Zhang Xuansong, the founder of Yonghui Supermarket, is an entrepreneur who has worked silently in the Chinese retail industry for more than 20 years. He started from a small community supermarket and gradually built Yonghui Supermarket into a leader in the domestic supermarket industry with his excellent business philosophy and unremitting efforts. However, there are unexpected events. With the downward pressure on the domestic economy, the sudden impact of the epidemic, and the long-term bear market in the A-share market, Yonghui Supermarket's stock price has been falling all the way, and the company's operations have fallen into trouble.
At the critical moment when the stock price hit the bottom, Zhang Xuansong faced a difficult choice. At this time, Ye Guofu, the self-made founder of Miniso, appeared in his field of vision. Ye Guofu, known for his keen business sense and bold investment strategy, saw the potential of Yonghui Supermarket in the retail industry and decided to help. After several rounds of negotiations, the two sides finally reached an agreement on the sale of part of the equity at an important shareholders' meeting. Ye Guofu paid about 6 billion yuan to acquire 30% of Yonghui Supermarket's equity and officially became the new chairman of Yonghui.
However, fate seemed to favor Ye Guofu. Just six days after the signing of the agreement, the A-share market experienced a long-awaited rebound, and Yonghui Supermarket's share price almost doubled in just one week. This sudden increase caused Ye Guofu's investment to increase in value rapidly, far exceeding his initial expectations. Even more amazingly, Ye Guofu had already received huge economic returns before paying all the money. This series of changes made industry insiders sigh that Ye Guofu's acquisition could be called "the favor of fate."
In just ten days, Ye Guofu bought 30% of the shares of Yonghui's founder for 6 billion yuan, surpassing Zhang Xuansong's decades of hard work. Now, with the dual advantages of MINISO and Yonghui Supermarket, Ye Guofu is gradually showing his ambition to become a new generation of physical retail tycoon.
Ye Guofu, founder and CEO of MINISO, is known for his innovative spirit and bold investment decisions in the retail sector. In September 2024, Ye Guofu completed the acquisition of 29.4% of Yonghui Superstores' equity for approximately RMB 6.3 billion, becoming its largest shareholder. This transaction not only attracted widespread attention and heated discussions in the industry, but was also regarded as an important milestone in the integration and development of traditional retail and emerging brands.
Yonghui Superstores was founded by Zhang Xuansong in 2001. After years of development, it has established more than 800 chain supermarkets across the country, covering 29 provinces. However, in recent years, facing fierce market competition and changes in consumption patterns, Yonghui Superstores has suffered losses for three consecutive years, with a total amount of about 8 billion yuan. To this end, Yonghui Superstores actively sought transformation and launched in-depth cooperation with the well-known retail brand Pang Donglai, trying to carry out comprehensive innovation through the "explosive reform" model in order to reverse the downward trend and achieve a reversal of performance.
After the acquisition, Ye Guofu publicly stated that he was full of confidence in the future of Yonghui Superstores, and was particularly optimistic about its transformation potential under the Pangdonglai model. He pointed out that the traditional retail industry is in a critical period of change, and only continuous innovation can keep it invincible in the fierce market competition. After adjustments, Yonghui Superstores is expected to stand out in the new retail field and become a new benchmark in the industry. In addition, Ye Guofu plans to make full use of MINISO's advantages in supply chain management and private brand development to assist Yonghui Superstores in developing more competitive private brand products and increase its market share and brand influence.
It is worth noting that although Ye Guofu became the largest shareholder of Yonghui Supermarket through this acquisition, the equity ratio of founder Zhang Xuansong has not changed. Yonghui Supermarket emphasized in its official announcement that Zhang Xuansong will continue to hold the original equity ratio and play an important role in corporate governance. The company stated that it will continue to promote corporate adjustments with the assistance of Pang Donglai and strive to achieve healthy and stable operating goals.
Ye Guofu's strategic investment not only injects new vitality and resources into Yonghui Superstores, but also brings new development opportunities to the entire retail industry. Under his leadership, Yonghui Superstores is expected to combine MINISO's innovative model with Yonghui's own market foundation to create a new development path and become a leader in China's physical retail industry in the new era.
In the future, as Ye Guofu further integrates the resources of MINISO and Yonghui Superstores, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in supply chain optimization, brand building, market expansion, etc., striving to occupy a more advantageous position in the fierce market competition. Industry insiders generally believe that Ye Guofu's success is not accidental, but the result of his deep understanding of market rules and accurate grasp of industry trends. With the powerful combination of these two retail giants, the future structure of China's retail market may usher in new changes and opportunities.
