YONGHUI SUPERSTORES(SH:601933) Xin Lang Cai Jing·2026-01-26 15:09Core Insights - The retail industry in China is experiencing a stark contrast, with Yonghui Supermarket forecasting a loss of 2.14 billion yuan for the year, marking five consecutive years of losses exceeding 10 billion yuan, while regional giant Pang Donglai reports impressive revenue of 23.5 billion yuan [1][8] - Yonghui's aggressive transformation attempt, which cost 1.8 billion yuan and involved 315 stores, has been deemed a complete failure, despite initial sales growth of 324% in the first month [1][8] Group 1: Transformation Challenges - Yonghui's transformation strategy, which aimed to replicate Pang Donglai's model, faced fundamental issues due to a conflict in business models, leading to a logistics cost that is 30% higher than regional competitors [3][10] - The company's high employee costs, ranging from 9 million to 18 million yuan per store annually, contributed to a "scale inefficiency" trap, making the national network a burden during the transformation [3][10] - The aggressive strategy resulted in direct losses of 1.8 billion yuan, including 910 million yuan in asset write-offs and 300 million yuan in lost operating profits from store closures [3][10] Group 2: Supply Chain and Operational Issues - Yonghui's shift to a "bare price direct procurement" model, after eliminating supplier backend fees, led to a decline in gross margin to 20.52% and an increase in stockout rates [4][11] - The company's revenue for Q3 2025 was 42.434 billion yuan, a year-on-year decline of 22.21%, indicating a disparity between rising costs and falling revenues [4][11] - Compared to competitors like Bubu Gao and Jiajiayue, which adopted a more cautious approach, Yonghui's rapid transformation exacerbated supply chain disruptions [4][11] Group 3: Employee and Consumer Trust Issues - Yonghui's strategy of high salaries combined with strict performance evaluations resulted in high employee turnover and a decline in service quality, with customers reporting a lack of patience from staff [5][12] - The company's pricing strategy, which raised prices without improving quality, led to a loss of consumer trust, with the repurchase rate dropping below 30% after an initial spike [5][12] - The essence of retail being human-centric was overlooked by Yonghui, which failed to adopt Pang Donglai's employee satisfaction-driven customer service model [5][12] Group 4: Recommendations for Recovery - Yonghui needs to abandon a one-size-fits-all approach and implement regional adaptations, maintaining high-end stores in core cities while focusing on value for money in lower-tier markets [6][13] - The company should establish a "joint procurement alliance" based on regional needs, aiming to reduce fresh produce loss rates from the industry average of 3.5% to below 1.5% within three years [6][13] - Rebuilding consumer trust through profit-sharing models and transparent pricing strategies is essential, with a goal to increase the share of essential goods to over 50% [6][13] Conclusion - Yonghui's 2.1 billion yuan loss serves as a warning to the retail industry that transformation must align with the company's inherent capabilities rather than superficial imitation [7][14] - The future of retail lies not with quick imitators but with those who respect industry dynamics and focus on value creation [7][14]