Visitors to Shenzhen now have another shopping option: Meituan's self-operated supermarket Xiaoxiang Supermarket (小象超市) officially opened on 28 August 2026 on Level B1 of Link CentralWalk (領展中心城) in Futian, Shenzhen (the former Carrefour location). It is the first offline physical flagship store in South China, covering about 50,000 square feet, and focuses on "no membership fee" and "buy now, cook now", positioning itself as a direct rival to Freshippo.
Most importantly, the location: from Futian Checkpoint, it is only two stops on Line 4, with no need to transfer to a shuttle bus as you would for Sam's Club.
1. Location, transport and opening hours
- Address: Level B1, Link CentralWalk, 3 Fuhua 1st Road, Futian District
- Transport: Direct access from Exit B of Convention & Exhibition Center Station on Shenzhen Metro Lines 1 and 4; only two stops from Futian Checkpoint on Line 4 (about 5 minutes); also about a 5-minute walk from Futian High-Speed Railway Station
- Opening hours: 10:00–22:00 (extended to 22:30 Friday to Sunday)
- Entry: No membership fee, and you can shop without registering
2. Five highlights: no membership fee + pick and cook on the spot
Highlight one: completely free membership. Both Sam's Club and Costco require an annual membership fee first (varying by tier, several hundred RMB per year), while Xiaoxiang Supermarket, like Freshippo, charges no membership fee — most practical for the "quick-trip crowd" who head to Shenzhen a few times a year.
Highlight two: seafood cooked for you for an extra ¥10. The seafood section has live black tiger prawns, swimming crabs, Boston lobsters, king crabs, June yellow crabs and leopard coral grouper. After choosing, you can pay an extra ¥10 for a chef to cook it on the spot using "vitality steaming", with cleaning, killing and steaming all handled in one go — buy it and eat it right away.
Highlight three: free steak grilling and free durian opening. Staff will grill your steak on the spot, and there are also dedicated staff to free-of-charge select and open durians, removing and packing the flesh — Monthong durian is on special from ¥17.9 per 500 grams, and there are also Black Thorn and Musang King varieties.
Highlight four: coffee worth drinking at ¥9.9. Next to the checkout is "Xiaoxiang Coffee", with a Yunnan SOE americano at ¥9.9 a cup, plus freshly hand-shaken Da Hong Pao lemon tea, mango sticky rice ice smoothie and grape cheese craft brew.
Highlight five: baked goods baked fresh daily. Four egg tarts for ¥9.9, and durian mille-crepe cake packed with fruit — none kept overnight; there is also a spacious dining area and a Gelato ice cream counter in the store.
3. Top 10 must-buys (with reference prices)
| Product | Size | Reference price |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai chocolate pistachio mille-crepe cake | 300 g | ¥29.9 |
| White chocolate double lemon cake | 200 g | ¥19.9 |
| Red bean pork floss toast | 200 g | ¥9.9 |
| Japanese-style chewy milk roll | 145 g (8 slices) | ¥11.9 |
| Large sea white prawns (No. 1 on the seafood bestseller list) | 500 g | ¥32.9 |
| Extra-large swimming crab | 250–350 g | ¥49.9 |
| Kirin watermelon fruit cup | About 1 kg | ¥16.9 |
| Freshly peeled Vietnamese red-fleshed jackfruit | 250 g | ¥13.9 |
| Freshly peeled Dai-style white honey pomelo | 250 g | ¥13.9 |
| Xiaoxiang crushed pistachio ice cream | 75 g | ¥9.9 |
Seafood and fruit are seasonal products, so prices fluctuate; the in-store price on the day is definitive. The store also carries Meituan's own brands "Xiaoxiang", "Xiang Chef" and "Xiang Home", covering baked goods, prepared dishes and household goods.
4. Voucher for visitors from Hong Kong: HK$200 buys ¥200 (about 15% off)
Link CentralWalk has launched an offer for visitors from Hong Kong: pay HK$200 for a Xiaoxiang Supermarket voucher with a face value of RMB 200, which works out to about 15% off at the exchange rate, with no minimum spend. The voucher works on a balance basis, so any unused amount can be kept for next time and will not be forfeited.
- Second round on sale: 16 September to 24 September 2026 (deadline 23:59)
- Redemption period: 25 September to 19 October 2026
- Quota: 500 vouchers, limited to one per person
- Collection point: the customer service centre on Level B1 of Link CentralWalk during the redemption period
There are other opening-period offers too: a ¥69 opening lucky bag (8 selected products plus a Shenzhen-exclusive gift bag), and a lucky draw for a first order of ¥119 or more (100% win rate, with the top prize offering a chance to win a live king crab, snow crab or Boston lobster gift pack). Offers may end at any time; the in-store notice is definitive.
5. How does it compare with Sam's Club, Costco and Freshippo?
| Supermarket | Membership fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaoxiang Supermarket (Link CentralWalk) | No membership fee | Going only once or twice, wanting seafood cooked on the spot, passing through Futian Checkpoint |
| Freshippo | No membership fee | Wanting to eat seafood on the spot, near Nanshan/Futian branches |
| Sam's Club | Annual fee required | Families buying in bulk, large household goods |
| Costco | Annual fee required | Buying half a year's worth in one go, Longhua direction |
Simply put: if you just want to try a Shenzhen supermarket, pick up a few souvenirs and eat seafood, Xiaoxiang Supermarket with no membership fee is the best value; only if you are buying in bulk is it worth paying the annual fee at Sam's Club or Costco.
6. Nearby itinerary on the way
Link CentralWalk is itself in Futian CBD: after leaving the supermarket you can walk to neighbouring Wongtee Plaza, and beyond that is COCO Park (Shopping Park Station) — one line can fill half a day; if you want a meal, the mall's metro level already has plenty of chain restaurants.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to get there after crossing the border?
After crossing at Futian Checkpoint, take Metro Line 4 and get off at Convention & Exhibition Center Station. Exit B leads straight up into Link CentralWalk mall, and the supermarket is on Level B1 — about 5 minutes in total.
Can I use Hong Kong e-payments?
The mall and supermarket generally accept WeChat Pay and Alipay (including the Hong Kong versions linked to Hong Kong cards), and some checkout counters accept foreign cards. Before buying, note that some self-checkout machines only accept mainland wallets; if unsure, use the staffed checkout counter.
Can I bring seafood back to Hong Kong?
Seafood cooked on the spot is best eaten there; fresh meat and poultry products are controlled items and may be confiscated by customs if brought back to Hong Kong, so check the customs rules before you go.
Compared with Sam's Club, which is cheaper?
It varies by category: Sam's Club is usually cheaper for large-pack household goods, while Xiaoxiang has the edge on live seafood and freshly made baked goods; it is best to buy a little to try first rather than stocking up in bulk from the start.
Practical tips
- After 4pm the seafood and bakery sections are restocked, so this is a good time slot if you want the best items
- Seafood cooked for you takes 15 to 20 minutes to prepare, so you can place the order first and then browse other sections
- Weekend afternoons are the busiest, with checkout queues of about 15 minutes
- The supermarket is on Level B1 and the mall has direct lifts, so even shopping trolleys are no problem
Xiaoxiang Supermarket's national footprint (2026)
Xiaoxiang Supermarket started out with "front warehouses" and began shifting towards large offline stores at the end of 2025: December 2025 first Beijing store (Haidian Hualian Wanliu, nearly 6,000 square metres) → January 2026 Ningbo → 3 July 2026 Hangzhou (Longfor Zijing Tianjie B1, over 5,000 square metres) → 28 August 2026 Shenzhen Link CentralWalk (the country's 4th store and first in South China). The Zhenjiang store in Jiangsu is expected to open in October 2026, which will be the 5th. As of April 2026, Xiaoxiang Supermarket has entered 57 cities nationwide, with more than 2,000 front warehouses in total.
The Shenzhen store drew about 150,000 visits on its opening day, and had to limit entry on the first weekend because of the crowds, with queues of 5 to 15 minutes at peak times just to get in; the store covers more than 3,000 square metres, with fresh produce making up about 70%, and it is busier than an ordinary supermarket, so it is best to avoid weekend afternoons.
Guangdong localisation: freshly sliced Chaoshan beef, roast meats
To cater to Guangdong tastes, the Shenzhen store has added BBQ pork buns, soy sauce chicken and a roast meat counter; the fresh meat section slices Chaoshan beef daily (cuts such as diaolong, shiren and shibing) and makes fresh beef balls, with free preparation on site. During the fishing season there are also "open-sea fresh" items such as South China Sea swimming crabs, flower crabs, mussels and clams. If you want your seafood plain, you can choose it in the seafood section and pay an extra ¥10 for a chef to steam it for you.
Why choose Link CentralWalk?
Link CentralWalk is itself in Futian CBD, right next to Futian High-Speed Railway Station and Convention & Exhibition Center metro station, and only two metro stops from Futian Checkpoint; the mall's B1 level also has the "Foodie+" themed area, so after the supermarket you can eat right there. For visitors from Hong Kong who head to Shenzhen a few times a year, the location is far more convenient than Sam's Club or Costco, which require a special trip.
The prices and offers in this article are compiled from media reports (HK01, Sing Tao, U Travel) and store announcements between 28 August and 16 September 2026; prices, offers and opening hours are subject to the latest in-store and official announcements.
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