Financial Highlights:

HK$'000	Year ended 31 Dec 2024	Year ended 31 Dec 2023*	Change
Revenue	2,805,146	2,592,129	+8.2%
Gross profit	1,027,997	929,812	+10.6%
Gross profit margin	36.6%	35.9%	+0.7 ppts
Profit attributable to owners of the Company	247,522	234,959	+5.3%

*Unaudited figures

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 25 March 2025 - Best Mart 360 Holdings Limited ("Best Mart 360" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; stock code: 2360.HK), a leisure food retailer in Hong Kong, announced its results for the year ended 31 December 2024 ("the Financial Year under Review"). As the Company changes the financial year end date from 31 March to 31 December, which is different from the length of the previous reporting period, the audited comparative figures may not be fully comparable.

During the Financial Year under Review, the revenue recorded by the Group amounted to approximately HK$2,805,146,000, representing an increase of approximately 8.2% as compared with the unaudited revenue of approximately HK$2,592,129,000 for the year ended 31 December 2023, primarily driven by the Group's stable stores expansion strategy

During the Financial Year under Review, gross profit was approximately HK$1,027,997,000, compared to the unaudited gross profit of approximately HK$929,812,000 for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Group's gross profit margin for the Financial Year under Review was approximately 36.6%, representing an increase of 0.7 percentage points compared with approximately 35.9% for the unaudited gross profit margin for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Profit attributable to owners of the Company for the Financial Year under Review was approximately HK$247,522,000 (year ended 31 December 2023: approximately HK$234,959,000 (unaudited)), a 5.3% year-on-year increment. The Group's net profit margin before interest and tax for the year ended 31 December 2024 was approximately 11.2%, while the unaudited net profit margin before interest and tax for the same twelve-month period in 2023 was approximately 11.4%. The decrease was mainly due to the rising operating cost.

During the Financial Year under Review, basic earnings per share was approximately HK24.8 cents. The Board recommended the payment of final dividend of HK10.0 cents per share.

BUSINESS REVIEW

15 New Retail Stores & Kept Broadening Presence in Hong Kong's Residential Areas

As at 31 December 2024, the Group operated a total of 176 chain retail stores (31 December 2023: 167 stores), including 170 chain retail stores (31 December 2023: 159 stores) in Hong Kong and 6 chain retail stores (31 December 2023: 7 stores) in Macau respectively. During the Financial Year under Review, the Group opened 15 new retail stores, and closed 6 stores upon expiration of their respective lease terms in alignment with the Group's expansion strategy adjustment.

Rental expense (cash basis) for retail stores was approximately HK$269,493,000 for the year ended 31 December 2024, as compared with that of approximately HK$241,986,000 for the year ended 31 December 2023 (unaudited), representing an increase of approximately 11.4%. The ratio of rental expense (cash basis) to sales revenue of retail stores for the year ended 31 December 2024 was approximately 9.6%, which was higher than that of approximately 9.3% for the year ended 31 December 2023 (unaudited).

Kept Optimising Product Mix & Increased Share of Sales from Private Label Products

During the Financial Year under Review, the Group continued its global procurement policy and mission by sourcing broad spectrum of products worldwide that meet and satisfy market trend and demand. To better cater to the needs of the local community, the Group further strengthened the supply of basic foodstuffs such as cereals, noodles, canned food, milk, chilled and frozen food, daily necessities and basic grocery products. In addition, the Group continued to strengthen its private label sales in retail stores, including nuts and dried fruits, organic grains, wet tissues, canned food, biscuits and snacks, etc., providing consumers with more diversified choices.

For the year ended 31 December 2024, the Group offered a total of 3,653 stock keeping units ("SKUs") of products (for the year ended 31 December 2023: 3,945 SKUs) from suppliers principally from China and overseas markets as well as brand owners or importers in Hong Kong.

For the year ended 31 December 2024, approximately 54.9% of the products were purchased from suppliers and brand owners or importers in Hong Kong (for the year ended 31 December 2023: approximately 54.4%), while imports from Japan, China and Europe accounted for approximately 11.7%, 9.8% and 6.3% of the total purchases respectively (for the year ended 31 December 2023: approximately 13.0%, 6.0% and 8.3% respectively).

As at 31 December 2024, the total amount of inventories of the Group amounted to approximately HK$339,513,000 (31 December 2023: approximately HK$276,691,000), a 22.7% year-on-year increment.

During the Financial Year under Review, the Group continued to actively develop private label products that on one hand allow the Group to capture pricing advantages and exercise higher level of quality control on its products and on the other hand further uplift its brand awareness and strengthen customers' loyalty. For the Financial Year under Review, sales derived from private label products was approximately HK$477,222,000 (for the year ended 31 December 2023: approximately HK$404,078,000), accounted for approximately 17.0% of the Group's revenue for the Financial Year under Review (for the year ended 31 December 2023: approximately 15.6%). During the Financial Year under Review, the Group had launched an aggregate of 11 private labels, and the products for sale included nuts and dried fruits, organic grains, wet tissues, canned food, biscuits and snacks, etc.

Expanded the Customer Base & Timely Launched Marketing Activities

To further deepen customer stickiness and expand customers' coverage, the Group used big data analysis and reformulated its marketing strategy to launch a new three-tier membership scheme and a second-generation mobile app in 2020. The new membership scheme helps to elevate brand positioning and market recognition, and the membership rewards have been fully optimised and enhanced, with more member benefits such as multiple items purchase stamp reward, special offers for selected products and access to latest market information.

Through diversified marketing strategies, the Group aims to internally strengthen the membership core from within and attract new customers through external expansion, so as to effectively and purposefully foster the ties between members and the Group, thereby driving recurring business from members and promoting sustainable growth of the Group's business.

During the Financial Year under Review, the number of the Group's members increased from approximately 2,123,365 as at 31 December 2023 to approximately 2,280,418 as at 31 December 2024, representing an increase of approximately 7.4%.

To express our gratitude for our customers' support, the Group launched various marketing and promotional activities during the Financial Year under Review including the "Best Price" promotional campaign, which provided customers with a series of special offers for selected quality products from time to time to enhance customer loyalty. Meanwhile, the Group continued to advertise through television, newspapers, social media platforms and other media, which successfully obtained repeat customers, attracted new customers and greatly promoted the discussions about the Group in the market.

PROSPECTS

In order to maintain robust operational profitability, the Group will continue to review the regional distribution of its brand stores, and adopt appropriate expansion policies and flexible leasing strategies to look for suitable opportunities to expand the retail network for its major retail brands "Best Mart 360° (優品360° )" and global gourmet brand "FoodVille" in Hong Kong and Macau, with a target of achieving a net increase of 10 retail stores annually under its dual-brand model, catering to the diverse needs of different customer segments for quality food products.

Through global sourcing, the Group remains committed to broadening its product categories and maintaining price competitiveness. The Group will continue to source a diverse range of food products worldwide, intensify efforts to develop its private label products, and proactively explore new products to provide customers with a broader range of choices to meet the needs of various consumer groups.

In addition, the Group has entered into a sales and procurement framework agreement with China Merchants Hoi Tung Trading Company Limited ("CMHT"). In 2025, the Group will expand its product sales to and procurement from CMHT and its subsidiaries, facilitating the introduction of several popular brands from Mainland China. The Board believes that through CMHT's robust network of food importers and distributors, the Group will strengthen its procurement as well as business-to-business (B2B) operations . In addition, the Group has entered into agreements with China Merchants Bonded Logistics Co., Limited* (招商局保稅物流有限公司) and China Merchants Qian Hai Wan (Shenzhen) Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.* (招商前海灣（深圳）供應鏈管理有限公司). Since last year, they have provided customs clearance, warehousing and related logistics services as well as land transportation services of goods between Shenzhen and Hong Kong and other ancillary services. These have alleviated the pressure on the Group's warehouses in Hong Kong and reduce overall goods handling costs.

Mr. Hui Chi Kwan, Chief Executive Officer of the Group, said, "As the number of Hong Kong residents traveling abroad continues to rise, along with a shift in the consumption patterns of visitors to Hong Kong, the local retail sector is expected to require additional time to fully recover. In this challenging business environment, the sustained success of our group relies on the steadfast support of our customers and the dedicated efforts of our employees. Looking ahead, the group will persist in implementing timely and adaptive marketing strategies to effectively respond to the dynamic and unpredictable market conditions."