24th Feb 2014 07:00
Press Release | 24 February 2014 |
JQW plc
("JQW" or the "Group")
Pre-Close Trading Update
Notice of Preliminary Results
JQW plc, a domestic Chinese B2B e-commerce operator, provides the following trading update as the Group enters its close period.
The Board confirms that trading for the period is significantly ahead of market expectations. Unaudited management accounts show revenues reaching approximately RMB490 million (2012: RMB287 million), whilst profit before tax for the period has about doubled to around RMB170 million (2012: RMB84 million) (exchange rate: RMB10.14 : £1).
As at 31 December 2013, the Group had 197,000 fee paying members which compares to 166,000 at the end of June 2013 and 135,000 at the end of December 2012. JQW remains highly cash generative and the Group maintains its strong balance sheet with cash as at 31 December 2013 amounting to RMB344 million (2012: RMB108 million). This robust cash position also includes the proceeds from the Placing and Admission to AIM on 9 December 2013 which totalled RMB67 million.
Yongde Cai, Chairman of JQW, said: "The Board is extremely pleased with the excellent progress that the Group has made in 2013. Not only has JQW seen robust organic growth in our Chinese domestic market but in the period the Group has also successfully raised £6.7 million and had its shares admitted to trading on the AIM market in London. The significance of our AIM listing is that it will expedite JQW's strategic plan of expanding our operations and increasing brand awareness internationally as well as in China.
"With China's 49 million SMEs increasingly using the internet to promote and market their services, the Chinese B2B e-commerce industry, of which JQW is a significant player, is experiencing rapid growth and the Group is in a strong position to capitalise from this fast growing sector.
"As stated at the time of our AIM listing, the Board plans to implement a progressive dividend policy that reflects our confidence in the future growth prospects of JQW. We remain very positive about the Group's performance for the current financial year and look forward to providing the market with a further update when we report our maiden preliminary results."
The Group will be announcing its maiden set of Preliminary Results on Tuesday, 29 April 2014. An analyst briefing given by Peter Chen (Chief Executive Officer) and Wei Boon Kooi (Chief Financial Officer), will be held at 9.30 a.m. at the offices of Abchurch Communications, 125 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AR.
- Ends -
For further information:
JQW plc | |
Yongde Cai, Chairman | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7709 |
Daocai "Peter" Chen, Chief Executive Officer | www.jqw-ir.com |
Wei Boon Kooi, Chief Financial Officer |
Argento Capital Markets Limited | |
Alan MacKenzie / Jim McGeever | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7093 0353 |
www.argentocapital.net |
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad & Broker) | |
Liam Murray / Jo Turner | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7148 7900 |
www.cairnfin.com |
Media enquiries:
Abchurch Communications Limited | |
Henry Harrison-Topham / Quincy Allan | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7702 |
www.abchurch-group.com |
About JQW plc
JQW is a leading domestic business-to-business e-commerce provider based in the Chinese province of Jiangsu. The Group's core business is its online B2B platform, www.jqw.com, which has been developed to encourage domestic trade by connecting Chinese SMEs with potential trade partners. Founded in 2004, the platform was developed to help to market Chinese SME's websites. JQW has evolved rapidly to become the second highest ranked B2B e-commerce website and operates, what the director's believe to be, the first dedicated B2B search engine, www.jqw.cn.
JQW offers a low-cost entry point for Chinese SMEs to promote themselves and their B2B products to potential buyers. In order to increase transaction opportunities, JQW offers its clients a broad range of services including website design, commercial search services and advertising.
There are approximately 49 million SMEs in China manufacturing a diverse range of products, accounting for 60% of the country's GDP. The internet usage population of China at June 2013 was 591 million and there is a considerable amount being invested into the country's telecommunications infrastructure. These factors have driven an increased demand for domestic trade of B2B, B2C and C2C e-commerce. With the majority of these SMEs requiring the use of third party B2B e-commerce platforms to promote their businesses and access trade partners, the Board believes that JQW offers a robust and highly reputable branded platform. With exposure in over 50 industry sectors and considerable scope for future growth, JQW is in a strong position to capitalise on the development of this market.
55 million | Product details |
10 million | Registered users |
9 million | Companies' details |
5 million | Page views per day |
810,000 | Sheng-Yi-Tong members with website "shops" |
500,000 | Purchase and sales enquiries per month |
197,000 | Fee-paying members |
1,300 | Internet media relationships |
700 | Rated in the top 700 websites for global website traffic rankings |
30 | Sales agencies |
2 | Second (behind Alibaba) in Chinese B2B website traffic rankings |
Related Shares:
JQW.L