Lao Liu has been running a tobacco hotel in the county seat for fifteen years, and he can't sit still these days. A new tobacco retail store has opened on the street next door, which is particularly high-end and has a much richer supply than him. What surprised him even more was that he heard that there was a central enterprise background behind this store. "The competition is really fierce now." Lao Liu sighed to us. Such changes are quietly happening all over the country. According to the 2024 annual report released by the China Tobacco Corporation, there are currently about 5.28 million operators holding tobacco retail licenses nationwide, an increase of 1.2% over 2023. Behind this seemin... [Read more]