SHANGHAI -- One of China's biggest retailers, Suning.com, had long staked its success through the pursuit of scale, with the group expanding into supermarkets and convenience stores, and by forming a partnership with the country's leading e-commerce company, Alibaba Group Holding.
That strategy has hit a wall recent years, forcing Suning to shut down a good portioned of its famed home appliance stores. Now, the company finds itself beating back chatter that it is edging toward business failure.