(Yicai Global) June 15 -- Hypermarket chain Carrefour China Holdings will open its first in-house catering outlet tomorrow, as new owner retailing giant Suning launches the Mr. Fu restaurant chain in Shanghai, with plans to open 99 more nationwide this year.

A second restaurant in Chongqing, southwestern Sichuan province will open soon, Li Yijiang, director of the Suning Carrefour catering project, told Yicai Global.

The Mr. Fu chain will be run in-house, and will not be outsourced to a third-party company, to ensure good quality management and operations, said Li. "With over 2,000 products in a self-run goods pool, Mr. Fu will introduce at least 30 new products each month," he added.

The 'hypermarket + catering’ business model has become increasingly popular in China in recent years, as exemplified by the Tencent Holdings-backed Super Species stores. They have been shown to improve the gross margin of brick-and-mortar retailers by drawing in more customers.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor