# AEON

The Twilight of the ‘Sensei’: Why Japanese Retail Giants are Retreating from China’s Northern Heartland

Japanese retail giant AEON has shuttered its supermarket operations in Tianjin and Hebei, surrendering the market to domestic rival Wumart. This shift highlights the decline of the traditional Japanese department store model in China as local players leverage AI and digitized supply chains to win over modern consumers.