certain inertial thinking. However, this traditional experience almost failed in 2025 [5]. Liquor enterprises’ insufficient attention to, or even ignorance of, consumption scenarios such as light intoxication, leisure, home drinking, self-drinking, and friend drinking is also an important reason for the industry’s difficulties.

Against this background, the strategic value of the bulk liquor market goes beyond simple inventory reduction and performance boosting; it represents liquor enterprises’ deep understanding of future consumption scenarios and strategic layout for market sinking. Bulk liquor shops emphasize daily self-drinking and target the high-frequency needs of young consumers, which just fits the industry’s general trend from ‘drinking famous liquors’ to ‘drinking good liquors’.

The performance of the bulk liquor market with a scale of 800 billion yuan and a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% proves that it is not a cyclical opportunity but a segmented market with structural growth potential. As the trend of consumption rationalization continues, the ‘quality-price ratio’ advantage of bulk liquor will continue to be highlighted.

From Gujing Gongjiu’s ‘brand youthization + digitalization’ experiment to Sichuan Liquor Group’s ‘bulk liquor shop + customization service’, liquor enterprises are exploring diversified innovative paths for bulk liquor sales. These explorations not only enrich the bulk liquor business format but also accumulate valuable consumer insights and channel operation experience for liquor enterprises.

The bulk liquor business can form synergy with traditional channels—it is both an effective way for brands to reach the sinking market and an entrance to cultivate brand awareness among young consumers. More importantly, the data assets accumulated by the bulk liquor business can provide decision support for liquor enterprises’ product research and development, channel layout, and marketing strategies.

The current liquor industry is accelerating integration, and the trend of ‘big fish eating small fish, small fish eating shrimp’ is becoming increasingly obvious [5]. In the process of industry reshuffling, the bulk liquor market, as an emerging track, provides a strategic space for differentiated competition for liquor enterprises. Early entrants are expected to establish brand barriers and channel advantages in this segmented market.

Based on the above analysis, liquor enterprises’ layout in the bulk liquor market should not be simply defined as a short-term strategy or long-term transformation, but should be regarded as

, with both short-term response and long-term transformation attributes.

In the short term, the bulk liquor business is a practical need for liquor enterprises to deal with inventory pressure, channel reconstruction, and performance decline, with clear tactical value. In the long term, the bulk liquor market represents the profound transformation of liquor consumption scenarios and the strategic adjustment of market structure, and it is a must-compete place for liquor enterprises to cross the cycle and achieve sustainable growth.

It can be predicted that with the deepening of industry adjustment and the evolution of consumption trends, the bulk liquor market will usher in greater development space. Those liquor enterprises that can integrate the bulk liquor business into their overall strategic planning, establish differentiated competitive advantages, and continue to innovate models are expected to stand out in this track and become leaders in the new industry pattern.

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[1] The Glitz of Liquor Disappears, Industry Seeks New Home | 2025 China Economic Annual Report - China Times (https://caifuhao.eastmoney.com/news/20251225204104027610170)

[2] 80 Billion Bulk Liquor Market Re-attracted: Famous Liquors Enter, Capital Joins - East Money (https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202512193596956315.html)

[3] Famous Liquors Enter, Capital Joins: Is Bulk Liquor Shop the Next 10,000-Store Trend? - 36Kr (https://m.36kr.com/p/3603576652399877)

[4] Decoding 2025 Liquor Industry: Reconstructing New Growth Drivers in Adjustment - The Paper (https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32256942)

[5] ‘Disappointed’ 2025: Liquor Industry Reaches Bottom in ‘Deep Water Area’, Urgently Needs Value Reconstruction - Tencent News (https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20251221A06XMF00)