Convenience stores gaining ground as hypermarts falter

Outlets become smaller as costs rise and more customers head online

Small is the new beautiful when it comes to China's retail industry, according to industry experts.

French Carrefour SA, for instance, the world's second-largest retailer by revenue, recently opened its first convenience store in Shanghai after two decades in the country, in a sign that traditional hypermarkets are gradually shifting to smaller-sized stores to offset the high costs of physical stores and fast growth in online shopping.