Wahaha Tmall Flagship Store Renamed Tongyuan Kang Foods; Controlled by Du Jianying – Store Claims Previous Distributorship

CNBC AI News, August 14th — Chinese social media is buzzing over a reported change of hands at Wahaha’s flagship store on Tmall, Alibaba’s popular e-commerce platform. Eagle-eyed consumers noticed that what was once the official Wahaha store now bears the name “Tongyuan Kang Food Franchise Store,” sparking speculation about a potential sale of the online storefront.

The chatter prompted inquiries, and CNBC AI News reached out to customer service representatives at the Tongyuan Kang store for clarification.

The Tongyuan Kang representatives confirmed that the store previously operated as Wahaha’s official Tmall旗舰店 but now functions independently, with no ongoing affiliation with the beverage giant.

Further investigation led to a call to Tongyuan Kang E-commerce (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.

An employee there revealed that Tongyuan Kang had indeed been a distributor for Wahaha in the past.

“The account belongs to our company,” the representative stated. “We simply used to operate under the Wahaha flagship store name as a distributor.”

The employee further clarified that the partnership concluded earlier this year, with a grace period implemented to address outstanding after-sales service issues before the store’s renaming.

Intriguingly, according to Chinese corporate registry database Tianyancha, Tongyuan Kang E-commerce (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. is 75% controlled by Sanjie Investment Group Co., Ltd. Du Jianying holds a 99.8% stake in Sanjie Investment Group.

Adding another layer to the story, the “Wahaha旗舰店” currently listed on Tmall is now operated by Hangzhou Hengyi E-commerce Co., Ltd.

Established in August 2020, Hangzhou Hengyi is legally represented by Zheng Qundi, with Zong Fuli, daughter of Wahaha founder Zong Qinghou, serving as a board member. The company has a registered capital of 1 million yuan. Corporate records indicate that Zong Fuli previously held the positions of executive director and general manager within the company.