China's takeout sector expected to exceed 600 bln yuan

　　Photo taken on Oct. 31, 2019 shows a takeout deliveryman in heavy snow in Xining City, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)

　　With digitalization being one of the trends of China's takeout business, a more mature and diversified service system has formed in the past five years.

　　BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The annual turnover of China's takeout industry is expected to reach 603.5 billion yuan (about 86.07 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019, said a report released by Meituan Research Institute and the China Hospitality Association.

　　With digitalization being one of the trends of China's takeout business, a more mature and diversified service system has formed in the past five years, said Wang Puzhong, senior vice president of Meituan, one of China's biggest takeout platform.

　　The catering service industry presented new features including blockbuster products, chain operations and healthy eating, Wang said.

　　Meituan's light food takeaway orders grew by 102 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2019, the report showed, which echoed the growing trend of more nutritious and healthier diets in the takeout sector.

　　Delivery options are also expanding. Orders for flowers, green plants, cosmetics and daily necessities are growing rapidly, and meeting daily needs and festive demands is also becoming a new trend, Wang added. ■