GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO; HKEX: 9896) ("MINISO", "MINISO Group" or the "Company"), a global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 ended December 31, 2022.

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

• Revenue was RMB2,494.4 million (US$361.7 million), representing a decrease of 10.0% year over year and 10.0% quarter over quarter.
• Gross profit was RMB997.1million (US$144.6 million), representing an increase of 15.6% year over year and 0.9% quarter over quarter.
• Gross margin was 40.0%, compared to 31.1% in the same period of 2021 and 35.7% in the previous quarter.
• Operating profit was RMB447.6 million (US$64.9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year, compared to RMB509.5 million in the previous quarter.
• Profit for the period was RMB359.8 million (US$52.2 million), representing an increase of 95.4% year over year, compared to RMB404.1 million in the previous quarter.
• Adjusted net profit⁽¹⁾ was RMB373.1 million (US$54.1 million), representing an increase of 82.1% year over year, compared to RMB417.4 million in the previous quarter.
• Adjusted net margin⁽¹⁾ was 15.0%, compared to 7.4% in the same period of 2021 and 15.1% in the previous quarter.

Operational Highlights for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

• Number of MINISO stores was 5,440 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 395 stores year over year and 144 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.
• Number of MINISO stores in China was 3,325 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 157 stores year over year and 56 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.
• Number of MINISO stores in overseas markets was 2,115 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 238 stores year over year and 88 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.
• Number of TOP TOY stores was 117 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 28 stores year over year and 8 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of MINISO and TOP TOY stores as well as their year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter changes as of the relevant dates:

Mr. Guofu Ye, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of MINISO, commented, "We capped off a remarkable 2022 calendar year with another quarter of solid operating and financial performance. In spite of the severe pandemic related disruption to our domestic operations, we remained focused on our long-term strategic goals: delivering on our globalization strategy, bolstering the strength of our product offerings and optimizing our store network. These efforts are yielding positive results, and we are pleased to report that our overseas operations moved further along the path of recovery, which accounted for 40% of the Company's revenue – the highest in the past three years, we believe our globalized operation will provide us with more space and flexibility of growth in the near future. Our margin profile continued to beat expectations, with adjusted net profit increasing by 82% year-on-year to RMB373 million in the December quarter, and adjusted net margin remained stable compared to the prior quarter and at its historical high at 15%."

"Last week, we successfully held MINISO's global brand upgrade conference. For the first time, I systematically laid out our roadmap to building a great Chinese consumer brand. We also introduced MINISO's Global Product Innovation Center and launched the "Chinese Culture Globalized Innovation Program" with the Xinhua News Agency. As we head into MINISO's next decade, we need to upgrade, integrate and empower our product platform by leveraging resources from our IP partners, design partners, and leading suppliers, and by strengthening our global sourcing abilities so that we can rapidly put MINISO products in front of our users in every part of the world." Mr. Ye continued.

Mr. Eason Jingjing Zhang, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of MINISO, commented, "Gross margin for the December quarter reached 40%, another record high for MINISO Group and increased by nearly 900 basis points from 31% in the same quarter of last year, thanks to our solid execution of MINISO's brand upgrade, our strong bargaining power and steady recovery of overseas markets."

"Looking back on the past three years, MINISO has demonstrated strong profitability under the repeated stress tests of the pandemic. Over the past 18 quarters in which we have publicly disclosed financials, MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 9%. Of these 18 quarters, 12 were in the pandemic, and MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 7.6%; for the remaining 6 quarters without pandemic effects, MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 10.7%. In 2023, we will continue to execute a disciplined financial policy in terms of budgeting, cost controls and allocation of capital as we focus on consistently delivering solid profits and healthy cash flow." Mr. Zhang concluded.

Recent Developments

Impact of COVID-19

The December quarter witnessed the most serious challenge to our China operations caused by the pandemic since its outbreak in 2020, with sales in offline MINISO stores decreased by 28% compared to the same period of 2021. Several major regional outbreaks led to tightened COVID- related health measures and lockdowns during this quarter. Based on the Company's estimation, total foot traffic to our offline MINISO stores decreased by 27%, 36% and 34% in each of October, November and December, while average spending per ticket size increased by 5%, 7% and 7%, which translates into declines of 23%, 32% and 30% in sales in the corresponding periods. The number of MINISO stores that were temporarily closed peaked at over 950 in late November.

This quarter's new wave of pandemic outbreak in China also caused disruptions to the operation of our logistics and transportation service providers, as a result, many ecommerce orders during the Double 11 online shopping festival were cancelled due to delayed product shipment.

After the turnaround of pandemic related policies in December and the resumption of normal daily life of consumers, offline sales bounced back to an encouraging level, with sales in January increased by around 40% year over year and sales in the 7-day Chinese New Year holiday season increase by around 25% compared to the same period of 2022. In addition, average sales per MINISO store in January increase by around 33% year over year and around 18% in the 7-day Chinese New Year holiday season compared to the same period of 2022.

Unaudited Financial Results for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

Revenue was RMB2,494.4 million (US$361.7 million), representing a decrease of 10.0% year over year, primarily driven by a 26.6% year-over-year decline of revenue from China, partially offset by a 37.5% year-over-year increase of revenue from overseas markets.

Revenue from China was RMB1,507.9 million (US$218.6 million), compared to RMB2,055.5 million in the same period of 2021. The year-over-year decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in revenue from the MINISO brand from RMB1,868.0 million to RMB1,386.0 million (US$201.0 million), as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in China in the December quarter. For more information on the composition and year-over-year change of revenue, please refer to the "Unaudited additional information" in this press release.

Revenue from overseas markets was RMB986.5 million (US$143.0 million), accounting for 39.5% of our total revenue and representing an increase of 37.5% year-over-year. The increase was primarily due to a year-over-year increase of 11.6% in average store count and a year-over-year growth of 23.3% in average revenue per MINISO store in overseas markets.

Cost of sales was RMB1,497.4 million (US$217.1 million), representing a decrease of 21.6% year over year, mainly attributable to the savings measures we adopted to reduce the cost of certain products.

Gross profit was RMB997.1 million (US$144.6 million), representing an increase of 15.6% year over year.

Gross margin was 40.0%, compared to 31.1% in the same period of 2021. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to (i) the increase in revenue contribution from international operations, which typically have higher gross margin than domestic operations, from 25.9% in the same period of 2021 to 39.5% in this quarter, (ii) higher gross margin contributed by newly launched products in relation to our execution of strategic brand upgrade of MINISO in China, and(iii) the savings measures we adopted to reduce the cost of certain products.

Other income was RMB7.9 million (US$1.1 million), compared to RMB2.5 million in the same period of 2021.

Selling and distribution expenses were RMB416.8 million (US$60.4 million), representing an increase of 8.3% year over year. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, selling and distribution expenses were RMB409.0 million (US$59.3 million), representing an increase of 10.3% year over year. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to (i) increased promotion and advertising expenses, mainly in connection with our strategic brand upgrade of MINISO in China, and (ii) increased depreciation and amortisation expenses of directly operated stores.

General and administrative expenses were RMB146.3 million (US$21.2million), representing a decrease of 33.9% year over year. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, general and administrative  expenses  were  RMB140.8  million  (US$20.4  million),  representing a decrease of 34.5% year over year. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to (i) decreased personnel-related expenses, and (ii) decreased depreciation and amortization expenses due to the capitalization of construction costs of our headquarter building.

Other net income was RMB8.8 million (US$1.3 million), compared to RMB12.3 million in the same period of 2021. Other net income mainly consists of net foreign exchange gain, investment income from wealth management products and others. The year-over-year decrease was mainly attributable to a decrease in investment income from wealth management products as a result of reduced principal of such products, which was partially offset by a net foreign exchange gain of RMB1.8 million in this quarter, compared to a net foreign exchange loss of RMB15.8 million in the same period of 2021.

Operating profit was RMB447.6 million (US$64.9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year.

Net finance income was RMB23.3 million, representing an increase of 372.6% year over year mainly due to an increase in interest income from bank deposits.

Profit for the period was RMB359.8 million (US$52.2million), representing an increase of 95.4% year over year.

Adjusted net profit⁽¹⁾, which represents profit for the period excluding equity-settled share-based payment expenses, was RMB373.1 million (US$54.1million), representing an increase of 82.1% year over year.

Adjusted net margin⁽¹⁾ was 15.0%, compared to 7.4% in the same period of 2021.

Basic and diluted earnings per American Depositary Share ("ADS") were RMB1.12 (US$0.16) in this quarter, compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB0.6 in the same period of 2021. Each ADS represents four of the Company's ordinary shares.

Adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS⁽¹⁾ were both RMB1.16 (US$0.17) in this quarter, compared to RMB0.68 in the same period of 2021.

As of December 31, 2022, the combined balance of the Company's cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, term deposits, and other investments amounted to RMB6,160.4 million (US$893.2 million).

Conference Call

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 4:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 (5:00 P.M. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. The conference call can be accessed via the following zoom link or by dialing the following numbers:

Access 1

Zoom link: https://dooyle.zoom.us/j/85321657710 ? pwd=b2tEUjVwZkl0TGt1RE94RHJOd2ZYdz09
Meeting Number: 853 2165 7710  
Meeting Passcode: 9896

Access 2

Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers with the same meeting number and passcode with Access 1.

Access 3

Listeners can also access the meeting  through  the  Company's  investor  relations  website  at http://ir.miniso.com/.

A replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.miniso.com/.

About MINISO Group

MINISO Group is a global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide. For more information, please visit https://ir.miniso.com/.

Exchange Rate

The U.S. dollar (US$) amounts disclosed in this press release, except for those transaction amounts that were actually settled in U.S. dollars, are presented solely for the convenience of the readers. The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into US$ in this press release is based on the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of December 30, 2022, which was RMB6.8972 to US$1.0000. The percentages stated in this press release are calculated based on the RMB amounts.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

In evaluating the business, MINISO considers and uses adjusted net profit, adjusted net margin, adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per share and adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS as supplemental measures to review and assess its operating performance. The presentation of these non-IFRS financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. MINISO defines adjusted net profit as profit for the period excluding equity-settled share-based payment expenses. MINISO calculates adjusted net margin by dividing adjusted net profit by revenue for the same period. MINISO computes adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS by dividing the adjusted net profit attributable to the equity shareholders of the Company by the number of ADSs represented by the number of ordinary shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation on an IFRS basis. MINISO computes adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per share in the same way it calculates adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS, except that it uses the number of ordinary shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation on an IFRS basis as the denominator instead of the number of ADSs represented by these ordinary shares.

MINISO presents these non-IFRS financial measures because they are used by the management to evaluate its operating performance and formulate business plans. These non-IFRS financial measures enable the management to assess its operating results without considering the impacts of the aforementioned non-cash and other adjustment items that MINISO does not consider to be indicative of its operating performance in the future. Accordingly, MINISO believes that the use of these non-IFRS financial measures provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating its operating results in the same manner as the management and board of directors.

These non-IFRS financial measures are not defined under IFRS and are not presented in accordance with IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using these non-IFRS financial measures is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect MINISO's operations. Further, these non-IFRS financial measures may differ from the non-IFRS information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.

These non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered in isolation or construed as alternatives to profit, net profit margin, basic and diluted earnings per share and basic and diluted earnings per ADS, as applicable, or any other measures of performance or as indicators of MINISO's operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review MINISO's historical non-IFRS financial measures in light of the most directly comparable IFRS measures, as shown below. The non-IFRS financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting the usefulness of such measures when analyzing MINISO's data comparatively. MINISO encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

For more information on the non-IFRS financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures" set forth at the end of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. Among other things, the quotations from management in this announcement, as well as MINISO's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. MINISO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "HKEX"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about MINISO's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: MINISO's mission, goals and strategies; future business development, financial conditions and results of operations; the expected growth of the retail market and the market of branded variety retail of lifestyle products in China and globally; expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of MINISO's products; expectations regarding MINISO's relationships with consumers, suppliers, MINISO Retail Partners, local distributors, and other business partners; competition in the industry; proposed use of proceeds; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to MINISO's business and the industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in MINISO's filings with the SEC and the HKEX. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and MINISO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Raine Hu
MINISO Group Holding Limited
Email: ir@miniso.com
Phone: +86 (20) 36228788 Ext.8039

Eric Yuan
Christensen Advisory
Email: miniso@christensencomms.com
Phone: +86 1380 111 0739

SOURCE MINISO Group Holding Limited