Chinese apparel group Baoxiniao has announced plans to open about 100 new specialty stores in 2009.

Beijing Municipal Business Commission has issued a circular which encourages retailers to set up online stores and virtual featured commercial streets, and to increase the number of categories of goods offered based on the offline stores.

Taiwan-based food and beverage group Uni-President has announced plans to produce dairy products in Wuhan, Hubei, and to sell these products under its Uni-President brand in China.

China Resources Vanguard has announced that it has formally acquired the Wuxi-based supermarket chain Yong'an.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, Tsingtao Beer's second-largest single shareholder, has announced that it will sell 91,641,342 H shares in Tsingtao Beer for HKD19.83 per share to Chen Fashu, chairman of the Fujian-based New Huadu Industrial Group.

Mannings, one of the largest health and beauty product chain store brands in Hong Kong, has announced its latest expansion plan and the company says it will increase the number of its outlets in mainland China to over 150 before the end of 2009.