China Consumer Staples_ Pet Food_ China Corporate Day_ Product upgrade resonating for encouraging Double 11

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - Industry: China Consumer Staples, specifically focusing on the Pet Food sector - Companies Discussed: Gambol, China Pet Foods, Petpal Core Insights 1. Sales Performance During Double 11: - Gambol's Fragate and China Pet Foods' Toptrees exceeded expectations with Toptrees achieving triple-digit year-over-year growth. Wanpy and Zeal are projected to grow by 35% and 50% year-over-year in Q4, respectively, compared to 20% and 40-50% in Q3 [2][2][2]. - Total sales across platforms reached RMB 670 million, marking a 65% year-over-year increase, surpassing the expected 32% growth for Q4 [2][2][2]. 2. Product Mix and Pricing Strategy: - Gambol is seeing a favorable product mix with mid-to-high-end brands like Toptrees and Meatyway showing strong sales growth. The company is maintaining disciplined discounting strategies [2][2][2]. - China Pet Foods aims to enhance its gross profit margin (GPM) from 37% in 1H24 to 40-45% through a higher direct-to-consumer (DTC) mix and staple food contributions [2][2][2]. 3. Market Share and Growth Targets: - Gambol has already met its annual profit targets by Q3 2024 but is still working towards its sales target, with a projected sales growth of at least 22% for Q4 [22][22]. - China Pet Foods expects domestic sales to reach approximately RMB 1.4 billion in 2024, with Wanpy projected to achieve over 35% growth in Q4 [28][28]. 4. Tariff Impact and Supply Chain Resilience: - Companies expressed confidence in their ability to pass through costs to clients during tariff hikes, with major clients showing resilience to price increases [2][2][2]. - China Pet Foods is expanding its production capacity in Canada and the U.S. to support supply chain relocation, with new factories expected to commence operations by late 2025 and early 2026 [2][2][2]. 5. Profitability and Expense Management: - Gambol anticipates stable selling expenses ratios in the near term, focusing on market share growth without significant volatility [22][22]. - China Pet Foods plans to invest 30-35% of sales in selling expenses, up from 27% previously, to support growth while targeting a GPM of over 40% [28][28]. Additional Insights - Brand Performance: Myfoodie and Fregate brands are performing exceptionally well, with Fregate accounting for 30% of shopping festival sales, up from 18% the previous year [2][2][2]. - Long-term Industry Trends: The pet food industry is experiencing consolidation, with fewer new entrants expected in 2024 [27][27]. - Future Product Launches: Gambol plans to launch new products in 1Q25, including baked food for the Health Guard brand, aimed at a more value-for-money positioning [41][41]. Conclusion The conference call highlighted strong sales performance during the Double 11 shopping festival, a focus on product mix and pricing strategies, and confidence in achieving growth targets despite potential tariff impacts. Companies are strategically investing in their brands and expanding production capabilities to enhance profitability and market share in the competitive pet food industry.