Chinanews client, Beijing, April 8th (Zuo Yukun) Haufley, Blue Tower, Sweet Star, Dandelion, Xin An, Mezfang, Sweet Fragrant...Perhaps you have seen it in your own city. These cake shops, but what you may not know is that they all have a common "predecessor"-Hollyland.

　　On the afternoon of April 7th, Hollyland, a well-known domestic cake brand, rushed into hot searches due to its involvement in the "Tibetan Adventure King" incident due to internet transmission.

That night, Hollyland responded to the relevant remarks as "made out of nothing, catching the wind, has been suspected of spreading rumors and slander, and the company has called the police."

　　Several related entries have rushed into the forefront of hot searches. In recent years, this quite national cake brand has changed its name in various stores and the story of the founder's separation has also attracted attention again.

A Hollyland store in Beijing.

Photo by Zuo Yukun

Stores are frequently renamed, upgrades or adventures?

　　In 1992, 25-year-old Luo Hong wanted to celebrate her first birthday after retirement, but she could not buy a cake that was satisfactory to her.

So he had the idea of ​​opening a cake shop, which was 29 years old.

　　Luo Hong later recalled that the first cake she designed and made by herself was to cut a round cake off a piece, then match it with delicate lace, and write "Dear mother, you have worked hard".

This cake looks quite ordinary now, but it was very fashionable and advanced at the time.

　　Luo Hong's cake shops have grown from small to large, from single stores to chain stores, from Lanzhou to the whole country. Relying on novel cake styles and the business model of front shop, back factory and on-site production, it has gradually grown into a well-known chain baking enterprise in China.

Its innovative half-cooked cheese, honey cake and other products are certainly no stranger to cake lovers.

Hollyland's classic product half-cooked cheese.

Image source: Hollyland WeChat public account

　　But unexpectedly, starting from July 2019, some cake shops that are not called Hollyland began to appear in large numbers of "semi-cooked cheese" and "honey cakes" in many places. The visual image and product design of these stores are also highly similar to Hollyland.

A lot of discussion has been drawn: Hollyland has been "being copied"?

　　In response to public doubts, Hollyland's chairman and president Luo Hong issued an open letter on August 22, 2019, explaining the reasons for the store's name change.

　　Luo Hong said that the founding team negotiated and reached the principle of "shrinking scale and adhering to standards" in 2018.

Selectively retain stores according to the actual situation of different markets, and at the same time cancel the internal franchise system of co-founders that has been implemented for 19 years. Each founder can independently establish new brands that are completely independent of Hollyland. These new brands are completely independent of them. Creation, independent investment and independent operation.

This is why you see some Hollyland stores changing their names.

　　Although Luo Hong emphasized that these brands are independent of Hollyland, these new brands still adopt the "thigh hug" approach in their publicity.

Take Jiangxi "Dandelion" as an example. It once stated on its WeChat account that "Dandelion is inherited from Hollyland, the product is unified, the price is unified, and stored-value cards can be used interchangeably."

　　Not only are businesses "broken", consumers are also unable to escape the "inertia" of Hollyland.

Chinanews.com randomly browsed several stores that have been renamed "Hovley" on Dianping. Almost all the popular reviews appeared like "Hollyland before" and other similar expressions.

　Behind the name change, the founding team "divided up in-fighting"

　　“In a business society, the separation of partners due to differences in profit distribution and business philosophy is very common, and Hollyland also belongs to this situation.” Han Liang, an analyst in the food and beverage industry, believes that for baking this kind of food with a heavy experience In other words, as long as the taste and quality of its products do not change, the "renaming" may not have a great impact on store operations.

　　Ms. Wang, who lives in Hebei, told Chinanews.com that she had “wondered” the Xin'an cake shop.

"The first time I went there, I still complained to my friends. How come the things they sell are exactly the same as Hollyland? It's just too copycat."

　　Ms. Wang said that the products of Xin'an Cake Shop were the same as Hollyland at first, but the difference gradually became bigger.

And in order to cater to the local consumption level, the price is much cheaper than Hollyland, and the price-performance ratio is higher.

"I often buy Xin'an red bean buns for breakfast. 5 yuan each is very full. I feel that Hollyland in first-tier cities will not sell it so cheaply."

　　"What consumers don't see is that behind the name change are changes in the company's operating team and management structure. Such changes may have potential impact on Hollyland and the new brands derived from Hollyland," said Han Liang.

　　Hollyland has today's market size, and the initial franchise model may be indispensable.

Soon after Luo Hong opened the first Hollyland in Lanzhou, the co-founders of Hollyland, namely his two brothers and a few friends, began to develop the rapid expansion model of Hollyland across the country.

Hollyland's first store in Shanghai.

Image source: Hollyland WeChat public account

　　It seems that the "co-founder internal franchise system" has indeed brought "good profits" to Hollyland, but it also paves the way for the status quo of self-reliance.

　　Unlike the “national chess game” of KFC and McDonald’s, Hollyland partners have great interests and autonomy in the areas they are responsible for. Hollyland stores located in different regions of China have also begun to have differentiated operations and regional differences. The "separation" of the co-founders.

　　While the partners are fighting on their own, the boss, who should have played an overall leadership role, is still "not doing his job properly"—aspiring to photography, not baking.

Although Luo Hong is the boss of Hollyland, he has a passion for art.

In 2010, Luo Hong built his own photography art gallery, and in 2016, Luo Hong photography art gallery opened in Beijing.

Data map: The audience visited the Luohong Photography Art Gallery.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

　　Tianyancha also showed that on July 26, 2019, when the renaming was aroused, Luo Hong stepped down as the legal representative of Beijing Hollyland Food Co., Ltd. and was replaced by Li Jinduo, but Luo Hong was still the actual controller of Hollyland, holding shares. The proportion reached 90.31%.

　Beautiful brand, can "happiness and happiness end"

　　In recent years, the boundaries of the baking industry have become increasingly blurred, and Hollyland has more and more competitors.

In addition to the impact of brands such as Dummi, Tous Les Jours, Paris Baguette, Original Wheat Hill, Bread Talk, and even new tea brands such as Hey Tea and Nai Xue's tea, they have launched bakery products, which will inevitably be diverted. user.

　　At about 5 pm on April 7, Chinanews.com came to a Hollyland store in Beijing.

There were two shop assistants at the cash register, and there was still a line of five or six people.

The clerk told Chinanews.com that business in the store has always been very good. During peak hours, the team can line up a few turns, and the freshly made bread is almost sold out every night before the store closes.

　　Different from people’s stereotypes that traditional bread brands are always simple and even "earth-flavored", Hollyland, which has been established in recent years, has taken the line of appearance, and joint names and new products have appeared frequently, from interior decoration to products and packaging. This one is so cruel, it is called "the design company delayed by the cake" by netizens.

The black swan "admires the whole world" wedding cake.

Image source: Black Swan Cake official Weibo

　　In 2010, Hollyland Group launched Black Swan, known as the most expensive luxury cake brand in the country. Small cakes that can be eaten in a few bites cost more than 100 yuan, and birthday cakes often sell in four digits.

This is nothing. Black Swan’s "Treasure of the Town Store" is a 9-layer wedding cake called "Admiration of the World". It is inlaid with 99 white swans and 999 daisies. The price is 199999 yuan.

　　In addition to the good-looking products, Hollyland's waiters are also well-known.

On social networking sites, Hollyland’s clerk’s appearance has always received unanimous praise, which has also caused many people to talk about “Hoollyland recruits clerk to look at their appearance”, “Holyland clerk’s monthly salary is super high” and so on.

Screenshot from the Internet.

　　"The monthly salary of interns is 4,000 yuan, and they will be increased after they become regulars. All meals are included and special dormitories are provided. We will look at the appearance during the first test. Our girls require a net height of 160cm or more." Xiao Xu told Chinanews.com that Hollyland's salary and promotion channels are still very competitive.

　　Are you optimistic about this sweet brand and come to a sweet ending?

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