China Jo-Jo Drugstores Reports First Quarter 2020 Financial Results

HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc. (NASDAQ CM: CJJD) ("Jo-Jo Drugstores" or the "Company"), a leading online and offline retailer and wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical and other healthcare products and a healthcare provider in China, today announced its financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2020.

Mr. Lei Liu, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Jo-Jo Drugstores, commented, "We are pleased to announce our financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. Our sales grew 11.0%, with sales growth in our retail drugstores, online pharmacy, and wholesale segments. We will continue adapting to the changing retail drugstore environment and making progress towards our long-term strategic goals. We remain confident of our ability to realize the potential of our business model as we endeavor to provide the best experience to our customers."  

First Quarter of Fiscal 2020 Financial Highlights

• Revenue increased by 11.0% to $25.28 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $22.77 million for the same period of last year.
• Gross profit increased by 7.9% to $6.06 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $5.62 million for the same period of last year.
• Gross margin decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 24.0% from 24.7% for the same period of last year.
• Net loss was $2.38 million, or $0.07 per basic and diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $0.70 million, or $0.02 per basic and diluted share, for the same period of last year.

First Quarter of Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

Revenue

Revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2019 increased by $2.51 million, or 11.0%, to $25.28 million from $22.77 million for the same period of last year. The increase in revenue was primarily due to the growth in retail drugstores business, online pharmacy and wholesale business.

Revenue from the retail drugstores business increased by $0.77 million, or 4.8%, to $16.74 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $15.97 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily due to consumer-facing benefits such as emphasis on onsite medical care, chronic disease management services, incremental Direct-to-Patient ("DTP") business caused by continuous hospital medical reform, and maturing of stores opened a year ago.

Revenue from the online pharmacy business increased by $0.42 million, or 20.9%, to $2.44 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $2.02 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily caused by an increase in sales via e-commerce platforms such as Tmall, offset slightly by the decline in sales via the Company's official site. Popular products at reasonable prices are key to success in online business. In order to promote the Company's sales, the Company focused on the selection of medical equipment suitable to local customers.  For example, sales of blood glucose meters and contact lens contributed significantly to our revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the same period a year ago.

Revenue from the wholesale business increased by $1.32 million, or 27.6%, to $6.10 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $4.78 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily a result of the Company's ability to resell certain products, which the Company sold in large quantity at its retail stores, to other vendors at competitive prices.

Gross profit and gross margin

Total cost of goods sold increased by $2.06 million, or 12.0%, to $19.22 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $17.16 million for the same period of last year. Gross profit increased by $0.44 million, or 7.9%, to $6.06 million for three months ended June 30, 2019 from $5.62 million for the same period of last year. Overall gross margin decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 24.0% for the three months ended June 30, 2019, from 24.7% for the same period of last year.

Gross margins for retail drugstores, online pharmacy and wholesale were 30.2%, 14.2%, and 10.9%, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2019. For the same period of last year, the gross margins for retail drugstores, online pharmacy and wholesale of were 30.1%, 13.9%, and 11.1%, respectively.

Loss from operations

Selling and marketing expenses increased by $1.34 million, or 29.0%, to $5.97 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $4.63 million for the same period of last year. The increase in selling and marketing expenses was primarily due to the increase in labor and rent related to the Company's store expansions and rising local living costs.

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.30 million, or 83.4%, to $2.85 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 from $1.55 million for the same period of last year. The Company's retail business incurred additional administrative expenses related to its store expansion. Additionally, Zhejiang Jiuzhou Linjia Medical Investment and Management Co. Ltd, the entity we have 51% that operates two new clinics in Hangzhou, incurred additional administrative labor costs. The bad debt expenses related to the Company's accounts receivable increased by approximately $0.5 million due to certain aged accounts. 

Loss from operations was $2.76 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $0.56 million for the same period of last year. Operating margin was negative 10.9% for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to negative 2.5% for the same period of last year.

Net loss

Net loss was $2.38 million, or $0.07 per basic and diluted share for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to net loss of $0.70 million, or $0.02 per basic and diluted share for the same period of last year.

Financial Condition

As of June 30, 2019, the Company had cash of $8.34 million, compared to $9.32 million as of March 31, 2019. Net cash used in operating activities was $8.16 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $2.58 million for the same period of last year. Net cash used in investing activities was $0.95 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to $0.26 million for the same period of last year. Net cash provided by financing activities was $8.02 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to net cash used in financing activities of $5.21 million for the same period of last year.

About China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc.

China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc. is a leading online and offline retailer and wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical and other healthcare products in China. Jo-Jo Drugstores currently operates retail drugstores and an online pharmacy. It is also a wholesale distributor of products similar to those carried in its pharmacies and it cultivates herbs used for traditional Chinese medicine. For more information about the Company, please visit http://jiuzhou360.com. The Company routinely posts important information on its website.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains information about the Company's view of its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from historical results or those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with its ability to raise additional funding, its ability to maintain and grow its business, variability of operating results, its ability to maintain and enhance its brand, its development and introduction of new products and services, the successful integration of acquired companies, technologies and assets into its portfolio of products and services, marketing and other business development initiatives, competition in the industry, general government regulation, economic conditions, dependence on key personnel, the ability to attract, hire and retain personnel who possess the technical skills and experience necessary to meet the requirements of its clients, and its ability to protect its intellectual property. The Company's encourages you to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company's annual reports and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

Company Contact: 

Frank Zhao
Chief Financial Officer
+86-571-88077108
frank.zhao@jojodrugstores.com

Steve Liu
Investor Relations Director
steve.liu@jojodrugstores.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Tina Xiao
Ascent Investor Relations LLC
+1-917-609-0333
tina.xiao@ascent-ir.com 

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