F5 Future Store

About F5 Future Store

F5 Future Store, operated by Foshan Chuangshanghui Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd., is a notable entrant in the automated retail sector. The company was established in 2014, with its first robotic convenience store opening in October of the same year, marking a significant step in its operational history.

The venture is spearheaded by Founder and CEO Xu Haicheng, who brings thirteen years of experience from supply chain and hardware startups. This background is foundational to the company's hardware-centric business model. He is joined by co-founder Lin Xiaolong, who serves as the head of software and previously spent four years at WeChat's Guangzhou R&D division, contributing a strong software and user interface expertise to the firm's technological backbone.

F5 Future Store operates 24-hour unmanned convenience stores that leverage machine automation and proprietary algorithms to manage all in-store functions. This includes the cooking and dispensing of fresh food items, brewing of beverages, product retrieval, payment processing, inventory management, and even cleaning. The business functions through a combination of company-owned stores and a franchise model, targeting high-density locations such as university campuses, factories, and central business districts. Revenue is generated directly from the sale of goods within these automated retail points.

The company's core offering is its fully automated store, typically occupying a 30-60 square meter footprint. These outlets are equipped with several specialized machines: one for dispensing fast-moving consumer goods like snacks and drinks, another for preparing hot food items such as noodles and fish balls, and a third for brewing a variety of beverages on demand. A key feature is the integration of robotic arms and an intelligent warehousing system to handle the entire process, from order to delivery, without human intervention. Customers can place orders via in-store self-service terminals or through a mobile application for subsequent pickup.