Recently, in the second floor of the central lobby, which was newly renovated in the Dalian shopping mall, two men in suits welcomed the visiting diners in front of a sushi restaurant. The Dalian consumers who visited this sushi restaurant that was officially opened yesterday may not know that the two are respectively Japan’s Gyeonggi President, Masahiro Mori, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Wu Hougang. The store is the first sushi restaurant opened in Japan by the most famous sushi brand in Japan, and its partner is the Zhangzidao Group.

The reporter learned that the ecological risks and profits of the traditional aquaculture processing industry are becoming thinner, and some Dalian aquatic products enterprises are beginning to test the water and beverage industry, from traditional food suppliers to food operators.

From supplier to shareholder

Dalian people who have been to Japan may notice the brand of Gyeonggi. In Japan, this is one of the top catering brands in the sales rankings. There are just over 280 sushi packages in Gyeonggi. Japan’s Gyeonggi President Morishita Yuichi told reporters that Japan’s Gyeonggi is a subsidiary of Yoshinoya, a Japanese listed company, founded in 1932.

Zhangzidao has a relationship with Gyeonggi. At the beginning of 2014, Zhangzidao Group acquired 100% of Dalian Xinzhong Seafood Food Co., Ltd., a marine food processing and international trading company, for 280 million yuan. At that time, its products have covered many types of sales terminals in the Japanese market. As early as 1995, Xinzhong became a supplier to Gyeonggi, Japan, and provided a variety of seafood ingredients for Gyeonggi. Since the acquisition of Xinzhonghai in 2014, Zhangzidao has formed a supply relationship with Gyeonggi. Now, Gyeonggi enters the Chinese market, and the role of Zhangzidao has changed from a supplier to a cooperative shareholder. Previously, Zhangzidao Group has cooperated with Japan's Gyeonggi to establish Dalian Jingzizi Island Catering Co., Ltd., aiming to jointly develop the Chinese food and beverage market. It is reported that the joint venture company registered capital of 900,000 US dollars, Japan's Gyeonggi accounted for 70% of the shares, and Zhangzidao Group accounted for 30% of the shares. This is the first time that the Gyeonggi brand entered the Chinese market, and it is also the first time that the Zhangzidao Group has participated in the catering business.

An interesting coincidence is that Gyeonggi has a history of 84 years, and the Hazelnut Group has a history of 58 years this year, and the first store on its site is unmatched in the sales of food in the Qingniu commercial district. Dalian Mall is undergoing its 80th anniversary celebration. These companies with "years" also make this cooperation more interesting.

      I once missed Yoshinoya.

Yoshinoya, the parent company of Gyeonggi, is a household name in China, and its agent in the northern market is a distributor of Hexing. “Dalian Xinzhonghai has cooperated with Yoshinoya for many years. Before Yoshinoya entered the Chinese market, it had intended to let Xinzhonghai as an agent to operate the Chinese market.” Wu Hougang revealed to reporters that there was no consideration of Xinzhonghai under the Zizi Island. When the catering operation is not the expertise of the company, it gave up this opportunity. Wu Hougang said that in this way, Dalian Fisheries Company missed it with Yoshinoya.

But this time, the Zhangzidao Group did not miss the opportunity. Knowing that Gyeonggi intends to enter the Chinese market, Zhangzidao expressed the idea of wishing for cooperation, and the reporter also learned that based on the quality trust of the supplier for many years of cooperation, Gyeonggi did not propose any cost requirements for brand use. On the contrary, considering the influence of the Zizi Island brand in China, the storefronts of the two sides have adopted the dual brands of Gyeonggi and Zhangzidao.

Aquatic enterprises enter the dining and find the way

From the supplier to the shareholders, the Zhangzidao Group has a industry depth to explore after entering the catering industry. The reporter learned that, including Dalian aquatic products enterprises, the domestic aquatic industry is currently mainly in the form of farming and processing, mainly through the provision of raw materials for catering enterprises to obtain profits. However, as the consumption power and pattern of domestic and foreign markets continue to change, it is more and more difficult to make profits by circulation alone. And the farming industry itself faces unpredictable natural and ecological risks. Therefore, reducing the proportion of farming and processing in the entire sales has become a problem that many Dalian aquatic companies are thinking about.

Dining is one of the directions for these structural adjustments. “A decade ago, the proportion of farming in sales was 90%, and it has gradually dropped to 40%.” Wu Hougang said that at present, the breeding, processing and trade have formed a ratio of 4:3:3, and the future will pass the catering industry. The launch of the Zhangzidao Group's trade and sales category has increased. The reporter also learned that Dalian also has other aquatic companies such as Tianzheng and Asian fishing port, which have already started investment in the catering industry, opened terminal catering stores, and even several companies to open stores, and such catering companies such as Wanbao Seafood. There has also been a phenomenon of investing in sea cucumber farming. It is not difficult to find that short channels from production to food and beverage outlets are receiving attention. However, the reporter also found that there are successful experiences in this, but there are also many cases of failing to close the store. The industry believes that the operation of food and beverage stores is completely different from traditional aquaculture processing. The professional requirements for catering management capabilities are very high. If aquaculture companies want to develop in this area, they still need to hire a professional team to operate or directly adopt a model of cooperation with professional brands. .