Multi-Pronged Measures Drive Cost Cutting and Efficiency Gains
发布时间:2026-08-18 来源:华泰证券
Hongqi Chain has released 1H26 results:revenue of RMB4.68bn(-2.8%YoY),an attributable net profit of RMB270mn(-4.6%YoY),and arecurring net profit of RMB280mn(+5.5%YoY),which was in line with its earlier profit alert(recurring net profit+4.8-8.2%YoY).For 2Q26,revenue was RMB2.22bn(-4.6%YoY)and the attributable net profit RMB130mn(+1.0%YoY).The company demonstrated operational resilience amid intensifying competition by expanding unmanned-store formats,enriching its differentiated product mix,and deepening omni-channel integration.Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Multiple initiatives support store-level productivity
For 1H26,revenue declined 2.8%YoY,primarily due to subdued and fragmented end-market demand and intensifying competition.Tail-store optimization and more refined operations partially offset these headwinds.According to Meritco data,the company operated~3,800 stores as of end-June,with net closures of~200 stores in 1H26,reflecting store-network optimization.The company is prioritizing its“cloud-attended”smart-store rollout,with the store count surpassing 1,000 by end-June.Nighttime customer traffic rose to 3%of total traffic,extending service hours and supporting store-level productivity.Pre-sale models and online business expansion are also cultivating new growth drivers.
Recurring net margin up YoY
Gross margin was 29.6%in 1H26,down 0.2pp YoY,remaining broadly stable.The selling/administrative/finance expense ratios were 21.0/1.6/0.2%,shifting-1.8/+0.4/-0.2pp YoY,owing to cuts to non-essential spending.In addition,the company's associate,XW Bank,fared well during the reporting period,contributing investment income of RMB80mn.The combined effect lifted 1H26 recurring net margin to 5.9%,up 0.5pp YoY.
Advancing differentiation to improve supply chain efficiency
The company is enhancing operational quality across multiple fronts.1)Product:building adifferentiated product matrix.In 1H26,“Hongqi Select”added 30 new SKUs,and co-branded SKUs exceeded 80.The company also scaled up its pre-sale model,adding nearly 50 specialty products,which reduced inventory and wastage.2)Channel:deepening partnerships with platforms such as Douyin to drive online-offline integration.3)Services:building on its existing 80-plus convenience services,the company added diversified lifestyle services including housekeeping,cleaning,and maternal-infant care,while exploring emerging areas such as insurance and pet services to raise customer stickiness.4)Supply chain:the South Sichuan regional distribution center commenced operations,enhancing regional market coverage,improving logistics efficiency,and lowering costs.
Earnings forecasts and valuation
Given lingering uncertainty in downstream consumption recovery,we expect the pace of revenue recovery to moderate.We trim our 2026/2027/2028 attributable net profit forecasts to RMB477/507/524mn(previous:RMB488/514/532mn).Peers’median 2026E PE is 24x(previous:32x)on iFinD consensus.Factoring in uncertainty over the effectiveness of the company's operational overhaul,we assign a2026E target PE of 15x(previous:17x)and lower our target price to RMB5.26(previous:RMB6.12).Maintain OVERWEIGHT.
Risks:slower end-market consumption recovery than we expect,intensifying competition,and slower new business ramp-up than we expect.