Introduction:Haidilao recently appointed Zhang Junjie, founder of CHAGEE, as an independent non-executive director with an annual salary of 1.2 million yuan. This cross-industry collaboration has sparked widespread market discussion. What strategic signals does this high-profile personnel move reveal? From a tea beverage brand achieving annual sales of over 10 billion yuan to a hotpot giant testing the waters of handcrafted drinks, this article dissects the reasons behind the partnership, highlights in performance, and analyzes Haidilao’s long-term plans in the beverage market.
On August 27, 2024, Haidilao announced a key personnel move while releasing its interim results: Zhang Junjie, founder of CHAGEE, was appointed as an independent non-executive director for a three-year term,with an annual salary of 1.2 million yuan. The news instantly became a focal point in the industry, with netizens speculating whether it signals a joint venture by the two major brands into new markets. Some also noted that the two have already established a foundation of cooperation through the Shuhai supply chain.
Zhang Junjie (birth name: Zhang Jun), 29 years old, has led CHAGEE since its founding in 2017. With over 13 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, he has driven the brand to achievea 233% surge in store countin 2023, with annual sales surpassing10.8 billion yuan; in the first quarter of 2024, it further reached5.8 billion yuan, placing it in the top tier of tea beverage brands.
After the announcement of this appointment, online discussions heated up. Some consumers humorously suggested: “If the two merge, they should be called ‘CHAGEE Dredge Bottom’!” or expressed hopes for a joint “free meal” promotion; some observers also pointed out that CHAGEE’s past delivery services were actually handled by Shuhai Supply Chain, an affiliate of Haidilao, showing that the two have a long-standing history of cooperation.
Speaking of Shuhai Supply Chain, it was formerly the internal supply chain department of Haidilao,spun off to operate independently in 2007. Initially focused on serving Haidilao, it provided services such as centralized procurement, central kitchen processing, quality control, and logistics integration. In 2014, it officially opened to external clients, becoming a third-party supply chain solution provider with services covering ingredient procurement, warehouse management, financial support, menu R&D, and information systems,with transaction volume with Haidilao reaching 2.6 billion yuan in 2017, and by 2021 it had become Haidilao’s largest supplier.
In response to public speculation, Haidilao emphasized that the board is committed to diverse composition and hopes to include professionals from various fields to provide oversight and advice. Industry analysts pointed out that this move may be aimed at leveraging Zhang Junjie’s successful model in the ready-to-drink tea market to inject new thinking into Haidilao’s beverage line development.
In fact, Haidilao has been actively experimenting with product diversification in recent years. Since 2021, it has set up dedicated tea beverage areas in its outlets, transforming traditional hotpot bars into mini tea beverage stations, and launched products such as the “Triple Grapefruit Iced Drink”. Consumer feedback indicates that this item, with its sparkling water and low sugar ratio, is suitable for summer consumption, and its high visual appeal has made it popular for social sharing.
Currently, Haidilao’s mini-program categorizes beverages into bottled and freshly prepared types, with the freshly prepared section offering only four options including the “Triple Grapefruit Iced Drink”. This high-salary invitation for a rising leader in the tea beverage industry to join the board highlights Haidilao’s determination to deepen its presence in the beverage market. Whether more innovative products will be launched in the future is worth keeping an eye on.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
