Summary of the Conference Call on Chinese Liquor Industry - 2Q25 Results Industry Overview - **Industry**: Chinese Liquor - **Companies Covered**: Lao Jiao (Luzhou Lao Jiao Co. Ltd) and Gujing (Anhui Gujing Distillery Company Limited) Key Financial Results Lao Jiao - **Sales**: Decreased by 8% year-over-year (YoY) in 2Q25, which was in line with expectations [6] - **Net Profit**: Decreased by 11% YoY in 2Q25, also in line with expectations [6] - **Operating Profit Margin (OPM)**: Decreased by 3.3 percentage points (ppts) [6] - **Gross Profit Margin (GPM)**: Decreased by 4.7 ppts due to a higher business tax [6] - **Operating Expenses Ratio**: Decreased by 1.3 ppts [6] Gujing - **Sales**: Decreased by 14% YoY in 2Q25, which was below expectations [6] - **Net Profit**: Decreased by 12% YoY in 2Q25, also below expectations [6] - **Operating Profit Margin (OPM)**: Increased by 1.0 ppt [6] - **GPM**: Remained flat, with a decrease in operating expenses ratio by 1.0 ppt [6] Product and Sales Mix - **Midrange to High-End Liquor Sales**: Accounted for 92% of core sales, with a decrease of 1% YoY (volume increased by 13%, average selling price (ASP) decreased by 13%) [6] - **Low-End Liquor Sales**: Decreased by 17% YoY (volume decreased by 7%, ASP decreased by 11%) [6] - **Sales Channels**: - Traditional wholesale offline channel (94% of liquor sales) saw a decrease of 4% YoY, with a GPM of 87.4% [6] - New online channel experienced an increase of 28% YoY, with a GPM of 83.5% [6] Customer Advances and Cash Position - **Customer Advances**: Increased to RMB 3.5 billion in 2Q25 from RMB 2.3 billion in 2Q24 [6] - **Cash from Selling Products**: Decreased by 15% YoY in 2Q25 to RMB 9.5 billion [6] - **Net Cash Position**: Increased to RMB 34.3 billion in 2Q25 from RMB 31.4 billion in 1Q25 and RMB 25.1 billion in 2Q24 [6] Regional Performance - **Northern China**: Sales decreased by 27% YoY [6] - **Central China**: Sales increased by 4% YoY [6] - **Southern China**: Sales decreased by 6% YoY [6] Analyst Reactions - **Anhui Gujing Distillery Company Limited**: Unchanged outlook with a modest shortfall and a modest revision lower [8] - **Luzhou Lao Jiao Co. Ltd**: Outlook remains unchanged and largely in line with expectations [8] Additional Insights - **Product Mix in 1H25**: Mid-market to high-end Vintage increased by 2% YoY to RMB 11.0 billion; mass market Gujing series decreased by 4% YoY to RMB 1.2 billion; low-end segment including Huanghelou increased by 7% YoY to RMB 1.5 billion [6] - **Cash Position for Gujing**: Cash from selling products increased by 19% YoY in 2Q25 to RMB 7.0 billion [6] - **Net Cash for Gujing**: RMB 15.3 billion in 2Q25 compared to RMB 16.2 billion in 1Q25 and RMB 16.0 billion in 2Q24 [6] This summary encapsulates the key financial metrics, product performance, and regional insights for the Chinese liquor industry, specifically focusing on Lao Jiao and Gujing for the second quarter of 2025.