Click the image for details Top News 1. Today, A-Share's First Liquor Distributor Huazhi Liquor Store Goes Public!▲▲▲** On January 29 (today), Wu Xiangdong and his Huazhi Liquor Store once again caused a stir in the industry: Huazhi Liquor Store officially rang the bell for its listing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. The liquor industry was also energized—Huazhi Liquor Store is the first liquor distribution company to list on the A-share market, giving more liquor companies planning IPOs and capital operations a glimmer of hope. Huazhi Liquor Store opened at 20.15 yuan on its first day, up 20.01% from the IPO price of 16.79 yuan, reflecting the capital market's confidence in its growth. Huazhi Liquor Store has undergone significant changes over the past few years. The listing reflects that the value of liquor distribution channels has been recognized by the capital market, which has positive implications for both the industry and the company's own development. It also serves as a model for distribution companies and makes companies and the industry pay more attention to distribution channel construction and their own brand building and development. 2. Sparkling Ice Upgrades Formula, Launches Sugar-Free Carbonated Beverage ▲▲▲ Beverage company Talking Rain has introduced a new formula for its brand Sparkling Ice, featuring natural colors and flavors, along with updated logo and packaging design. Over two years, the Sparkling Ice team conducted market research and sensory testing with more than 8,000 consumers, ultimately launching the latest carbonated beverage formula. The new formula is sugar-free, blending sparkling water, real fruit ingredients, vitamins, and antioxidants, and is available in 16 flavors. 3. Wugudao Instant Noodles Resume Production and Supply ▲▲▲ Kemen Noodle Industry stated that Wugudao instant noodles officially resumed production in December 2018. Prior to that, Wugudao's production experienced three waves of disruption: first, after COFCO planned to sell Wugudao and before Kemen Noodle Industry took over, there was a gap; second, after Kemen took over, there were negotiations with some previous sales channels, and loss-making channels were not immediately entered; third, in August 2018, the factory was relocated from Beijing to Xinxiang, Henan, and due to the relocation taking longer than expected, some supply shortages occurred, but normal supply resumed in December 2018. Thus, 2019 will be a critical year for Wugudao to turn losses into profits. 4. Shuanghui Development Plans to Absorb Shuanghui Group for 40.167 Billion Yuan, Market Value of 120 Billion Yuan Looms ▲▲▲ On January 28, Shuanghui Development resumed trading, with its stock price falling 1.47% to close at 24.14 yuan. Prior to this, Shuanghui Development had just announced its plan to absorb and merge its parent company, Shuanghui Group. That is, it initially plans to issue shares (worth 40.2 billion yuan) to Rotex, the sole shareholder of Shuanghui Group, to absorb and merge Shuanghui Group. This means that the asset restructuring of this meat processing company, known nationwide for its "Shuanghui" brand ham sausages, has officially landed, and the meat products industry is about to see a "giant" with a market value of 120 billion yuan. However, under the dual pressures of the industry cycle and African swine fever, whether Shuanghui Group's overall listing can save declining performance remains unknown. 5. Coca-Cola India Launches New Sparkling Beverage ▲▲▲ According to foreign media reports today, Coca-Cola India launched a new grape juice sparkling beverage called "Minute Maid Colour." It is bottled in 250ml and priced at 25 rupees (approximately 2.4 yuan). The new product is now available in Tamil Nadu, India. Coca-Cola stated that this new product is tailored for local Indians, and its launch is part of Coca-Cola's localization strategy in the Indian market. 6. Tencent Ally Better Life Acquires More Than 20 Supermarkets from HNA's Jiarunduo ▲▲▲ After reaching cooperation with giants like Tencent, regional retail giant Better Life has begun to accelerate its development. Better Life Group announced that it has reached a cooperation agreement with Hunan Jiarunduo Supermarket Co., Ltd. to acquire the operating rights and store assets of 22 Jiarunduo stores. These stores are mainly located in Changsha, Yiyang, Changde, Hengyang, and Chenzhou, and will become Better Life stores after reopening. It is understood that Jiarunduo Supermarket was established in 2000 and had main business revenue of 1.92 billion yuan in 2017. Jiarunduo has 22 stores, including 15 in Changsha, 2 in Changde, 2 in Yiyang, 2 in Chenzhou, and 1 in Hengyang, with a total store area of 187,100 square meters. Hunan Jiarunduo, along with Xi'an Minsheng, Baoji Jiameijia, and Shanghai Jiadeli, are all HNA-affiliated enterprises. 7. a2 Milk Powder Ad Again Crosses the Line ▲▲▲ The Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Administration recently announced that Gome Online published an ad for its self-operated product "a2 Milk Powder" on its website, using promotional content such as "Mother's breast milk is also all A2 protein" and "Mother-like affinity because of good protein," which violates the Advertising Law, and imposed a fine according to law. This is not the first time a2 milk powder products have been involved in violating the Advertising Law. On July 20, 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice on its official website that Zhichu Milk Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. used the image of Hu Ke's son for advertising, but at the time of the event and ad release, Hu Ke's son was under 10 years old. The Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Bureau Inspection Team made an administrative penalty, ordering the cessation of the illegal ad and imposing a fine of 100,000 yuan. Industry insiders say that before spending real money, it's better to study local Chinese laws carefully. 8. Baidu to Distribute 900 Million Yuan in Red Packets During Spring Festival Gala ▲▲▲ On January 27, according to media reports, Baidu announced that it would prepare a 900 million yuan prize pool to distribute red packets during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. On January 9, Baidu announced it would be the exclusive red packet interactive partner for the 2019 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. From January 28 to February 4, Baidu will distribute a total of 1.9 billion yuan in red packets. 9. Modern Farming's Stock Price Rises 38% Cumulatively, May Turn Profit in 2018 ▲▲▲ According to Gelonghui today, since January 16, Modern Farming's stock price has risen 38% cumulatively. In addition, since November last year, the cumulative holding ratio of Hong Kong Stock Connect funds has risen from 2.55% to 3.07%. In the first three quarters of last year, Modern Farming's net profit was -177 million yuan, a significant reduction in losses compared to -716 million yuan the previous year. Analysts believe that with the help of Mengniu, Modern Farming is expected to turn a profit for the full year of 2018. 10. Infinitus Admits Inadequate Investigation of Exaggerated and False Claims by Distributors ▲▲▲ On January 28, according to media reports, Infinitus (China) Co., Ltd. sent 10 special rectification measures to the media. The measures mention that it will suspend approval of specialty stores for three months, carry out special training on standardized operation of specialty stores by branch, and require all specialty stores to sign a "Commitment to Standardized Operation"; make great efforts to focus on investigating and punishing exaggerated and false publicity, and for violations such as promoting "health foods replacing medicines," once verified, a one-vote veto and severe punishment will be applied. Infinitus stated that it found the company's distributor management system was imperfect, main responsibilities were unclear, investigation of exaggerated and false publicity by distributors was inadequate, and consumer complaint handling methods were single. 11. Suning Logistics to Officially Participate in Yili Logistics Project ▲▲▲ According to Global Finance Network today, Yili Group and Suning.com finalized a sales target plan of 1 billion yuan in 2019 and 4 billion yuan in three years on the 25th of this month. It is reported that Suning Logistics Group will officially participate in Yili Group's logistics project as a third-party logistics provider. Currently, both parties have begun discussions before cooperation. In addition, Suning Finance will also engage in deep cooperation with Yili's industrial chain finance in financial technology output and industrial chain finance. 12. Zhang Jiawang Succeeds as Executive Director of China Shengmu ▲▲▲ According to a recent announcement by China Shengmu, effective January 25, Wang Yuehua resigned as executive director due to other work arrangements, and the company's new CEO, Zhang Jiawang, will take over this position. Data shows that Zhang Jiawang was appointed CEO of China Shengmu on January 16, 2019. Currently, Zhang Jiawang also serves as Vice President of Dabeinong and General Manager of the Strategy and Development Department. As of the announcement, Zhang Jiawang holds approximately 2.17% of China Shengmu's shares. Leisure Moment Thai Touching Ad: How Strong Can a Mother of a Heart Disease Child Be, How Fragile She Can Be New Distribution will hold the 2019 (5th) FMCG + Internet Conference during the Chengdu Spring Sugar and Wine Fair from March 16 to March 18. This conference will focus on the topic of "Breaking the Game" , with in-depth discussions with many brand owners, supply chain service providers, distributors, retailers, and others. Compared to previous conferences, this summit will be fully upgraded. In addition to original topics such as channel innovation, city distribution logistics, and distributor transformation , it will add multiple parallel forums on new marketing cases, IP + FMCG empowerment, community group buying, and innovative retail . Through three days of ten high-density, high-quality expert sharing and exchanges, we believe every brand owner and distributor can learn the latest business models, expert opinions, and practical methods, find new tools and methods to break the game in 2019, and return to the track of rapid growth. -END-