HEYTEA denies listing; Amiro receives investment from Tencent; Pot Zaihuang receives tens of millions of financing ｜ Consumer Research Institute Weekly Report
HEYTEA denies listing in Hong Kong next year
On August 3, HEYTEA was rumored to be listed in Hong Kong in 2022, with a target valuation of 150 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 124.782 billion yuan), double the valuation after the latest round of strategic financing. In this regard, HEYTEA said that the news is not true and there are no listing plans at present.
Chayan Yuese invests in Changsha local tea brand Guoya
On July 30, Chayan Yuese invested in Changsha’s local tea brand Guoya. Guoya was established in Changsha in 2013, focusing on fruit tea products. The price of Guoya is between 20-30 yuan, which is higher than the price of Chayan Yuese 15-20 yuan, forming a differentiation.
Xiabu Xiabu expects to close 200 stores throughout the year
On July 30, Xiabu Xiabu released an announcement showing that as of June 30 this year, the revenue of the same period is expected to increase by 59% compared with last year’s 1.92 billion yuan; the loss of the same period is expected to narrow significantly compared with last year’s 255 million yuan, between 40 million yuan and 60 million yuan. The announcement shows that Xiabu Xiabu’s net loss narrowed significantly in the first half of 2021, but still failed to achieve profitability. The main reasons for the loss include the impairment loss of assets of about 120 million yuan. At the same time, the company expects to close about 200 loss-making stores of Xiabu Xiabu brand throughout the year.
China Resources Vanguard withdraws from Hainan
Recently, China Resources Vanguard’s famous stores in Haikou posted a closure announcement. Due to regional layout adjustments, the stores will be closed from August 1. This is also the only hypermarket store of China Resources Vanguard in Hainan. China Resources Vanguard said in the closing announcement that it will bring an upgraded shopping experience to consumers in Haikou in the future with high-end formats.
Li Ning Sports Center opened in Qingdao
On July 31, the Ado Li Ning Sports Center officially opened in Qingdao Sunac Ado Town. The center has a comprehensive venue of more than 700 square meters, which can provide competition venues that meet the requirements of international competition levels. In addition, the sports center is also equipped with a gym and a yoga studio. In the follow-up operation, the sports center will build itself into a high-standard national fitness, event hosting, sports and entertainment, sports training and other community sports centers with Li Ning’s resource advantages.
Nayuki responds to food hygiene issues
On August 2, the media reported that Nayuki’s Beijing Xidan Joy City store and Chang’an shopping mall store had problems such as "cockroaches on the ground", "black mangoes", and "wrong production labels." On the morning of August 3, Nayuki’s official Weibo responded: The company’s management attaches great importance to it, and immediately established a special project working group to carry out a thorough investigation and rectification of the stores involved overnight. The two stores involved will suspend business today, and the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau will be invited to visit the store for inspection, and the inspection results will be announced as soon as possible. On the evening of August 3, Nayuki released Weibo saying that after on-site inspections by government regulatory departments in many places, the random inspection results of 186 stores inspected by Nayuki nationwide were in compliance. On August 4, Nayuki announced that the directors believe that the coverage of the matter will not have any material adverse impact on the operation and financial condition of the group.
Fitness Mirror Fiture will open up the European and American markets
On August 3, according to the South China Morning Post, Chinese fitness mirror brand Fiture plans to expand into the European and American markets, and will compete with Peloton, lululemon’s Mirror, and Germany’s VAHA in the global market. Fiture was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Chengdu. In the past two years, Fiture has accumulated $400 million in financing from investors including Tencent, Sequoia Capital and private investment firm C Ventures.
Lawson will open a new type of store in China
On August 2, according to the Nikkei Chinese website, a new type of Internet of Things store created by Japan’s Lawson and Panasonic will open in China. After consumers place an order and pay through a mobile app, the clerk will prepare the goods and put them in an insulated locker for safekeeping. Lawson plans to trial the new store in Dalian, and if it works well, it will be rolled out to other regions.
Yonghui enters the simple dish track
On August 3, Yonghui launched its own brand "Hui Ma Daojia" to enter the simple dish track. The first batch of more than 10 products was launched in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. The products are quick-frozen and cooked products, which only need to be heated on high heat for 2 minutes in microwave or 8 minutes in hot water. "Hui Ma Daojia" is based on the concept of "on time meal, delicious instant enjoyment", combined with regional dietary preferences and business characteristics, through customized Product Research & Development, intelligent cold chain warehouse distribution, personalized user service and other links, to achieve full-link control of products, to create high-quality and cost-effective Kuaishou main dishes.
Pepsi sells Tropicana and other juice brands
On August 3, PepsiCo announced that it would sell Tropicana, Naked and other juice brands to French Private Equity firm PAI Partners for about $3.30 billion. The deal is expected to close in late 2021 or early 2022. According to the transaction announced so far, the above-mentioned changes in PepsiCo’s juice business do not involve the Chinese market. Tingyi in the Chinese market still owns the distribution and production rights of non-carbonated beverage businesses such as Tropicana.
Magnum responds to whether to replace milk fat with non-dairy fat
On July 30, some netizens questioned that Magnum has a double-standard behavior. The materials used at home and abroad are different. The domestic version replaces milk fat with plant fat, thereby reducing costs. On the evening of August 1, Magnum’s official Weibo posted a response to this matter, saying that the product meets the national standard and responds to sustainable development, and then deleted the response. On August 3, the phone answering staff of Magnum’s official website responded that the Weibo matter is not clear. The crisp layer of ice cream is pure chocolate. As for whether other parts are plant fat, you need to give feedback to the factory and wait for a reply, but it does use coconut oil.
Uniqlo has announced that its first global flagship store in Beijing will open in November
On August 5, Uniqlo announced that its first global flagship store in Beijing will open in November this year. It is located in Sanlitun, a well-known fashion landmark in Beijing, spanning three floors and covering an operating area of more than 2,000 square meters. It is understood that this is the third global flagship store opened by Uniqlo in China after eight years. The first two are located in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Luckin Coffee achieves overall profitability
On August 5, it was reported that "Luckin Coffee" started to achieve overall profitability in May this year, which means that Luckin Coffee has completed this year’s annual target ahead of schedule. (2021 annual target: by November, more than 60% of self-operated stores will achieve store-level profitability, and plans to achieve overall profitability throughout 2021.) The official does not comment on profit-related information, subject to the financial report.
Forever 21 returns to China
On August 4, Forever 21 announced its return to the Chinese market on Weibo. The brand headquarters officially authorized Lasonic Limited and its subsidiary Xusheng Electric Appliance (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. to be fully responsible for the operation of Forever 21 in China. At present, the brand has settled in Vipshop and Pinduoduo, and Tmall flagship stores and large brick and mortar stores in major cities across the country are also being prepared.
The cutting-edge tea brand "One Mind in Vegetables and Trees" launched its first product
On July 29th, the cutting-edge tea brand "Yinian Grass and Wood" launched its first product – the "Shenyou Eight Extremes" limited tea gift box. In 2021, Yinian Grass and Wood was established in Beijing, with the "Yinian Tea Search" WeChat service account as the main position, providing users with a wealth of tea tasting, tea playing and tea learning content.
"Suze" officially announces ambassador Lee Lo Xiu and launches new products
On July 30, the personal care home appliance brand "Suji" officially announced the beauty ambassador Li Luxiu, and at the same time launched the new product of the Suji Qixi Festival – men’s razor. Suji was founded in 2015 and is a Xiaomi ecological chain brand. Suji first entered the market from electric toothbrushes, and then expanded its products to electric razors, hair dryers and other sub-categories, covering bathrooms and focusing on head care scenes, and gradually completed the category layout of personal care home appliances.
Plant Label Launches New Plant Milk Series
On July 30, plant-based nutrition brand Plantag plant label launched a new plant milk series. The new series has three flavors: black sesame seeds, oats, and pistachios. The brand emphasizes that the products in this series are all 0 sucrose, 0 lactose, and 0 cholesterol, and are all made of pure plants and do not contain milk ingredients. At present, this series of products has been put on the shelves of the brand Tmall flagship store.
Luckin Coffee × Zero Launches "Planting Package"
On August 2, Luckin Coffee launched the "Plant Package" in conjunction with Monday Zero, which has now been registered in Luckin stores across the country. The package includes two new products: egg-flavored plant ham sandwich and lime plant ham bagel.
"Fenty Beauty" will launch perfume products
On July 29, Fenty Beauty, a beauty brand founded by Rihanna, announced on its Instagram account that its first fragrance product, Fenty Eau De Parfum, will be officially launched on August 10.
Baby food brand "Deer Blue Blue" launched children’s soy sauce
On August 2, baby food brand "Deer Blue Blue" launched a children’s soy sauce. Founded in Anhui in 2020, Deer Blue Blue is an infant brand incubated internally by three squirrels. It takes children from 6 months to 14 years old as the consumer group and launches three product lines of "6 months + nutritional complementary food", "12 months + baby snacks", and "3 years + children’s snacks".
SK-II partners with JD.com to create an online virtual city
SK-II recently joined hands with "JD.com 2nd Floor Feature Z" to create an online virtual city "SK-II CITY" to bring consumers an immersive e-commerce shopping experience. In "SK-II CITY", in addition to pulling down to the second floor for shopping, you can also interact with JD.com Puppy JOY; in addition, users can watch SK-II’s animated videos in the virtual theater and explore behind-the-scenes stories in the "production backstage".
WonderLab Announces Yuxin Liu as Brand Spokesperson
On August 6, WonderLab, a cutting-edge nutritional meal replacement food brand, announced Liu Yuxin as its brand spokesperson on the official Weibo, and launched a limited "40 billion guardian gift box". In addition to probiotics, the gift box also has a spokesperson’s souvenir book, customized commemorative umbrella, badge and other peripherals.
Xiaohongshu "Don’t go to work on Mondays, eat, drink and play company pays the bill"
On August 2 this year, "Xiaohongshu Day" coincided with a Monday. Xiaohongshu planned an offline activity of "No work on Monday, eat, drink and play company pays the bill", allowing Xiaohongshu employees to go out and experience "life on Xiaohongshu" for a day with pay. Xiaohongshu arranges 250 + lifestyle choices in Xiaohongshu, such as Disney, indoor surfing, art exhibitions, massage, escape room, etc., which are loved by users, and encourages employees to choose according to their interests.
Luhan endorses Boucheron
On August 2, French fine jewelry brand Boucheron announced that Lu Han has become the brand spokesperson and will perform the "Seven Hearts" special short film on the occasion of the Qixi Festival. At the same time, the brand also launched the new Quatre Classique series and Quatre Radiant series pendant necklaces in the Chinese mainland.
MCM Announces Kid Wang Linkai as Brand Spokesperson
On August 3, MCM announced that singer and producer Wang Linkai has become the brand spokesperson, and released the MCM 2021 autumn and winter series and Qixi Festival Valentine’s Day special series advertising campaign shot by the ghost. The series of products have been sold simultaneously in MCM boutiques, official websites and Tmall official flagship stores.
Wanglaoji× ChinaMeteorological News Agency Launches Meteorological Popularization
On July 29, the herbal tea brand Wanglaoji officially announced the cooperation with the China Meteorological News Agency, saying that under the guidance of the China Meteorological Administration’s Publicity and Popularization Center, they will jointly carry out the 2021 "Solar Hero" high temperature care action, while guarding high temperature workers, open a series of interesting meteorological trivia science, bringing a touch of coolness and care to more people running under the hot sun.
Zhong Xuegao launches summer short film featuring virtual idol A Xi
On July 30, Zhong Xuegao, a Chinese ice cream brand, announced that the virtual idol Angie was the "special tasting officer of Zhong Xuegao", and launched a summer short film and a season-limited "apricot milk ice cream" flavored ice cream starring Ah Xi. Founded in 2018, Zhong Xuegao started from the ice cream with tile design, focusing on 0 additions and high-quality ice cream products.
Shanghai’s second K11 officially begins construction
On July 30, the groundbreaking ceremony of the second K11 in Shanghai was successfully held, which also indicates that the second K11 will not be far away. This is the re-entry of New World Group into Shanghai after the first K11 shopping and art center in the mainland entered Shanghai in 2013, and it also further improves the strategic layout of K11 in East China. Huang Shaomei, Director and CEO of New World China, said at the groundbreaking ceremony that New World China will uphold the concept of "City New Heritage" in the future and turn the Huaihai Middle Road plot project into a highly recognizable artistic and cultural landmark.
Ele.me: Many brands have joined the "New Service Partner Program"
On July 30, Ele.me announced that many brands such as Nayuki, Lele Tea, 7 Fen Sweet, Liufu Duck, and Jiujiuya have joined the "New Service Partner Program". Ele.me said that it will continue to increase investment and subsidies in the afternoon tea scene, continue to optimize the consumption experience of takeaway, self-pickup, and reservation, further realize the digital upgrade of joint member operations, and better promote new product promotion and cross-border cooperation on the platform.
Taobao and Tmall reduce merchant service fees
On July 28, Taobao Tmall announced that from 0:00 on August 1, the credit collection service fee for all Taobao and Tmall merchants on the platform will be reduced to 0.6% uniformly, and the debit collection service fee will continue to remain free. This means that when consumers use funds such as debit card Yu’e Bao to spend, the merchant’s service fee will continue to be free, and the cost will be borne by the Taobao Tmall platform. If consumers use funds such as Huabei and credit cards to spend, the merchant’s service fee will be cheaper.
Traceability codes will be attached to the three types of duty-free goods on Hainan outlying islands
From August 1st, three types of duty-free goods in Hainan outlying islands, such as fragrance, wine, and mobile phones, will be sold with traceability codes. At the end of December, traceability codes will be attached to all duty-free goods in outlying islands. The traceability code is the unique identification of duty-free goods, including "Hainan outlying islands duty-free goods traceability code", anti-counterfeiting QR code, Hainan duty-free exclusive logo, and "unpaid tariffs, no reselling" warning. The relevant person in charge said that the purchased duty-free goods in outlying islands are goods for personal use by consumers, and must not enter the domestic market for re-sale, and must not participate in illegal activities such as set (on behalf of) purchase and smuggling. After the implementation of the traceability code management of outlying islands duty-free goods, the regulatory authorities can easily identify the violators and
"Tmall Apparel" unveils new brand support system for the first time
On August 4, at the Tmall Apparel New Product Investment Fair, Tmall Apparel released the new brand support system of the platform for the first time, supporting the growth of new apparel brands from trend insights, reducing operating costs to financial services, supply chain security, logistics services, etc. At the same time, it launched the "Rhinoceros Attractive Force" project in conjunction with Ali’s new manufacturing No. 1 project Rhinoceros Intelligent Manufacturing, which is dedicated to opening up fabric research and development and fast counter-supply chain capabilities for new brands. At the same time, Tmall Apparel launched a large-scale investment promotion.
"Chaotianmen Wharf" announced that it has received nearly 100 million yuan in Pre-A roundsfinancing
On August 5, Chongqing Chaotianmen Catering Holding Group’s new consumer brand "Chaotianmen Wharf" announced that it has received nearly 100 million yuan in Pre-A round of financing. The investors are Gao Rong Capital, Panda Capital, Zhanze Investment, Red Dot China and Honghui Capital. This round of financing will be mainly used to strengthen Product Research & Development and data mid-platform building, and realize the further transformation and monetization of the Chaotianmen brand with the help of diversified online and offline marketing methods. At the same time, the company will officially start business extension to the upstream supply chain to provide consumers with better quality ingredients and more reasonable prices.
"Maverick Casey" completed a round of financing of nearly 100 million yuan
On August 3, the pre-cooking brand "Maverick Casey" completed a round of financing of nearly 100 million yuan. This round of financing was led by GF Shinde, followed by Fuzhou Yuguang, and Yuanzhi Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds will be mainly used for new product research and development, supply chain upgrade, brand marketing and other purposes. Maverick Casey was established in Quzhou in 2020. The main consumer group is positioned as young families. It provides consumers with steak, pizza, pasta, egg tarts and other western food ingredients. It is a pre-cooking brand with family steak as the core.
Hot pot catering brand "Senior Brother Zhou" completed 100 million yuan A round of financing
On August 2, "Senior Brother Zhou", the head brand of Chongqing hot pot, has completed 100 million yuan A round of financing, which is exclusively invested by Black Ant Capital. "Senior Brother Zhou" is the largest direct-operated hot pot brand in Chongqing, focusing on Chongqing spicy hot pot, double-flavor hot pot and signature big knife waist. As of July 2021, "Senior Brother Zhou" has set up 21 directly-operated stores in Chongqing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
"Pot King"Received tens of millions of financing
On August 6, it was reported that the rice fast food brand "Pot Zaihuang" (formerly known as: Zaihuang Pot) has recently completed a new round of 10 million-level financing. The investor is Tibet Yuankun, a subsidiary of Century Jinyuan Group. It is reported that this is another round of financing voluntarily added by the old shareholder Tibet Yuankun after the new round of financing at the beginning of the year. Pot Zaihuang was established in 2012 and officially renamed the brand "Zaihuang Pot" to "Pot Zaihuang" in 2021. At present, Pot Zaihuang has more than 50 directly-operated stores across the country and will open to join in the second half of 2020. The current number of franchise stores is about 20. Xue Guowei, founder of Pot Zaihuang, said that the next round of financing of Pot Zaihuang has also been launched, with a target scale of about 100 million
Tide play brand "ToyCity" nearly 100 million yuan A + round of financing
On August 3, the trendy play brand "ToyCity" completed a round of financing of nearly 100 million yuan. This round of financing was led by Ease Capital, followed by Fuji Capital, and Yiren Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor for this round. The financing funds will be used for IP incubation, brand promotion and exposure, team building, and ATS space construction.
"Amiro" receives strategic investment from Tencent
On July 30, Amiro, a pioneering technology beauty care brand, received strategic investment from Tencent. Amiro was established in Shenzhen in 2015 and entered the home beauty instrument track from the subdivision vertical with a small makeup mirror. During the Double Eleven period in 2020, AMIRO’s Tmall sales exceeded 54 million, reaching three times that of the same period in 2020. Makeup mirrors ranked first in the Double 11 category for three consecutive years, with cumulative sales exceeding 1 million units.
Beauty equipment brand mesmooth completed 50 million RMB A round of financing
On July 30, the beauty instrument brand mesmooth announced that it has received 50 million yuan A round of financing, which is exclusively invested by Nut Capital. This round of funds will be used for branding, supply chain integration and marketing promotion. Founded in 2019, mesmooth focuses on multi-functional beauty instrument products with "one machine multi-purpose" as the entry point.
"Le Fan" completes 10 million-level A-round financing
On July 30, Le Fan announced the completion of the 10 million A round of financing, led by Baidu and followed by Dingxiang Capital. This round of funds will be used for brand marketing, marketing activities and Product Research & Development. Founded in 2017, Le Fan was incubated in the massage equipment industry group Aojiahua, focusing on the development of portable and mobile smart health products. Currently, it has launched a series of products for young people’s office, home and travel scenarios.
Roleplay tabletop game brand "Reasoning Master" received $10 million in Pre-A round of financing
On July 30, the Roleplay tabletop game brand "Reasoning Master" completed a $10 million Pre-A round of financing. The investor is Plum Blossom Venture Capital, and Yuze Capital serves as a financial advisor. This round of financing will be used for the expansion of offline stores, the cultivation of upstream authors, and the incubation of hosts.
One-stop new female content social platform Walsea completes millions of yuan angel round financing
On August 2, the one-stop new female content social platform "Walsea" completed millions of yuan angel round financing, and the investor is Liebao. Li Yanni, founder of Walsea, said that this round of funds will be mainly used for team building and product content polishing, driving user growth through word-of-mouth and refined operations, and providing a more comfortable content social environment for female users.
Plant meat brand "in addition to meat" received tens of millions of angel round financing
On August 5, the plant meat brand "Except Meat" completed tens of millions of yuan in angel round financing. This round of financing was led by Huagai Capital and followed by Taiyu Ankang. The plant meat brand "Except Meat" was established in 2019 and has now launched B-end products such as plant meat dumplings and plant solid egg yolks.
"Jianlu Sugar Water Shop" completes a round of financing of nearly 10 million yuan
On August 4, the new Hong Kong-style sugar water brand "Jianlu Sugar Water Shop" completed a round of financing of nearly 10 million yuan. The investor is Fuda Capital. This round of funds will be mainly used for team building, product upgrading and supply chain construction, driving store user growth through word-of-mouth and refined operations, and providing consumers with more comfortable sugar water consumption space.
"Fabez" received nearly 10 million yuan in seed financing
On August 5, the pet nutrition fresh food brand "Fabez" announced that it has received nearly 10 million yuan in seed round financing, and the investor is Qingyu. This round of financing will be mainly used for marketing, advertising, core team building and new product research and development. Fabez was established in 2015, and its current products include cat and dog fresh food and snack cat strips. Among them, the formula of fresh food includes chicken pumpkin wolfberry, duck kelp prebiotics, deep sea fish series, etc. The product is characterized by pure fresh meat, rich in high protein, and no food inducers.
Baking brand "Hua Muzi" received a million yuan angel round + financing
On August 5, "Hua Muzi" announced that it had received millions of yuan in angel round + financing, which was led by Qiguang Capital and co-invested by Zhonglin Capital. This round of funds will be used for new product research and development, brand promotion and channel development. Hua Muzi was founded in January 2020, focusing on the fast-paced lazy breakfast scene of the younger generation, and launching Chinese-style innovative products for Western-style cakes. The product categories include meat floss toast, cheese Iwaki toast, egg yolk rose flower cake and mung bean cake.