China’s largest fresh pet food brand, Pet&Fresh, will close all of its brick-and-mortar stores by mid-December, less than a year after opening.

Dubbed the “pet version of Freshippo,” the Alibaba-owned grocery chain, Pet&Fresh was launched in February, yet its focus proved too niche despite China’s burgeoning pet economy. Beyond traditional dry and wet pet food, products included refrigerated fresh meals, same-day freshly made pet meals, baked treats, and in-store dining spaces for owners to feed their pets.

Founder Hou Yi announced the store closures in a livestream with domestic media on Monday. The company had planned to open 100 stores in Shanghai in 2025, and had raised $25 million in angel funding by May, one of the largest early-stage investments in the pet sector in recent years. The chain will maintain its online business.

“Pet&Fresh’s prices were already very low, but fresh food requires freezing and thawing, which is inconvenient for customers,” Hou said, adding that the brand faced fierce competition from major pet food companies online, some of which sold fresh pet food at less than half the cost of Pet&Fresh during the recent Double Eleven shopping festival. 

Sixth Tone found that of the approximately 20 stores listed online Wednesday, half were already marked as “temporarily closed” or “shut down” on the Yelp-like platform Dazhong Dianping, while the other half continued to offer delivery and in-store pickups.

On Tuesday, staff at one location in Shanghai’s central Huangpu District were seen packing boxes as half-empty shelves were stocked with discounted pet food. Several customers and delivery riders picked up goods. Li, a customer, said she stopped by after hearing the stores were closing, hoping to stock up for her pets and the stray cats she feeds. 

Li said she typically buys household pet food brands. “Offline stores are usually more expensive. We’re used to shopping online — it’s cheaper and more convenient.”

The store closed the next day.

Shen Jun, a veteran retail analyst, told domestic media that although the broader pet economy holds strong potential in China, “Pets’ digestive tolerance is different from humans. Some may react poorly to fresh or frozen foods, so directly copying a Freshippo-style fresh model isn’t worth it.”

Cost is another challenge, with high store rent and low customer traffic, according to staff. Hou, the founder, said that each store required roughly 500,000 yuan ($70,000) in investment and could break even within 12 to 18 months — a target that ultimately proved difficult to achieve.

Online, hashtags about the store closures have drawn nearly 200,000 views on microblogging platform Weibo. Some pet owners have commented that fresh pet food remains a niche preference, while owners with higher standards often prepare homemade meals for their pets instead.

Shi, a new cat owner, said Pet&Fresh had been convenient because she worked near an outlet. “At least you can see the food in person, which feels safer than long-distance delivery of fresh products,” she said.

A 2025 industry report showed that the pet economy surpassed 300 billion yuan in 2024, with urban spending on dogs and cats rising 7.5% from the previous year. Several pet brands reported record online sales during this year’s Double Eleven shopping festival.

Looking ahead, the company told domestic media that it will launch a new online-only brand — Chong Tiantian, or Everyday Pet — which is expected to begin operations later this month.

Contributions: Wang Juyi; editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: A closed Pet&Fresh at the Longemont Shopping Mall in Shanghai, Nov. 18, 2025. Wang Juyi/Sixth Tone)