While it focused on e-commerce last year, Suning shifted its attention to general merchandize and home product markets this year. The retailer announced its development plan and target for 2012 recently and it will set up another five procurement centers for businesses such as general merchandizing, books and daily necessities, a move that aimed to help develop Suning.com, Expo Supper Flagship Stores and Laox stores.

Suning added those five new procurement centers to its existing ones for air conditioners, TV sets and communication devices and it will build an integrated procurement platform worth more than 100 billion yuan. Suning purchased Laox, the Japanese home appliance chain, in 2009 and it planned to accelerate its expansion in China this year.