Boqii Announces Unaudited Financial Results for the First Half of Fiscal Year 2023

First Half Year Revenues of RMB589.6 million

First Half Year GMV of RMB 1,382.0 million

SHANGHAI, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boqii Holding Limited ("Boqii" or the "Company") (NYSE: BQ), a leading pet-focused platform in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first half of fiscal year 2023 (the Six Months ended September 30, 2022).

Operational and Financial Highlights for the First Half of Fiscal Year 2023：

• Total revenues were RMB589.6 million (US$82.9 million), compared to RMB604.0 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• Loss from operations was RMB29.6 million (US$ 4.2 million), representing a decrease of 64.2% compared to RMB82.6 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• Net loss was RMB 29.5 million (US$4.1 million), representing a decrease of 64.0% from net loss of RMB81.9 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• Non-GAAP net loss was RMB28.5 million (US$4.0 million), representing a decrease of 60.6% from non-GAAP net loss of RMB72.4 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• EBITDA^[1] was a loss of RMB22.9 million (US$3.2 million), representing a decrease of 70.2% from a loss of RMB77.1 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• Total GMV^[2] was RMB1,382.0 million (US$194.3 million), compared to RMB1,484.7 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.
• Active buyers were 3.8 million, representing an increase of 16.4% from 3.3 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

CEO & CFO Quote

Mr. Hao Liang, Boqii's Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented, "Boqii was able to demonstrate its resilience, and highlight its value proposition in the first half despite challenges from COVID-19, supply chain, and consumer sentiment. We saw outstanding performance from our private label, with its revenue increasing 30.9% YoY to RMB105.1 million. Our Boqii mall also continues to be the preferred choice for pet parents, as demonstrated by the 16.4% YoY growth to 3.8 million in active buyers. Riding on the increasing platform stickiness and growing contributions from private labels, we also saw an expanding gross profit margin from 18.6% last year, to 21.0% this year. That should lay a solid foundation for our future development."

Ms. Yingzhi (Lisa) Tang, Boqii's Co-Founder, Co-CEO and CFO commented, "On top of our private label development, we also saw the increasing value of prudence amid market uncertainties. During the first half of fiscal 2023, we made great strides in cost control, with our operating expenses dropped from 32.2% of total revenue last year, to 26.1% of total revenue this year. That paves the way of a significant reduction in net loss, with the first half ending with a net loss of RMB29.5 million, down by 64.0% year-on-year from RMB81.9 million last year. The improving financial performance shows that our business model and development strategy are right on track, and we look forward to serving more pet parents and industry partners in the future, while generating better results for our shareholders."

Financial Results for the First Half of Fiscal Year 2023:

Total revenues were RMB589.6 million (US$82.9 million), compared to RMB604.0 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Gross profit was RMB 123.9 million (US$17.4 million), compared to RMB112.1 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Gross margin was 21.0%, representing an increase of 240 basis points from 18.6% in the same period of fiscal 2022, which is primarily due to improvement of gross margin of private label products and increased proportion of pet supplies and health care products with higher margins.

Operating expenses were RMB153.8 million, representing a decrease of 21.0% from RMB194.7 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022. Operating expenses as a percentage of total revenues was 26.1%, down from 32.2% in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Fulfillment Expenses were RMB68.2 million, compared to RMB62.5 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022. Fulfillment expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 11.6%, compared to 10.4% in the same period of fiscal year 2022. The increase was primarily due to the increased shipping and handling expenses, which resulted from temporary logistics price increases and transportation restrictions due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in China starting from April 2022.

Sales and marketing expenses were RMB63.5 million, representing a decrease of 29.0% from RMB89.5 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022. The decrease was primarily due to the decline of advertising expenses amount to RMB26.1 million resulting from (i) the lower expenditure for cost saving; (ii) the increased proportion of revenue generated from more cost-efficient channels. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenue were 10.8%, down from 14.8% in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

General and administrative expenses were RMB22.1 million, representing a decrease of 48.4% from RMB42.8 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022. The decrease was primarily due to:(i) the decline of share-based compensation expense of RMB13.5 million, resulting form the cancellation of options corresponding to employee departures; (ii) the decline of staff costs amount to RMB3.7 million related to the optimization of our organizational structure; (iii) the decline of professional fees amount to RMB2.5 million compared with the same period of fiscal year 2022. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenue were 3.7%, down from 7.1% in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Loss from operations was RMB29.6 million (US$ 4.2 million), representing a decrease of 64.2% compared to RMB82.6 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Net loss was RMB29.5 million (US$4.1 million), representing a decrease of 64.0% compared to net loss of RMB81.9 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

EBITDA was a loss of RMB22.9 million (US$3.2 million), representing a decrease of 70.2% compared to a loss of RMB77.1 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Non-GAAP net loss was RMB28.5 million (US$ 4.0 million), representing a decrease of 60.6% compared to non-GAAP net loss of RMB72.4 million in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Diluted net loss per share was RMB0.43 (US$ 0.06), compared to diluted net loss per share of RMB1.16 in the same period of fiscal year 2022.

Total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were RMB210.3 million (US$ 29.6million), compared to RMB290.9 million as of March 31, 2022.

Conference Call

Boqii's management will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results at 8:00 AM on Thursday December 1, 2022, U.S. Eastern Time (9:00 PM on Thursday, December 1, 2022, Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

To join the conference, please dial in 15 minutes before the conference is scheduled to begin using below numbers.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until December 8, 2022.

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.boqii.com/.

About Boqii Holding Limited

Boqii Holding Limited (NYSE: BQ) is a leading pet-focused platform in China. We are the leading online destination for pet products and supplies in China with our broad selection of high-quality products including global leading brands, local emerging brands, and our own private label, Yoken and Mocare, offered at competitive prices. Our online sales platforms, including Boqii Mall and our flagship stores on third-party e-commerce platforms, provide customers with convenient access to a wide selection of high-quality pet products and an engaging and personalized shopping experience. Our Boqii Community provides an informative and interactive content platform for users to share their knowledge and love for pets.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding such risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures, namely non-GAAP net loss, non-GAAP net loss margin, EBITDA and EBITDA margin, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. The Company defines (i) non-GAAP net loss as net loss excluding fair value change of derivative liabilities and share-based compensation expenses, (ii) non-GAAP net loss margin as non-GAAP net loss as a percentage of total revenues, (iii) EBITDA as net loss excluding income tax expenses, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization expenses, (iv) EBITDA margin as EBITDA as a percentage of total revenues. The Company believes non-GAAP net loss, non-GAAP net loss margin, EBITDA and EBITDA margin enhance investors' overall understanding of its financial performance and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by its management in its financial and operational decision-making.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures, which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance. For reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, please see the section of the accompanying tables titled, "Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results." The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.

Exchange Rate

This press release contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB7.1135 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on September 30, 2022 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred to could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Boqii Holding Limited
Investor Relations
Tel: +86-21-6882-6051
Email: ir@boqii.com

DLK Advisory Limited 
Tel: +852-2857-7101 
Email: ir@dlkadvisory.com

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