Guoquan Reports 22% Revenue Growth in 1H2026, Existing Franchised Stores Sales up 7.4%, Farm GMV Soars Over Sixfold

HONG KONG, August 20, 2026 - (ACN Newswire) - Recently, Guoquan Food (02517) announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. The Group recorded revenue of RMB3,947 million, representing an increase of 21.8% year-on-year. Gross profit was RMB849 million, up 18.3% year-on-year, and net profit was RMB213 million, up 12.1% year-on-year. Core operating profit (non-IFRS measure) amounted to RMB225 million, up 18.3% year-on-year, representing a core operating profit margin of 5.7%.

Existing Franchised Stores Sales up 7.4%; Large-Store Remodelling Reshapes Per-Store Value

When assessing the operational quality of a chain retail enterprise, sales of products to existing franchised stores are a more meaningful metric than new store opening numbers. As of 30 June, the Group had a total of 12,198 stores, representing a net increase of 1,798 stores. During the period, 365 stores were closed, with a store closure rate of below 3%. Revenue from existing franchised stores amounted to RMB2,581 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.4%. Excluding the impact of new store ramp-up, this indicates that the existing franchised store network still possesses organic growth momentum.

Behind the growth of existing franchised stores, large-store remodelling served as the primary driver. In the first half of the year, 684 stores completed the upgrade to the large-store model. This upgrade is not simply about expanding floor space, but rather about using larger physical space to accommodate a wider range of categories and extended operating hours – expanding consumption scenarios from hotpot and barbecue to cover all daily meal occasions, and upgrading stores from mere ingredient sales points into comprehensive community family dining entry points.

Penetration into lower-tier markets progressed simultaneously. The number of stores in township markets reached 3,377. By precisely targeting these markets with high-cost-performance bulk-sale items and large-pack family packs, the “one store per town” strategy taps into the vast hinterland of approximately 38,000 townships nationwide, with penetration potential far from being exhausted.

Farm Business Grows Over Sixfold, New Growth Engine Takes Shape

Online and membership data also recorded rapid growth. Registered members reached approximately 82 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 63.0%. Member consumption accounted for 73.2% of total sales, up 12 percentage points year-on-year, indicating that the revenue structure is increasingly concentrated among highly loyal customer groups. The Douyin channel saw significant growth: platform exposure exceeded 6.97 billion views, up 117.8% year-on-year; store GMV on Douyin reached RMB910 million, up 97.2%, initially forming a closed loop between online traffic and offline conversion.

Guoquan Farm was the fastest-growing business segment during the period. Its omni-channel paid GMV reached RMB240 million, up over 600% year-on-year, and it brought in over 1.92 million new members for the stores. This model does not set up an independent e-commerce platform; instead, it leverages the existing store network as front-end warehouses and pickup points, while online content seeding and traceability livestreams drive traffic, forming a closed loop of “direct sourcing – content seeding – online ordering – in-store pickup”, which theoretically reduces marginal costs. Among best-selling products, the Golden Pillow Durian Pulp attracted a total of 1.559 million buyers, with a repurchase rate of 22.06%, and also boosted sales of related categories such as durian mille-crêpe cakes, Beihai cooked salted duck eggs, and crispy ice cream. In August, the “Grassland Sheep Traceability” livestream achieved over 8.09 million total exposures within three hours, with a peak concurrent viewership of 173,000.

The Farm model completely removes the physical constraints of store floor space and freezer capacity from Guoquan’s category boundaries – the “infinite shelf” combined with a 10,000-store fulfilment network represents a critical leap forward in its transformation from a hotpot ingredient retailer to a full-category platform for home dining.

Institutionalised Return Mechanisms; Hong Kong Flagship Store Launched

The Board proposed the payment of an interim dividend of RMB0.0503 per ordinary share (tax inclusive), totalling approximately RMB128 million. During the period, the Group repurchased a total of 82,201,200 H shares on the Stock Exchange at an aggregate consideration of approximately HK$192 million. The dividend together with the share buybacks amounted to approximately RMB296 million, equivalent to 139.9% of the profit attributable to owners of the parent for the period (RMB211 million). The shareholder return ratio increased from 5.6% in 2024 and 2025 to 7.1%.

In addition to the amount, the Board also approved the 2026 H-Share Equity Incentive Plan, which adopts core operating profit as the performance indicator. The reference target values for the years 2026 to 2030 are set to gradually increase from no less than RMB600 million to no less than RMB1.2 billion. By anchoring the assessment to profit rather than revenue or store count, the plan helps guide management to focus on profitability, better aligning management’s interests with those of shareholders. The high dividend payout provides immediate returns, while the equity incentive focuses on long-term growth.

The Hong Kong flagship store opened on 18 August, serving as the first stop for the brand’s overseas expansion. Its positioning is not rapid replication, but rather validating the large-store model in high-tier cities and localised supply chain capabilities. According to publicly available data, the Greater Bay Area, with a population of 87 million and an economic aggregate of RMB15 trillion, coupled with the logistics efficiency of the “one-hour living circle”, provides ample room for subsequent regional deepening.

Integrated Manufacturing-Retail Closed Loop; Synergies Gradually Unfolding

Linking these strategies together is the “manufacturing-retail integration” capability that Guoquan has built over the years. On the front-end “retail” ecosystem – community stores, township stores, large stores, camping stores, stir-fry stores, flash delivery, and Farm – it reaches consumers, understands scenarios, and accumulates member data. On the back-end “manufacturing” ecosystem – seven ingredient production facilities covering core categories such as seasonings, beef, surimi, and aquatic products, with a “single product, single factory” strategy complemented by digitalised central warehouses – it converts front-end demand into scaled product supply. During the period, external sales from the industrial end increased by 20.7% year-on-year, reflecting the potential for the supply chain capability to be externally deployed. The Danzhou Industrial Park in Hainan was topped out, Heyi Meat’s Phase II commenced production, and the Daixiaji Zhangzhou factory was contracted, indicating that the production capacity landscape continues to expand.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, with the continued replication of the large-store model, the regular operation of the Farm traceability IP, and the gradual accumulation of operating data from the Hong Kong flagship store, Guoquan is expected to gain clearer market recognition of its positioning as a “home dining infrastructure platform”. From a 10,000-store scale to an ecosystem platform, Guoquan’s strategic transformation is entering a substantive realisation phase.