O2O boosts Suning's growth

If Hangzhou boasts headquarters of new economy stars Alibaba and JollyChic, Nanjing is home to Suning Commerce Group, the country's third largest retail player and a well-known e-commerce name.

Amid shrinking retail sales, particularly at physical stores countrywide, large retailers such as Suning continued to thrive with long-term plans to cope with the boom in e-commerce.

China's largest home appliance retailer, Suning saw its sales reach 350 billion yuan ($52.2 billion) in 2015. It has diversified into e-commerce, real estate, culture, finance and investments.