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Lead
In 2023, the overall market size of the prefabricated food industry has reached more than 510 billion yuan, and the development situation is still very upward, which also makes more and more catering companies join in order to ensure that they can occupy a place in the market.
At the same time, the prefabricated food industry has also ushered in batches of listed companies, with a scale of 10 billion "big orders", and is very active in the stock market.
However, in such a thriving prefabricated food industry, there is a leading company called Wei Zhixiang, whose stock price has plummeted by 75%.
and has also closed hundreds of franchise stores one after another, and was even pushed to the brink of "critical survival" for a time.
The status quo of the prepared food industry.
In 2019, with the emergence of the new crown epidemic, consumers who were isolated at home could only rely on takeout to solve the problem of food and clothing, and most catering companies began to sell pre-made dishes in order to alleviate the crisis caused by the epidemic.
Consumers are getting into contact with the term pre-made dishes and are starting to like this convenient and quick way to eat.
Today, the development of the prefabricated food industry has become commonplace, even comparable to the traditional catering industry, with a market size of more than 510 billion yuan, and is still growing year by year.
In the first half of 2023, Weizhixiang, as the "leader" in the prefabricated food industry, also ushered in its best performance - a total operating income of 372 million, a year-on-year increase of 87.52%.
However, in the second half of the same year, Weizhixiang's performance declined rapidly, and its net profit fell by 44% year-on-year.
The number of franchise stores also showed negative growth, from 3,076 in 2021 to 127.
In fact, this decline of Weizhixiang is not an exception, in the first half of 2023, the prefabricated food industry will also usher in another giant - Qianwei Central Kitchen.
Qianwei Central Kitchen and Wei Zhixiang are both leaders in the prefabricated food industry.
However, unexpectedly, under the influence of the general environment, Qianwei Central Kitchen was able to maintain stability or even growth, with a total operating income of 376 million, a year-on-year increase of 0.93%.
Consumer attitudes.
In 2022, the scale of the prefabricated food market will reach 510 billion yuan, but consumers' attitudes towards prefabricated dishes are basically biased, roughly in the following aspects:
1. Food safety.
The biggest question consumers have about pre-made dishes is whether they are safe.
The pre-made dish itself is characterized by "semi-finished products", and there are many processes in the middle, and there are more parts that are unknown to consumers.
For example, what are the raw materials in the production process?
Are there additives?
Where consumers can't see it, the emphasis is on "you can't see it, I make it", which naturally makes consumers have many doubts.
Second, the price.
Pre-made dishes are generally slightly more expensive, and for many consumers, it may cost extra to get them delivered to their homes.
They thought it was too extravagant, and thought they would be even cheaper if they went to a restaurant and ordered a meal.
As a result, the cost-effectiveness of pre-made dishes is questioned.
This is also a major factor affecting the sales of pre-made dishes.
3. Taste.
Another characteristic of pre-made dishes is that they are "good-looking", and in order to ensure how good they look after heating them at home, they have spent a lot of effort on their appearance.
At first, I watched it to make people appetizing, but it didn't really taste good.
Consumers will think that this is a "trick" tactic.
There are also consumers who feel that the pre-made dishes are not tasty because they are not very good at heating, which leads to the wrong heating results.
Fourth, the approach is complex.
There is a saying in the pre-made food industry: "It only takes three steps to eat good food."
In fact, it is not a "three-step", but a "three-step process", if consumers do not know what "water-proof heating" is in the process, it is very likely to be directly put into the pot, resulting in trouble in the bottom of the pot paste pot.
Michika is "cold"?
As the epidemic slowly disappears and people return to normal life, the situation of the prefabricated food industry has also changed from "prosperous" during the epidemic to "as if it was suddenly pressed the pause button".
There are even many catering companies that claim that their "doors are about to close", and industry insiders bluntly say that it is because of the "cold" of Weizhixiang that the entire prefabricated food industry has been dragged down.
The performance of many online stores has been sluggish, and many online celebrity stores have even been forced to close.
In this case, the situation of Weizhixiang has become particularly concerned, and many consumers have also questioned it: "Is Weizhixiang's food delicious?"
Others describe the dishes as "delicious to look at, but not to eat." ”
The performance of leading enterprises fluctuates the most, which will directly affect the development of the entire industry, so many people think that the "coolness" of Weizhixiang will definitely affect the sales of other enterprises.
Some people even said: "If you don't eat other pre-made dishes of Weizhixiang, they will also be affected, but the sales of Shiduoduo will increase because Weizhixiang is cold."
In today's severe situation, many prefabricated food companies can only choose to save themselves and research products that are more favored by consumers.
Once upon a time, prefabricated dishes have always played a role as a "dragon boat hand" in the blue ocean of the vast market, and the outbreak of the epidemic has undoubtedly pressed the acceleration button far-fetched for the prefabricated food industry.
Now that the epidemic has ended, the "dragon boaters" in the prefabricated food industry have to face their own environment, and are soberly aware that they are "hitting the rocks", and only by taking the initiative can they forcibly return to the blue ocean.
The prepared food industry is now at a "critical existential" moment.
epilogue
The direction and choice of Weizhixiang will also become a reference and reference for other companies in the industry.
And with the pursuit of healthy eating, low-calorie pre-made dishes may become a trend.
The prepared food industry still needs to evolve to meet the changing needs of consumers, and it is no longer enough to look good and taste alone.
Only by continuously improving product quality and innovation ability can we be invincible in the market competition.