Award-winning Chinese actor Shawn Dou set off for Copenhagen to uncover the stories behind Carlsberg's iconic taste
Shawn Dou meets Carlsberg's Master Brewer, Zoran Gojkovic, to explore Carlsberg's craftsmanship and the science behind "The Perfect Serve" at the research laboratory.
Through the campaign with RedNote, Carlsberg Asia invites consumers across Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Malaysia; and Vietnam to discover the brand's origin story and celebrate their own Cheers moments.
Carlsberg Asia partners with RedNote on "Cheers from the Origin", featuring award-winning Chinese actor Shawn Dou on a journey to explore Carlsberg's origins in Copenhagen.
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 August 2026 - Carlsberg Asia is deepening its partnership with RedNote, China's leading social commerce platform, through the digital campaign "Cheers from the Origin" （丹麥碰杯時刻）. The collaboration expands reach and strengthens engagement with modern consumers across key Asia markets, including Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Malaysia; and Vietnam.
Building on the strategic partnership framework established with RedNote last year, Carlsberg Asia is charting a long-term digital acceleration journey by combining Carlsberg's premium portfolio with RedNote's social commerce capabilities, data insights, and creator network. The collaboration is piloting new ways to reach Chinese-speaking, digitally savvy consumers and convert online engagement into on-the-ground bar and restaurant visits and e-commerce conversions.
Starring award-winning Chinese actor Shawn Dou （窦骁）, "Cheers from the Origin" brings Carlsberg's 179 years of heritage and brand philosophy to life through a cinematic hero film and a series of online-to-offline (O2O) beer experiences co-created with RedNote in each local market.
Arindam Varanasi, Commercial Vice President, Carlsberg Asia, "This campaign marks a pivotal milestone in our Asia Digital Acceleration Program. 'Cheers from the Origin' demonstrates our partnership-led approach to linking our premium product portfolio with digitally engaged consumers, scaling online-to-offline conversion, and driving sustainable, long-term value for our brands and our business."
Dodo Kwong, Regional Head, Asia Global Business Solutions, RedNote, further added, "Our continued partnership with Carlsberg shows how a heritage brand can thrive on RED, a platform built around community and discovery. Through authentic storytelling and the power of our creator network, we guide consumers to new places, new food pairings and new ways to enjoy Carlsberg, converting social engagement into real-world visits and measurable brand impact."
The "Cheers from the Origin" campaign opens at the Home of Carlsberg in Copenhagen, moving from the historic brewery and museum to the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, where the brand's past and present come to life. Experiencing the story firsthand, Shawn becomes Carlsberg's narrator, guiding consumers through original details that spotlight brewing craftsmanship and open-innovation mindset that has shared breakthroughs across the industry many years ago. Highlights include an expansive product collection that ranges from global favourites to limited Chinese New Year editions for Asia markets, plus a playful search for the world's smallest toast, a 12mm miniature about the size of a grain of rice with a single drop of Carlsberg 0.0 beer. The journey also celebrates Carlsberg's pursuit of perfection, where Shawn learns the perfect serve to build a creamy head and release aroma. The film leaves viewers with heritage they can feel, quality they can trust, and a premium beer experience ready for every drinking occasion in Asia.
Cheers with Carlsberg: From Social Discovery to Real-World Beer Experiences
Through the campaign with RedNote, Carlsberg Asia invites consumers across Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Malaysia; and Vietnam to discover the brand's origin story and celebrate their own Cheers moments. From now until 9 October 2026, Carlsberg Asia is amplifying its origin story and driving on-the-ground visits across key Asia markets through culturally relevant occasions and content creator partnerships on RedNote. The O2O campaign invites consumers, both travellers and locals, to explore a curated trail of premium bars and restaurants where great taste meets local culture.
Through an interactive daily mission in the RedNote app, consumers can check in at featured pages and spots, unlock exclusive perks, and share their Cheers moment(#丹麥碰杯時刻) in real time. Each market's bar trail is anchored by "The Perfect Serve", a nod to Carlsberg's heritage and quality from the origin to Asia. Completing missions earns points toward exclusive rewards including Carlsberg x Liverpool jersey, photo autograph of Shawn Dou, or a limited-edition Heipi Vacation Potato Captain plush.
Carlsberg Asia is tapping RedNote's user-generated content engine and advanced targeting capabilities to reach digitally savvy consumers, driving online and offline brand discovery and conversion.
Hashtag: #CarlsbergAsia
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Carlsberg Asia
Established in 1847 by brewer J.C. Jacobsen, the Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with an attractive portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. With over 37.000 employees, and with a presence in more than 125 markets, the Group has a purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow Doing business responsibly and sustainably supports that purpose – and drives the efforts to deliver value for shareholders and society.
Carlsberg Asia is a dynamic and diverse region comprising 8 operating markets: Cambodia; China; Hong Kong, China; Laos; Malaysia; Myanmar; Singapore; and Vietnam. Altogether we have 34 breweries and some 12,000 employees across the region. The Asia Regional Office is based in Hong Kong, China.
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Navigating Market Cycles with Operational Resilience, Core Business Stabilizes and Rebounds, Marking a Strategic Turnaround and New Growth Phase
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 August 2026 - ZJLD Group Inc. ("ZJLD" or the "Company", together with the Company's subsidiaries, collectively the "Group") (SEHK stock code: 06979.HK), a flagship enterprise in China's baijiu industry and the first baijiu company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is pleased to announce its interim financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 ("FY 2026 1H" or the "Period")
In the first half of 2026, the broader baijiu industry operated within a demanding macroeconomic environment characterized by structural adjustments and sluggish consumer demand. In response to cyclical headwinds during the Period, the Group proactively optimized its operational strategies, strengthened healthy channel management, and accelerated digital innovation, resulting in comprehensive stabilization and an operational rebound. The year 2026 marks a pivotal strategic inflection point for ZJLD, signaling the completion of a two-year industry-driven consolidation and the onset of a new high-quality growth cycle.
The key financial and business highlights are as follows:
FY 2026 1H
(for the six months ended June 30, 2026)
(RMB'000)
FY 2025 1H
(for the six months ended June 30, 2025)
(RMB'000)
Changed by
Revenue
2,546,069
2,497,106
+2.0%
Gross profit
1,520,856
1,474,284
+3.2%
Gross profit margin
59.7%
59.0%
+0.7percentagepoints
Profit attributable to equity holders of the Company
580,717
574,771
+1.0%
Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities
During the Period, the Group recorded revenue of RMB 2,546.1 million, representing a 2.0% year-on-year increase. Gross profit increased by 3.2% to RMB 1,520.9 million, while Adjusted Net Profit reached RMB 626.1 million, up 2.1% year-on-year. Benefiting from an expanded revenue contribution of Sub-premium products and the Li Du brand, alongside streamlined production efficiencies, the Group's gross margin expanded by 0.7 percentage points to 59.7%. Net cash operation cash outflow narrowed significantly by 27.4%, underscoring rigorous cash flow management and prudent risk control.
Zhenjiu (Flagship Brand): Generated RMB 1,342.4 million in revenue during the Period, accounting for 52.7% of total revenue. The Group exercised disciplined control over channel fulfilment ahead of the launch of the next-generation Zhen 15 to safeguard channel pricing integrity. Meanwhile, the strategic flagship product "Da Zhen" achieved strong growth and explosive nationwide expansion across 31 provinces and 280 cities, driving Zhenjiu's gross margin up to 59.8%.
Li Du (Second Growth Engine): Accelerated its growth momentum, recording revenue of RMB 788.0 million, sharply up 28.9% year-on-year. Driven by the national expansion of its Sub-premium and Mid-tier product portfolio, such as Li Du Sorghum 1975(李渡高粱 1975), Li Du Sorghum * Changyin Collection Series (李渡高粱酒 · 暢飲珍藏版), and the Li Du King Series(李渡王系列), Li Du demonstrated formidable, explosive market penetration and volume growth.
Xiangjiao & Kaikouxiao (Regional Powerhouse): Maintained solid market share within Hunan Province, generating RMB 282.8 million, up 2.0% year-on-year, and RMB 81.8 million, up 1.0% year-on-year, respectively in revenue, both delivering sustained market stabilization and modest growth.
Sub-Premium Baijiu Segment: Delivered exceptional performance, achieving revenue of RMB 1,366.1 million, up 39.1% year-on-year. The segment's contribution to overall revenue surged from 39.3% to 53.7%, reflecting the Group's agile realignment with evolving consumer shifts toward rational spending and banquet occasions (e.g., weddings and celebrations), successfully capturing growth opportunities in the sub-premium segment.
The Board of Directors does not recommend the declaration of an interim dividend for the six months ended 30 June 2026 (FY 2025 1H: nil).
Strategic Agility: Pioneering Channel Innovation & Digital Synergy as Dual-Engine The Group's proprietary "Premier Retailers Alliance" model and the Monthly Profit-sharing Model ("月月分利模式") designed for the 5th Generation Zhen 15 have effectively resolved long-standing industry pain points, such as price inversion and distributor margin compression. By establishing competitive monthly margins, automating online ordering, and offering a share-linked sales incentive plan with certain distributors, the Group successfully attracted and retained high-calibre distributors with strong group-selling capabilities and direct access to end consumers. As of 30 June 2026, the Group's distributor network expanded to 8,993 partners, an increase of 710 from the end of 2025.
Complementing this channel evolution, the Group adopted an omnichannel marketing framework combining "Community Penetration + Digital Empowerment". Chairman Wu Xiangdong's executive video channel ("Wu Jindong – ZJLD, 吳金東－珍酒李渡") and regional cultural livestreams topped the "Entrepreneur Video IP 100 List" (企業家視頻IP100榜單) for seven consecutive months, averaging over one million views per broadcast. This sparked widespread co-created content with members of the Premier Retailers Alliance (萬商聯盟), creating a powerful online-to-offline traffic funnel. Simultaneously, Zhenjiu's brand value rose to RMB 34.685 billion, a 103% gain over five years, solidifying among China's top three sauce-aroma baijiu brands.
Forward-Looking AI Integration and Enterprise Digitization The Group anchors its digital transformation strategy on operational capability and sustainable value creation. During the Period, in partnership with China Unicom, the Group developed an "AI + Expert Blending" framework powered by Large Language Models (LLMs). This synthesis of traditional heritage and advanced AI enables intelligent blending, elevating consistency, efficiency and craft precision. Furthermore, the Group upgraded Da Zhen's digital coding system to a "Six-Code" integration architecture, incorporating NFC anti-counterfeiting and ceramic jar storage metrics, as well as an RFID smart case labelling system to track and ensure precise volumetric measurement and end-to-end lifecycle traceability for every Da Zhen product. Zhenjiu was also awarded the national Data Management Capability Maturity Model (DCMM) Level 3 (Robust) accreditation, further validating its AI deployment and digital leadership.
Deepening Operational Foundations to Drive the New High-Quality Growth Cycle Looking ahead to the second half of 2026 and beyond, ZJLD will maintain strategic poise by extending proven operational frameworks, such as the "Premier Retailers Alliance" and "Monthly Profit-sharing Model" to Zhen 30 and other core product lines. This initiative will precisely activate high-end and mid-tier markets while strengthening portfolio synergies across all price ranges. Concurrently, the Group will deepen its operation-sales decoupling (營銷分離) mechanism, rigorously monitor channel pricing, protect distributor profitability, and prioritize storage facility construction across its five major production facilities, namely Zhen Jiu Mao Tai Shuang Long (茅台鎮雙龍), Zhen Jiu Bai Yan Gou (白岩溝), Zhen Jiu Zhao Jia Gou (趙家溝), Li Du Zheng Jia Shan (鄭家山) and Xiang Jiao Jiang Bei (江北) to reinforce its long-term competitive moat.
Mr. Wu Xiangdong, Founder and Chairman of ZJLD Group, remarked, "Baijiu is a business that demands patience and reverence—time speaks through quality, and authentic fragrance endures. Over two years of industry rebalancing, our distributor partners and we have navigated genuine challenges and hardships; yet this period offered an invaluable window for reflection, consolidation, and self-reinvention. The deeper the valley, the more vital it is to stay grounded and focus on disciplined execution. Our stabilization in the first half of 2026 is the natural reward of diligent work and marks the dawn of a new growth phase. There are no shortcuts in business—only an uncompromising pursuit of quality, continuous market exploration, and adaptability in the face of change. In times of adversity, we chose to brew finer liquor, preserve channel profitability, and deliver utmost sincerity to our consumers. The launch of the 'Premier Retailers Alliance' and 'Monthly Profit-sharing Model' models ensures that every partner who trusts ZJLD enjoys security, clarity, and equitable rewards amid challenging conditions.
Engaging directly with consumers and merchants through digital broadcasts has reinvigorated my entrepreneurial passion and joy, which I felt when I first entered the baijiu industry. The consumers' appreciation for fine baijiu remains undiminished, and their yearning for a better life remains passionate. 2026 serves as ZJLD's springboard for a renewed journey. We remain a dedicated team of idealistic distillers, honoring nature's harvest, grateful for the passage of time, and optimistic about the industry's future. ZJLD will move forward with resilience, innovation, and an open heart alongside all our companions—cheers to bright moments and the journey ahead."
Hashtag: #ZJLDGroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About ZJLD Group Inc.
Zhen Jiu was established in 1975 in Zunyi, Kweichow, China's primary production area of sauce-aroma baijiu. In 1988, it was honored with the National Quality Award at the 5th National Wine Appreciation Conference. In the same year, it was announced by the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Communication Department of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, and the Great Hall of the People Management Bureau to become one of the two sauce-aroma baijiu served at state banquets. It is also known as one of the "Three Representative Baijiu Brands in Kweichow".
ZJLD Group Inc. is a leading baijiu group in China devoted to offering premium baijiu products, including sauce-aroma, mixed-aroma, and strong-aroma varieties. According to Frost & Sullivan statistics, the flagship brand Zhenjiu has maintained its position for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) as the fourth-largest sauce-aroma baijiu brand in China and the third-largest in Guizhou Province, by revenue. The Company operates four baijiu brands in China, including two national baijiu brands, Zhen Jiu and Li Du, and two regional brands, Xiangjiao and Kaikouxiao. ZJLD prides itself on inheriting the time-honored baijiu-brewing techniques and reinvigorating them to develop iconic products. It strives to create a wide variety of aromatic and mellow baijiu products to meet consumers' diverse preferences, seize broader market opportunities, and promote traditional Chinese baijiu culture.
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