Zhongxin Wanghai, March 3 (Gao Zhimiao) "I saw some news on the Internet, so I wanted to come to the store to exchange it, but I didn't expect it to be closed. ”
On the 22nd, Mr. Peng, a Shanghai citizen, came to Christine's Sweet Lovers Jinshajiang Road flagship store located at No. 33 Jinshajiang Road to exchange goods, and finally ended the trip with "registration information".
Date, name, contact number, amount of the claim, Mr. Peng left the above information on a registration form called "Christine Other Employees/Consumers/Appeal Registration Form". "I don't know if I will be contacted, wait and see." He said.
The reporter saw at the scene that the registration form began to be registered on February 2, and hundreds of pieces of information had been registered in less than a month. On the 28nd, in front of Mr. Peng, 22 consumers had registered, involving consumption cards ranging from 6 yuan (RMB, the same below) and 200 yuan. It was learned at the scene that all stores in Shanghai are currently closed.
It is understood that Christine was established in Shanghai in 1993 and went public in Hong Kong in 2012, known as the "first stock of baking". From "Baking First Stock" to "Closed", what has Christine experienced?
On March 3, Christine issued an announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange saying that due to the impact of the epidemic, sales decreased, the company's cash flow was tight and it encountered operating difficulties, and there were delays in paying store rent, supplier payments, and employee salaries, and as of February 10, the amount owed was about 2 million yuan. Due to the arrears in payment, several suppliers have commenced legal proceedings to freeze Christine's bank account in the amount of between RMB28.5700 million and RMB350 million, and the company currently relies on shareholder loans to maintain operations.
Christine headquarters sweet lover Jinshajiang Road flagship store scene. Photo by Gao Zhimiao
In response to Christine's arrears, the on-site security guard said: "There is also a lot of false news on the Internet, and it is normal for the company to lose money. ”
In fact, this isn't Christine's first trouble. According to media reports, in July 2022, Christine was exposed to close chain stores, and then some stores reopened in August, but at the end of 7, Christine closed all stores again. Previously, many netizens have said on social platforms that prepaid cards cannot be consumed due to the closure of chain stores.
Industry insiders analyzed that Christine has come to this point today because China's baking industry has undergone 30 years of development, and the entire industrial structure does not match the new generation of "early adopters" and "check-in" consumer thinking and behavior in terms of innovation and upgrading, iteration ability, speed and quality.
According to Christine's official website announcement on March 3, the Company will hold a board meeting on Friday, March 17, 2023 to consider, among other things, the announcement and publication of the annual results of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ended December 3, 31, and to consider the payment of final dividends, if any. (End)