Long press the QR code or click "Read Original" to register. 30+ industry experts, 100+ B2B platform founders, 800+ manufacturer and distributor friends, gathering in Fuzhou to discuss the internet transformation path of the FMCG industry. JDB claims factories are running at full capacity yet still cannot meet demand. During the peak sales season for herbal tea around the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, a report citing former employees pushed JDB into the spotlight. On September 14, Beijing Time, citing former JDB employees, reported that production lines at JDB Group's factories in Fujian, Zhejiang, Beijing, and other locations had successively halted. The Fujian factory's output had dropped by half, with severe inventory buildup. Of the group's only ten or so senior managers, nearly half had resigned, and former Executive President Yang Aixing had resigned at the end of 2015, while Party Secretary Pang Zhenguo was rumored to be leaving soon. The report also cited external information that at the end of last year, JDB Group's departmental layoff ratio reached as high as 40%, and in the first half of this year, around 1,200 grassroots employees were laid off. The report quoted an employee from JDB's Hangzhou concentrate plant as saying that management even urged employees to resign daily. JDB Group responded the same day, denying all the above information, calling it "deliberate rumor-mongering and defamation," and reserved the right to pursue legal liability. Regarding factory shutdowns, a JDB spokesperson told Interface News: "None of the mentioned factories have stopped production. Approaching the holidays, with all factories running at full capacity, JDB herbal tea is still in short supply in the market. The so-called output decline and factory shutdowns are pure nonsense. All senior executives are currently on duty, with none having resigned, including Executive President Yang Aixing mentioned in the report, who remains in his position. The claim that he resigned at the end of 2015 is false. All employee salaries are paid on time, benefits are normal, and promotions and salary increases are proceeding as usual." As for covert layoffs, JDB responded: "Any enterprise has normal personnel turnover; this is not a form of layoff." Additionally, JDB stated that production and operations with partners, including suppliers, remain normal and stable. However, The Paper, citing a JDB distributor, reported that since last year, his herbal tea business had begun to decline, with traditional channels dropping about 10% this year. The distributor believed that on one hand, traditional retail channels were impacted by e-commerce, and on the other hand, Wanglaoji had indeed diverted JDB's market share. JDB, however, cited the "2015 Annual Beverage Industry Overall Operation Report" released by the China National Food Industry Association, stating that JDB brand herbal tea ranked first in the Chinese herbal tea market with a 52.1% sales market share; in the entire canned herbal tea market, JDB brand herbal tea ranked first with a 70.6% sales market share. Regarding who is the true leader in the herbal tea market, JDB and Wanglaoji have always had differing opinions. A Wanglaoji spokesperson previously told Interface News that by FMCG standards, Wanglaoji's sales in 2015 reached 23 billion yuan, securing the top spot in the herbal tea market with a 55% market share by sales, with distribution rates of 90% in traditional channels across 31 provinces and cities nationwide. "In the first half of this year, we also maintained relatively good growth, especially in Guangdong, Henan, Jiangxi, and Southwest markets, achieving double-digit growth." Data from market research firm Euromonitor International shows that from 2012 to 2015, in China's ready-to-drink tea market (including herbal tea and other categories), JDB's market shares were 15.6%, 16.5%, 19.1%, and 22%, respectively, while Guangyao (Wanglaoji) had market shares of 3.9%, 7.3%, 9.3%, and 10.9%. According to this statistic, JDB currently still holds the upper hand, but its rival Wanglaoji is developing very rapidly. In marketing, JDB has always been considered stronger. Previously, JDB sponsored the popular variety show "The Voice of China" for four consecutive years, boosting its brand awareness. However, in April last year, an advertising campaign that used barbecue as a metaphor to mock the martyrdom of Qiu Shaoyun, insulting a hero, caused its reputation among consumers to plummet. After the so-called "factory shutdown" rumors spread, this incident was again brought up by netizens on Weibo. In terms of product innovation, Wanglaoji has responded more quickly to consumer trends. With the rise of health awareness, many consumers have reduced consumption of sugary drinks. Beverage giants like Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo are all trying healthier sweeteners or launching sugar-free new products. Wanglaoji is also trying to cater to consumer preferences—in June this year, it launched two new herbal tea products: sugar-free and low-sugar. "The market response to these two low-sugar and sugar-free new products has been very good, and the new packaging has received high praise," said a Wanglaoji spokesperson. Beyond market competition, the two herbal tea companies have been entangled in dozens of lawsuits for a long time. After three years of litigation, JDB has won only once. With the latest second-instance verdict in the dispute over false advertising claims like "7 out of 10 cans," JDB suffered its 22nd defeat. Consequently, JDB faces a total of approximately 4.6 billion yuan in claims, including cases involving trademark infringement, red-can packaging, name change, "seven consecutive championships," "fear of getting heaty," and the "ten cans seven" advertising slogan. New Food Era · New Distribution —— 2016 China "FMCG + Internet" Summit Forum —— This is a grand event focused on how FMCG industry channels will transform under the trend of Internet+ Agenda 09:00-09:30 Registration 09:30-09:35 Host opening 09:35-10:05 2016 China FMCG Industry Trend Analysis Report——Zhao Bo 10:05-10:25 FMCG Enterprise Transformation Strategy and Path——Liu Chunxiong 10:25-10:45 Opportunities and Challenges Brought by FMCG Channel Reform——Fieldwork365 CEO Liu Zhao 10:45-11:25 Alibaba Retail Link Full Empowerment——Alibaba Retail Link Guo Kunkun 11:25-12:00 Roundtable Forum——Brand Transformation: Improvement vs. Reconstruction? (Guests TBD) 12:00-13:30 Lunch 13:30-14:00 Distributor Transformation: City Distribution Trends——Weijie City Distribution CEO Wang Qi 14:00-14:30 Roundtable Forum——Why Should Distributors Transform into Logistics? 14:30-15:00 Detailed Explanation of Zhongshang Huimin's One Machine, Two Wings Strategy——Zhongshang Huimin Vice President Su Xiaoxin 15:00-15:30 Detailed Explanation of Zhanghe Cloud Factory Strategy——Zhanghe Tianxia Yang Lixiang (Content TBD) 15:30-16:00 Supply Chain Finance: The Lubricant for B2B Driving Traditional Business——51 Order CEO Chen Xian 16:00-16:30 2B Investment Principles and Approaches——ZhenFund Founder Xu Xiaoping (Guest TBD) 16:30-17:00 Small Retail, Big Opportunities: China's Retail Transformation and Upgrade——Yurun Group E-commerce GM Wang Jianfeng 17:00-17:30 Roundtable Forum——Who Is the King of FMCG B2B Models? (Guests TBD) 18:00-20:00 Dinner For manufacturers and distributors looking to transform, this is an event you cannot miss. Interested friends can long press the QR code below or click "Read Original" to register. Registration: Long press the QR code below or click "Read Original" ↓↓↓ Click "Read Original" [Register]