Haitong Securities International·2025-10-09 14:48Core Insights - The retail demand during the Golden Week in 2025 exceeded expectations, with Chow Tai Fook, Lao Feng Xiang, and China Gold showing steady growth, while CHJ led with approximately 30% year-on-year growth, attributed to its innovative designs and marketing strategies [3][9] - The fixed-price product strategy is increasingly adopted across brands to enhance profitability amidst fluctuating gold prices, with CHJ having around 60-70% of its products at fixed prices, while Chow Tai Fook is gradually increasing its fixed-price offerings to 30-40% [4][10] - The industry is expected to see structural divergence, with CHJ focusing on expansion and market penetration, while Chow Tai Fook aims for profitability recovery and structural optimization [5][12] Group 1: Sales Performance - The sales performance during the Golden Week was particularly strong in economically developed regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, leading to an overall positive year-on-year growth in sales [3][9] - The average transaction value increased, which was a significant driver of the overall sales growth, while the volume of sales remained stable [3][9] Group 2: Brand Strategies - The adoption of fixed-price products is a key strategy to balance gross margin pressures, with varying acceptance levels among traditional weight-based customers [4][10] - Chow Tai Fook is transitioning from a weight-based product focus to a profit-driven approach, planning to close around 10 low-efficiency stores while enhancing its fixed-price product portfolio [4][10] - CHJ plans to continue its expansion with an expected addition of 10-20 new stores, targeting shopping centers and younger consumers [4][10] Group 3: Store Performance and Inventory Management - Lao Feng Xiang leads in single-store sales with approximately RMB 18 million, while Chow Tai Fook's stores average above RMB 15 million, with plans to close underperforming stores [5][11] - CHJ employs a refined inventory management system that enhances inventory turnover efficiency, while Chow Tai Fook uses a consignment model, giving it greater control over inventory [5][11] Group 4: Future Outlook - The sales fluctuations in the first three quarters of 2025 were approximately +10% / -5% / +15%, with expectations for traditional brands to maintain stable to slightly higher sales in Q4 [5][12] - The competition in the industry is anticipated to increasingly focus on product innovation, brand rejuvenation, and improving channel efficiency as brands adapt to changing market dynamics [5][12]