"Her Power" | Laiyifen Yuruifen: Family culture sets the foundation, making each store stable, warm, and solid

With a love for staying at home and a初心 to build a career; transmitting warmth in everyday life, and steadfastly moving forward amidst the waves of the times, this firm belief is hidden in every piece of heartfelt dedication and perseverance.

“Those who walk with us along the way are the most precious wealth of the company.” In the eyes of Laiyifen founder and CEO Yu Ruifen, leadership is never about dominance, but about inspiring willingness to follow and trust.

Over 26 years, Laiyifen has more than 3,000 stores nationwide, rooted in family culture, connected by service, linking millions of employees, franchisees, and consumers as one family.

After 26 years of companionship, the company has 331 employees with over 10 years of service, 150 with over 15 years, 21 with over 20 years, and 6 with over 25 years. Being able to keep a group together for the long term and trust each other is, in Yu Ruifen’s mind, the best form of leadership.

Caring for people also means staying true to your original intention. Facing the fast-paced snack industry, she remains confident: long-termism is not about rushing for quick wins, but about trusting in the long run. No matter how fast the industry evolves, it cannot surpass the steadfastness of quality.

“This year, we focus on consolidating our foundation, strengthening empowerment, and enhancing the competitiveness of individual stores, centering on good products, supported by good service, and guaranteed by good operations. We standardize quality control, leverage digitalization and AI to improve efficiency and reduce burdens for franchisees, ensuring each store is stable, warm, and solid.”

Below are some excerpts from the interview:

Q: As a female leader, how do you define your business style and leadership qualities?

Yu Ruifen: I see myself as a pragmatic, results-oriented manager who values human relationships. After many years in food retail, I believe management isn’t about putting on airs, but about getting things done, leading people well, and maintaining integrity. I dislike being overly aggressive; I prefer a relaxed relationship with my team, joking and chatting about life.

I prefer to reason, set rules, and take responsibility—bearing more pressure myself and giving more achievements to the team.

To me, leadership isn’t about dominance but about inspiring trust and willingness to follow. Laiyifen has celebrated its 26th anniversary this year. We have 331 family members who have served the company for over 10 years, 150 for over 15 years, 21 for over 20 years, and 6 for over 25 years. These long-time companions are the most valuable assets of the company. Making a group feel secure, grounded, and long-lasting together—that’s my idea of the best leadership.

Q: The snack industry is undergoing rapid category iteration and channel restructuring. What three abilities do you think female managers in the industry need most right now?

Yu Ruifen: First, close perception of daily life. We make food, serve basic needs, and focus on family consumption. I believe women are naturally more attuned to what consumers need.

Second, stability and resilience. No matter how fast industry changes, stay calm, don’t follow trends blindly, and focus on solid fundamentals.

Third, resilience to handle responsibilities without complaints. No matter how much pressure, stay focused on solving problems without transmitting emotions.

Q: Currently, female employees in Laiyifen account for approximately what percentage? What mechanisms have you established internally to support their growth and promotion?

Yu Ruifen: Female employees make up over 90% of Laiyifen staff. Our core consumer base is also mainly women. Women’s natural sensitivity and empathy help us better understand family needs and resonate with consumers—this is an innate advantage embedded in our gene.

We uphold a strong family culture, treating every employee as family, making the workplace a warm, belonging space. This caring attitude is also passed on to consumers.

We maintain an open, fair, and transparent promotion system based on ability and performance, with no gender barriers. This is the core of our family culture of equality and inclusion. Currently, women account for over 70% of management roles, and nearly half of senior leadership are women. Many outstanding employees have grown step by step from frontline roles, like family members working side by side, earning recognition through strength and growth.

Centered on family culture, we have established comprehensive talent development programs, such as the Sunrise, Eaglet, Flying Eagle, Hero Eagle, Leading Eagle, High Storage, and Soaring plans, with one-on-one mentorship tailored to different stages of employees’ growth, supporting their development. We also have dedicated roles like the caring big sister, listening to employees’ voices and solving workplace and life challenges.

In my view, a good system provides an equal stage, clear pathways, and a solid sense of belonging—this is the essence of Laiyifen’s family culture. We believe that treating employees as family encourages them to treat the company and consumers as family too. In the future, we will continue to foster strength through family culture, ensuring every female employee is seen, respected, and empowered, realizing self-worth within Laiyifen’s big family.

Q: In advancing the franchise ecosystem and improving quality and efficiency, what is the most critical breakthrough point for the company this year?

Yu Ruifen: This year, we focus on consolidating our foundation, empowering further, and enhancing the competitiveness of individual stores.

Centered on good products, supported by good service, and guaranteed by good operations, we standardize quality across both direct-operated and franchise stores. Using digital and AI tools, we improve efficiency and reduce burdens for franchisees, helping everyone stabilize and strengthen their stores.

Laiyifen’s internal culture is family-oriented, while externally, it’s about win-win cooperation. We serve not only consumers but also our entrepreneurial partners, treating franchisees as business partners working in harmony. We aim to cultivate a shared ecosystem, achieving mutual growth and long-term prosperity—making stores vibrant, partners profitable, and users trusting.

Q: How does Laiyifen’s “Life Store + Mall Store” model achieve synergy in the new retail wave? Which format will the company focus on more this year?

Yu Ruifen: We base our network on Life Stores and Mall Stores, creating a complementary, efficient omnichannel system. Additionally, through deep cooperation with Yangchanji, we further improve our community ecosystem.

Life Stores are close to communities, providing convenient, high-frequency, warm neighborhood services; Mall Stores focus on brand image and experience upgrades; Yangchanji acts as a community gathering store, offering full categories, high repurchase rates, and strong private domain operations to deepen community penetration and family services. These three segments are integrated in supply chain, quality control, and digital operations, forming a comprehensive scene covering communities, commercial districts, and households.

This year, we will mainly focus on the dual drive of community Life Stores and Yangchanji, increasing investment and refined management, further expanding our offline network and enhancing operational and service capabilities.

Q: How do you understand “long-termism”? How does Laiyifen practice being a “long-termist” in a fast-paced industry?

Yu Ruifen: To me, long-termism means staying true to your original intention and doing lasting work. It’s not about rushing for quick wins but about trusting in the long-term. No matter how fast the snack industry moves, it cannot surpass the steadfastness of quality and the trust of countless families—that’s the discipline we must uphold.

We insist on doing difficult but correct things—strictly controlling quality, deepening product development, and treating partners as long-term family members. Over the years, we visit excellent companies with our suppliers annually to learn from their experiences.

We believe: a stable supply chain ensures stable quality; strong partners make the company strong; loved by the public makes the brand last longer. Short-term speed is less important than long-term resilience; focusing on reputation over scale is the real goal.

Q: How do you view the future three years of the snack industry? If you had to choose three words to describe Laiyifen’s next strategic focus, what would they be?

Yu Ruifen: Currently, the snack industry is accelerating from price competition toward health, diversity, and quality-based comprehensive value competition. Consumers now prioritize high cost-performance, high quality-price ratio, and high emotional value. The industry as a whole is moving toward ecological, refined, and sustainable high-quality development.

Looking ahead, we will continue to deepen our “Ten Thousand Homes” strategy centered on franchise, promoting organizational transformation from management to service. Always focusing on users and relying on partners, working closely with franchisees and suppliers for long-term mutual growth. We adhere to balancing quality and price to maintain consumer trust; ensuring profitability at the store level; and leveraging technology and culture to empower each store as a community neighbor, aligning around service, value, and lifestyle ecology for win-win development.

Text/Wang Can

Editors/Xu Nan, Lin Chen