---
title: "The Midlife Crisis of Chinese Consumption: Zhang Yong's Urgent Haidilao Rescue Mission"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/293448385.md"
description: "The Hong Kong consumer sector is facing a harsh reality check. With Haidilao's 2025 profits sliding, founder Zhang Yong is back at the helm in 2026. Can a pivot to extreme value save the hotpot giant?"
datetime: "2026-07-22T09:17:10.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/293448385.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/293448385.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/293448385.md)
generator: "portal-rs"
---

# The Midlife Crisis of Chinese Consumption: Zhang Yong's Urgent Haidilao Rescue Mission

I've covered enough tech and consumer pivots to spot a desperation move when I see one. The broader Hong Kong consumer, education, and leisure sector is currently a bloodbath of shifting loyalties and tight wallets. If you want to understand the exact temperature of this market right now, look no further than the biggest name in the room. This is the reality of 2026, and here's why you should pay attention.

Haidilao (6862.HK) is facing an existential reckoning. Founder Zhang Yong stepped back into the CEO role in January 2026, a classic "founder returns to save the baby" narrative. And boy, does it need saving. Their 2025 numbers are a glaring warning sign: while total revenue barely ticked up 1.1% to **RMB 43.22 billion**, net income tanked by **14.0%** to **RMB 4.04 billion**. The old playbook of overwhelming customers with manicured, premium service just isn't cutting it anymore. Zhang is now aggressively pushing for "extreme value-for-money" and rolling out a multi-brand strategy with 20 sub-brands. It's about time. Why aren't you moving faster?

This is stupid and here's why: by April 2026, they were caught in a scandal where employees were reportedly forced to buy gifts for customers out of pocket just to maintain the illusion of elite hospitality. Zhang apologized, but it highlights a broken corporate culture desperately clinging to past glory. The actual bright spots? Delivery revenue exploded by over **111%** in 2025, and their spun-off international arm, Super Hi, is plotting an expansion into New York and Los Angeles to escape the domestic saturation. Running to America to solve a China problem? Good luck with that.

The takeaway here is simple. The consumer companies that survive this cycle will be the ones that stop pretending it's 2019. Zhang Yong is awake now, but turning this massive hotpot ship around will take a lot more than executive apologies.

*This article does not constitute investment advice.*

### Related Stocks

- [06862.HK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/06862.HK.md)

## Related News & Research

- [Takeaway boom, new brands make up winning mix for Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297031717.md)
- [HAIDILAO  Interim Net Profit Inches Up 0.5% to RMB1.767B, Interim DPS HKD0.377](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296921738.md)
- [Haidilao International: Revenue up 7.9% YoY to RMB22.3B; delivery and new formats drive growth; interim dividend declared](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296899653.md)
- [Haidilao FY26 H1 profit rises 0.5% to RMB 1.76 billion; revenue increases 7.9% to RMB 22.34 billion](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296897697.md)
- [The 10-year Treasury yield is breaking out and 5% could be just the beginning. Here's why that matters.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297548327.md)

---
> **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**