Every reporter: Zhao Wenqi Every editor: Duan Lian, Yang Xia, Du Hengfeng
"I have always been a loyal user of Huajia. I have ordered flowers for several years and I think they are very good, so I joined Huajia's offline store last year. Unexpectedly, Just two months after paying the 60,000 yuan franchise fee, the company’s capital chain was cut off and operations ceased. I really advise everyone to choose the franchise brand carefully when starting a business,” Xiao Li (pseudonym), a franchisee of Huajia, told the Daily Economy. News" reporter lamented.
Recently, reporters learned from the announcement issued by the Court of the National Enterprise Bankruptcy and Reorganization Case Information Network that the Shanghai No. 3 Intermediate People's Court has ruled to accept the bankruptcy liquidation case of Shanghai Fenshang Network Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the parent company of Huajia). The case will be heard on September 4. According to the Executive Information Network, Wang Ke, the founder of Huajia, has also been issued a consumption restriction order.
Photographed by reporter Zhao Wenqi
As the pioneer of the "99 yuan monthly subscription" product, Huajia was founded in 2013. According to public data, since its establishment, Huajia has received a total of 6 rounds of financing, with a financing amount of nearly 300 million yuan. There has been a record of sales reaching 100 million yuan in a single month. It can be said that Huajia has led a new trend in flower consumption. However, in September 2023, Huajia suddenly closed down due to a break in the capital chain.
However, a recent investigation by a reporter from "Daily Economic News" found that although it has entered the stage of bankruptcy and liquidation, orders can still be placed on the Huajia Mini Program, and the video account used by Wang Ke to bring goods and the operating entity of the Huajia Mini Program are no longer the application In addition to the bankrupt and liquidated parent company of Huajia (Shanghai Fenshang Network Technology Co., Ltd.), there is another company that is still in contact with Huajia's franchisees and sends several orders to the franchisees from time to time.
html On August 23, the reporter went to a Huajia offline franchise store. The store owner Wang Gang (pseudonym) told the reporter that the store was still operating normally, but had nothing to do with Huajia. The reason why Huajia’s name was not removed was On the one hand, it would cost money to demolish it after it has been renovated. On the other hand, he also hopes that this matter will eventually come to an end. According to him, Huajia owes him at least 600,000 yuan.Reporter visited Huajia franchise stores: In order to save money, he did not change the store.
Wang Gang revealed that he joined Huajia after the Spring Festival last year through the recommendation of an acquaintance. At that time, he felt that joining an already mature brand would be more reliable than starting a business directly by himself. Some. "The franchise fee is 100,000 yuan, which mainly involves buying flowers and adding the brand name." Wang Gang told reporters.
But Wang Gang didn't expect that not long after the flower shop in the bustling commercial street was renovated and before it started to make much money, he saw the news that Huajia had ceased operations on the Internet.
"At the beginning, I was able to contact the staff who was responsible for joining the franchise. He told me that he was raising funds and that the company would improve after a while. Then a few days later, the staff member told me that he had also resigned." Wang Gang said helplessly. explain.
"Huajia now owes me 600,000 (yuan), including various material costs. I have registered as a creditor on the Poyiyun platform, but there has been no follow-up." Wang Gang said.
However, the failure to change the Huajia brand name also brought some troubles to Wang Gang. "Many people online are afraid to place orders. Everyone thinks it is the bankrupt Huajia. They are afraid that they will not be able to deliver the goods and will not place orders. Recently, there are often people They came to me to ask about Huajia's situation, but it has nothing to do with me. The losses are already like this. I just want to do business well and don't want to be disturbed," Wang Gang told reporters. Zhang Han (pseudonym), another franchisee of
, had a similar experience to Wang Gang. According to her, she spent 100,000 yuan to join Huajia in March last year, but after paying the money, the resources promised in the franchise contract were not fulfilled. Pass. Because it is a store in a shopping mall, changing the name requires going through legal procedures again, so her store continues to use Huajia as the brand name. "From time to time, I will get calls asking for refunds, but most of them heard that I am also a franchisee and have not collected money. Everyone will express their understanding," Zhang Han said.
When talking about the losses caused by this franchise, Zhang Han bluntly said that it was more than the franchise fee of 100,000 yuan. "To put it bluntly, I joined Huajia because of the brand and the resources it can provide. Now the money is wasted." Zhang Han said.According to her, before joining, Huajia mentioned that the monthly flowers on the platform would be shipped from Kunming to the franchise store, and then the franchise store would deliver them to users. At the same time, it promised not less than 400 orders a week, but after joining I have never received such an order at all.
Compared to Wang Gang and Zhang Han, franchisee Xiao Li may be considered lucky among misfortunes.
"I went to Shanghai's Huajia headquarters for inspection in July (last year) and met the boss Wang Ke. Wang Ke told me about his experience in founding Huajia and kept passing on his values to me." Xiao Li told me Reporter recalls. At that time, it was only two months before Huajia's capital chain was broken and the company closed down, but Xiao Li saw no signs of it either on Wang Ke or on the Huajia staff who joined the company.
Xiao Li revealed that the franchise fee in her area was 80,000 yuan, and later it was negotiated to about 60,000 yuan. "Their staff told me that the area where I joined has more than 300,000 members, and the annual turnover is more than 200,000 (yuan), and the capital can be recovered in half a year. At the same time, they will provide franchisees with site maps to help them choose. Address." Xiao Li said, but these previous promises were not fulfilled after she paid the 60,000 yuan franchise fee.
Not long after the shop was renovated, Xiao Li heard about Huajia’s popularity. “I didn’t dare to use his brand name, so I reopened a flower shop under my own name. I was afraid that suppliers and rights defenders would come to me. I'm also afraid of affecting my business," Xiao Li told reporters.
founder is still selling flowers on live broadcast. Customer service: working hard to resume business
After Huajia exploded, Wang Ke tried to save himself. In an interview with the media at the beginning of this year, Wang Ke mentioned that he would repay debts through live broadcast selling flowers. He also optimistically predicted that Huajia’s business volume in 2024 could reach 10% of the original volume. At the same time, it plans to complete debt restructuring and business transformation within three years, and become the first in the new industry within five years.
"It is easiest to file for bankruptcy, but I don't want to do it. Huajia's business model is actually established, but it is difficult to go public. By serving users well and reducing unnecessary costs, we can still achieve sustainable and stable development The company will have an explanation for the creditors, and it will also make a better arrangement for me to start my business," Wang Ke said at the time.
Wang Ke’s efforts and responsible attitude towards creditors gave some comfort to suppliers, franchisees and consumers who had purchased annual passes but could not cash them in. Many people also left messages to cheer for Wang Ke on his live broadcast WeChat video account. But in June this year, an announcement from the court broke everyone's illusions.
As early as May 15 this year, the Shanghai No. 3 Intermediate People's Court issued an announcement stating that Shanghai Lanyi Packaging Materials Co., Ltd. applied to the court for Huajia's parent company to pay off due debts and obviously lacked solvency. The parent company goes into bankruptcy and liquidation. It can be seen from this that Wang Ke's self-rescue and restart plan at the beginning of the year had little effect. A reporter from
noticed that although the company has gone through the bankruptcy process, orders can still be placed through the Huajia mini program "Huajia Youli" on WeChat. Customer service told reporters that new orders (after December 13, 2023) can be placed. Shipping, old orders (before December 13, 2023) have no way or ability to resume delivery for the time being. The customer service also mentioned that now Huajia wants to restart operations, and the founder is working hard to sell goods live every night, hoping to use the profits from new orders to fulfill old orders.
"The founder will live broadcast every Tuesday to Thursday at 7:30 pm. During the live broadcast, he will also update the progress or explain the latest situation. Please give me some more time, thank you." Customer service said.
However, a reporter from "Daily Economic News" noticed that the operating entities of Huajia Mini Program and founder Wang Ke's video account "Huajia Xiaoke" have quietly changed. The parent company of Huajia founded by Wang Ke, the founder of Huajia, is called Shanghai Fenshang Network Technology Co., Ltd. Today, the main operating company of Huajia mini program is Shanghai Zaolu Network Technology Co., Ltd.
public information shows that Shanghai Zaolu Network Technology Co., Ltd. is 100% owned by Wang Xianhong and was established on April 9, 2024. The name of Huajia founder Wang Ke does not appear among the company’s personnel, but the public account operated by the company Huajia’s polite customer service still calls Wang Ke “the founder and boss”.
It is worth mentioning that Xiao Li told reporters that since she signed a three-year contract with Huajia when she paid the franchise fee, after Huajia ceased operations in September last year, a new company was contacted by her. . This company is called Ningbo Huaxiang Network Technology Co., Ltd., and it has been sending her orders through the system recently.
"I signed a three-year contract when I joined. Although there may only be a few orders per month, it is better than nothing, so I will just do it and stop cooperating when the contract completely expires, not counting the tens of thousands of yuan in franchise fees. It’s not in vain,” Xiao Li said.
However, the new company’s requirements for franchisees also made Xiao Li complain, “A packaging bag costs 8 yuan, and I only pay one or two yuan to buy one online, and the platform also charges a commission of 35% for each order. They all have to make a fortune from this." Xiao Li seemed a little speechless about this business that was losing money and making no profit.
public information shows that Ningbo Huaxiang Network Technology Co., Ltd. mentioned by Xiao Li and Zhang Han was established on September 14, 2023. The legal representative is Wang Xiaoxiao, and Wang Ke’s name is still not included in the shareholder information. Franchisee Zhang Han also mentioned this Ningbo company to reporters, but she believed that this company was not the same as Huajia, which had previously promised to provide monthly and weekly flower services, so there was no follow-up with this company. docking.
This means that although the parent company of Huajia founded by Wang Ke has gone through bankruptcy procedures, at least two new companies are still using the Huajia brand name to conduct business activities.
Is this behavior legal?
Zhao Zhanzhan, a lawyer from Beijing Yunjia Law Firm, told reporters that Article 35 of the Bankruptcy Law mentions that between six months before the People’s Court accepts a bankruptcy case and the date of bankruptcy declaration, bankrupt enterprises conduct property transfers and abnormal low-price sales. Property and other acts are invalid acts.
"The Huajia brand name is also an asset of the original company. Since the bankrupt company did not disclose the relationship between the two companies and the bankrupt company, there is still doubt whether the latter two companies can continue to operate using the Huajia brand." Zhao Occupy analyzed this to a reporter from Daily Economic News.
A TV series by Dilraba. The prototype of the company was once "Huajia"
In addition to franchisees, there are also a large number of Huajia annual subscription users who are waiting for Huajia refunds or shipments. The reporter interviewed many users and found that most consumers purchased the weekly flower package that cost 1,399 yuan to buy a year and get a year free. The delivery stopped in September last year, and the amount of damage was about 1,000 yuan.
Ye Xiaoxiao from Beijing Guantao Zhongmao (Wenzhou) Law Firm told the reporter of "Daily Economic News" that the claims declared by ordinary consumers are ordinary claims, and the order of liquidation of corporate bankruptcy properties is stipulated by law. First, priority claims, Bankruptcy expenses are followed by employee claims, tax claims, and general claims. Bankruptcy itself means insolvency, so as an ordinary creditor, the probability of being repaid is low.
"Of course, many consumers think that it is wrong not to declare their claims if they have no chance of getting their money back. Declaring claims is a legal right granted to creditors by the law. Only when your claims are declared and confirmed in accordance with the law can you possibly get subsequent repayment. "Ye Xiaoxiao said.
However, she also mentioned that from a legal perspective, the cost of defending rights for ordinary consumers is relatively high. Therefore, for this type of prepayment consumption contract, it is recommended that consumers choose well-known big brand companies or merchants with third-party financial supervision for consumption. After prepayment, the number of consumptions should be written off in a timely manner. Observe the business operations of the merchants on a daily basis and apply in time if any signs are discovered. The platform may refund the money or seek help from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. If the negotiation fails, it can also be resolved through litigation.
Huajia was founded in 2013. According to public data, since its establishment, Huajia has received a total of 6 rounds of financing, with a financing amount of nearly 300 million yuan. It has also had a record of sales reaching 100 million yuan in a single month. In June 2018, an urban youth idol TV series "One Thousand and One Nights" with the flower industry as the background was broadcast on Hunan Satellite TV. It starred Dilmurat Dilraba and Deng Mou, and was based on the prototype of the enterprise. "Huajia", Deng plays the founder of Huajia Company in the play, and Dilraba plays an employee of Huajia Company.
However, the fall of Huajia also directly exposed the plight of flower e-commerce.Zhuang Shuai, founder of Bailian Consulting, told the reporter of "Daily Economic News" that not so much Huajia, but the entire flower e-commerce, or vertical e-commerce itself, is difficult to do. Looking at it now, vertical e-commerce, except for some non-standard products or businesses that go offline will be better, such as alcohol e-commerce, mother and baby e-commerce, etc., cannot escape the fate of the decline of independent e-commerce.
Specific to the flower e-commerce industry, Zhuang Shuai mentioned that in the past two years, comprehensive e-commerce companies such as Dingdong Maicai, Hema, and Meituan Waimai, including JD.com and Taobao, as well as content e-commerce companies Douyin, have all been focusing on flowers. In this category, unless some flower e-commerce companies directly enter Douyin and Meituan, or directly cooperate with Hema and Dingdong to supply vegetables and become suppliers, other than these options, they must insist on being completely independent (flower e-commerce) It is difficult to develop.
"Because the customer acquisition cost of vertical flower e-commerce is relatively high, and the maintenance cost of the entire supply chain is also relatively high, it is difficult to compete with comprehensive e-commerce." Zhuang Shuai said.
Daily Economic News
