Zong Fuli Resigns, Reason Revealed

On the evening of the 10th, multiple media outlets reported, citing informed sources, that Zong Fuli had resigned from her positions as the legal representative, director, and chairperson of the board of Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. on September 12th, and this has been approved through the relevant procedures by the group's shareholders' meeting and board of directors. In response to the news of Zong Fuli's resignation, Wahaha Group confirmed that it is true.

Zong Fuli resigned.

The subsidiary company announced that it will use "Wawa Xiaozong."

In addition, there are reports that Zong Fuli's resignation is due to the "non-compliance" of trademark usage. Zong Fuli has decided to operate her own brand, "Wa Xiao Zong." From February to May this year, Hongsheng Beverage Group Co., Ltd. applied for the registration of dozens of "Wa Xiao Zong" trademarks, most of which are in the status of "awaiting substantive examination," but the trademark applications in international classification categories 32 for beer beverages, 29 for food, and 30 for convenience foods have completed preliminary approval.

On September 24th, media reported that an insider from Wahaha stated that Shanghai Wahaha drinking water could no longer use the Wahaha brand due to the expiration of the brand, and thus had to start anew.

It is reported that due to various historical legacy issues, under the current equity structure, the use of the "Wahaha" trademark requires unanimous consent from all shareholders of Wahaha Group; otherwise, no party has the right to use it. Therefore, even Zhong Fuli may face the situation of being unable to continue using the "Wahaha" trademark.

This morning, "Wah Xiao Zong" has registered an account on a social media platform, with the certified company being Hongsheng Beverage Group Co., Ltd. The review time was September 30, and there are currently only 112 followers, with no content posted yet.

Zong Fuli remains the second-largest shareholder of Wahaha.

According to the Tianyancha app, currently, Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. has not undergone any changes, and the legal representative is still Zong Fuli, who is also a director of Hongsheng Beverage Group Co., Ltd.

Zong Fuli is associated with over 210 companies, of which more than 200 are in a state of existence or operation, including Wahaha Commercial Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. Zong Fuli holds positions such as chairman and general manager in these companies and owns shares in more than 10 companies. Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. was established in February 1993, with a registered capital of approximately 526 million RMB. It is jointly held by Hangzhou Shangcheng District Cultural Business Travel Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., Zong Fuli, and the grassroots trade union committee of Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co., Ltd. (employee stock ownership committee), with Zong Fuli holding 29.4% of the shares.