US fashion brand Guess has told customers it will close all its stores in mainland China by the end of March, reports the South China Morning Post. The move comes as analysts cite weak localization and strategy gaps.

In late February, Guess informed customers via text messages that it would close all its online and offline stores. As of Monday, all products from online flagship stores on e-commerce platform Tmall were removed from shelves.

In a notice on its official Tmall flagship stores, Guess said it would close its official online store and it had already removed all products from sale. The brand planned to reposition itself in the Chinese market under a new business model, according to the statement.

Haleon is ramping up its Chinese expansion, pushing into second- ‌and third-tier cities and tailoring its gum-health products to local tastes, reports Reuters. The move aims to succeed where many Western consumer brands have struggled.

While many international brands have reported weaker sales in China this past year, Haleon, helped by strong growth in Sensodyne toothpaste, is ​doubling down with a $87 million investment in a new oral-health ⁠plant in Shanghai. CEO Brian McNamara says the goal is to take its Parodontax brand ​into more than 30 cities by the end of 2027.

“For us, China’s an incredible market,” he told ​Reuters, citing mid-teens growth for Sensodyne and an £860 million gum-health market. “Over 70% of consumers in China suffer from gum health issues,” McNamara said. “We have a product to address it. There’s a clear consumer need.”

China’s services activity expanded at its fastest pace in 33 months in February, ‌underpinned by firmer demand including a pickup in overseas orders, reports Reutersciting a private-sector survey. The expansion came as rising costs also pushed output prices to their highest in 21 months.

The RatingDog China General Services PMI, compiled by S&P ​Global, rose to 56.7 in February from 52.3 in January, the strongest reading since ​May 2023. The 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction. The result contradicted an official survey released earlier in the day that showed non-manufacturing activity contracted for a second month in February.

“External uncertainties and the current softness in employment may constrain the sustainability of this improvement to some extent. The Services PMI is expected to maintain its expansionary trend in the short term,” said ​Yao Yu, Founder at ​RatingDog.

Major carmakers in China have launched a new wave of price cuts and financing incentives immediately after the Spring Festival holiday, reports Caixin. Manufacturers aim to clear excess inventories as sales slow in the world’s largest auto market.

SAIC General Motors’ Buick brand said Thursday that it would lower prices on multiple models by RMB 5,000 ($724). The move followed an announcement Wednesday by SAIC Audi, which introduced limited-time purchase incentives worth RMB 30,000, cutting the starting price of one model to RMB 205,900. Earlier in the week, joint ventures GAC Toyota Motor and Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle lowered prices on new models, with one Dongfeng Nissan entry-level vehicle falling to RMB 65,900.

The burst of promotions highlights mounting pressure across the industry, where weakening demand and the expiration of government subsidies have left dealers saddled with unsold vehicles despite efforts to steady the market.

Baidu posted a 42% drop in profit for the fourth quarter of 2025, reports Caixin. The drop comes as its aggressive pivot toward AI is eating away at its core advertising business faster than it can generate new growth.

The Beijing-based search giant reported a 4.1% year-on-year decline in revenue to RMB 32.7 billion ($4.7 billion) for the fourth quarter of 2025, marking its second consecutive quarter of shrinking topline figures.

The results, says Caixin, underscore the double-edged nature of Baidu’s AI transition—while generative AI technologies are creating new opportunities in cloud computing and autonomous driving, they are simultaneously disrupting the traditional search advertising model, the company’s primary cash cow, without yet providing a sufficient financial buffer. For the full year 2025, revenue slid 3% to RMB 129.1 billion, while adjusted net profit tumbled 30% to RMB 18.9 billion.