Abstract: Analyzing the chain retail business models under the commercial environment of a county and promoting the digital and intelligent transformation of local retail enterprises is helpful for the county's economic growth, labor employment, and the cultivation of new quality productive forces in retail. We take the fat headquarters-thin store model, virtual retail model, and ecosystem retail model based on virtual business theory as the theoretical framework, and conduct a case study on Yidu, the only county-level retail enterprise that ranks among the top 20 convenience stores in China. We systematically summarize the business model of county chain convenience stores from the perspectives of development strategy, site selection, assortment management, data decision-making, community group buying, and business intelligence of chain retail operations. On this basis, we propose a retail ecosystem model driven by data and intelligence. Our research findings transcend the limitations of traditional convenience store theory, which posits that convenience stores are primarily concentrated in core urban areas and developed regions. We also expand the research on county-level retail, business ecosystems, and new quality productive forces in retail. In this way, we provide retail business models and a path for counties to accelerate the development of the distribution industry, promote labor employment, and drive regional economic growth.

Key words: virtual business theory, community group buying, business ecosystem, retailer