JD.com Inc. plans to roll out fresh-food-focused supermarket chain 7Fresh, as it competes against rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Hema to grab a share of China's brick-and-mortar grocery market.

The Chinese e-commerce giant plans to launch two 7Fresh stores in Beijing before the end of this year, before gradually expanding the chain nationwide in 2018, The Economic Daily reported Nov. 4, citing JD Fresh president Xiaosong Wang at a press briefing.

The new grocer will have in-store dining areas while blending online and offline shopping experience. It will offer half-hour deliveries for consumers within a 5-kilometer radius, using JD.com's own logistics fleet.

Big data aggregated by JD.com will help the chain in merchandise selection and inventory management.