被围剿的卤味生意

Core Viewpoint - The "three giants" of the marinated food industry, namely Juewei Food, Zhou Hei Ya, and Huang Shang Huang, are collectively facing a decline in performance in 2024, marking a significant downturn in an industry that was once thriving [1][3][5]. Financial Performance - Juewei Food's revenue dropped to 6.257 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 13.84%, with net profit plummeting 34.04% to 227 million yuan, marking its first revenue decline since its IPO in 2017 [1][3]. - Zhou Hei Ya's revenue fell by 10.7% to 2.451 billion yuan, with net profit down 15.03% to 98.2 million yuan [3]. - Huang Shang Huang experienced a 9.44% decrease in revenue to 1.739 billion yuan, with net profit sharply declining by 42.86% to 40.33 million yuan, marking its fourth consecutive year of revenue decline [3][5]. Market Dynamics - The decline in performance is attributed to intensified market competition and changing consumer demand, with rising prices leading to consumer complaints about affordability [3][5]. - Juewei Food acknowledged that its performance was significantly impacted by fierce market competition, with continued revenue and profit declines in the first quarter of 2024 [3][5]. - Huang Shang Huang cited changes in consumer purchasing power and consumption scenarios as factors leading to reduced single-store revenue, alongside increased promotional costs and other operational challenges [5]. Store Count and Expansion - The total number of marinated food stores in China decreased by 23,000 over the past year, with the three major brands closing over 1,700 stores in the first half of 2024 alone [7]. - Juewei Food's store count dropped from 15,950 at the end of 2023 to 12,129 by mid-April 2024, a net decrease of 3,821 stores in 16 months [7]. Profit Margins - Despite the revenue and profit declines, the gross profit margins of the three giants improved in 2024, with Juewei Food's gross margin increasing by 6.1 percentage points to 33.96% [9]. - Huang Shang Huang's gross margin rose by 3.93 percentage points to 32.95%, while Zhou Hei Ya's gross margin reached 56.8%, up by 4.4 percentage points [9]. Internal Challenges - The marinated food industry faces significant internal challenges, including uncontrollable production costs due to reliance on volatile raw material prices, particularly poultry by-products [10][12]. - The soaring costs of raw materials, such as duck products, have severely compressed profit margins, with procurement costs remaining high despite some price reductions in the latter half of 2023 [12][14]. - The industry's growth model, heavily reliant on rapid store expansion, is now hindered by declining consumer demand and rising operational costs, forcing companies to shift focus from quantity to improving single-store performance [16]. External Competition - The marinated food industry is experiencing pressure from diversified consumption channels, with new retail formats like bulk snack stores and e-commerce platforms drawing customers away from traditional marinated food outlets [17][19]. - Changing consumer dietary habits and preferences, driven by economic pressures, have led to a decline in the appeal of traditional marinated products, which are often perceived as unhealthy [19][21]. - Supermarkets have increasingly focused on their own processed products, enhancing their competitiveness against traditional marinated food brands, which struggle to adapt to changing consumer tastes [21][23].