Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2021.

Registration No. [●]

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM F-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Chanson International Holding

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Cayman Islands   2000   Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District

Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

+86-0991-2302709

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

George Chanson (NY) Corp.

20 West 23rd St

New York, NY 10010

917-545-1575

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

With a Copy to:

 

Ying Li, Esq.

Guillaume de Sampigny, Esq.

Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC
800 Third Avenue, Suite 2800
New York, NY 10022
212-530-2206

Mengyi “Jason” Ye, Esq.

Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP

366 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10017

212-588-0022

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: Promptly after the effective date of this registration statement.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.
   
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.
   
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.
   
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.
   
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.  
   
Emerging growth company
   
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to Be Registered   Amount to
Be
Registered
    Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price per
Share
    Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price(1)
    Amount of
Registration
Fee(2)
 
Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share(3)     3,450,000       6.00     $ 20,700,000     $ 2,258.37  
Underwriter warrants(4)                        
Class A ordinary shares underlying the Underwriter warrants     180,000       6.60     $ 1,188,000     $ 129.61  
Total     3,630,000           $ 21,888,000     $ 2,387.98  

 

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Includes the offering price attributable to up to 450,000 additional shares that Univest Securities, LLC (the “Underwriter”) has the option to purchase to cover over-allotments, if any.
   
(2) Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act, based on an estimate of the proposed maximum aggregate offering price.
   
(3) In accordance with Rule 416(a), we are also registering an indeterminate number of additional Class A ordinary shares that shall be issuable pursuant to Rule 416 to prevent dilution from share splits, share dividends, or similar transactions.
   
(4) The Registrant will issue to the Underwriter warrants to purchase a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to an aggregate of 6% of the Class A ordinary shares (the “Underwriter Warrants”) sold in the offering, excluding any Class A ordinary shares sold as a result of the exercise of the Underwriter’s over-allotment option. The exercise price of the Underwriter Warrants is equal to 110% of the offering price of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered hereby. The Underwriter Warrants are exercisable at any time, and from time to time, in whole or in part, within five years after the date of commencement of sales of the offering.

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell the securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting any offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS DATED MARCH 31, 2021

 

3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

Chanson International Holding

 

This is an initial public offering of our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share (“Class A Ordinary Shares”). We are offering our Class A Ordinary Shares on a firm commitment basis by Univest Securities, LLC (the “Underwriter”). See “Underwriting.” Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.001 per share (“Class B Ordinary Shares”). We currently expect that the initial public offering price for our Class A Ordinary Shares will be in the range of $4.00 to $6.00 per share.

 

Our authorized share capital is $50,000 divided into 44,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 6,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, and we have 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding, respectively. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. The Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into shares of any other class. The Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time after issuance at the option of the holder on a one-to-one basis.

 

We have reserved the symbol “CHSN” for purposes of listing our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market and plan to apply to list our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. It is a condition to the closing of this offering that our Class A Ordinary Shares qualify for listing on a national securities exchange.

 

Investing in our Class A Ordinary Shares involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of losing your entire investment. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 12 to read about factors you should consider before buying our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Please read the disclosures beginning on page 8 of this prospectus for more information.

 

Following the completion of this offering, our largest shareholder will beneficially own approximately 86.62% of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares as a group assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, or approximately 86.03% assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option. As such, we will be deemed a “controlled company” under Nasdaq Marketplace Rules 5615(c). However, even if we are deemed as a “controlled company,” we do not intend to avail ourselves of the corporate governance exemptions afforded to a “controlled company” under the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. See “Risk Factors” and “Management—Controlled Company.”

 

    Per Share     Total Without Over-Allotment Option     Total With Over-Allotment Option  
Initial public offering price   $                    $                   $                
Underwriter’s discounts(1)   $       $       $    
Proceeds to our company before expenses(2)   $       $       $    

 

(1)

See “Underwriting” for more information regarding our compensation arrangements with the Underwriter.

(2) The total estimated expenses related to this offering are set forth in “Underwriting—Discounts and Expenses.”

 

We have granted the Underwriter an option for a period of 45 days after the closing of this offering to purchase up to 15% of the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares to be offered by us pursuant to this offering (excluding Class A Ordinary Shares subject to this option), solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts.

 

We have agreed to issue to the Underwriter warrants, exercisable upon issuance for a period of five years after the date of commencement of sales of the offering, to purchase Class A Ordinary Shares equal to 6% of the total number of Class A Ordinary Shares sold in this offering at a per share price equal to 110% of the public offering price (the “Underwriter Warrants”). The registration statement of which this prospectus is a part also covers the Underwriter Warrants and the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise thereof.

 

The Underwriter expects to deliver the Class A Ordinary Shares against payment as set forth under “Underwriting,” on page 151.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

Prospectus dated [●]

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY 1
   
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA 11
   
RISK FACTORS 12
   
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 44
   
ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES 45
   
USE OF PROCEEDS 46
   
DIVIDEND POLICY 47
   
CAPITALIZATION 48
   
DILUTION 49
   
CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE 51
   
MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 55
   
INDUSTRY 80
   
BUSINESS 88
   
REGULATIONS 105
   
MANAGEMENT 117
   
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS 122
   
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 124
   
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL 125
   
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE 141
   
MATERIAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATION 143
   
UNDERWRITING 151
   
EXPENSES RELATING TO THIS OFFERING 158
   
LEGAL MATTERS 159
   
EXPERTS 159
   
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION 159
   
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS F-1

 

i

 

 

About this Prospectus

 

We and the Underwriter have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses prepared by us or on our behalf or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the Class A Ordinary Shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or where the person making the offer or sale is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is not permitted to make such offer or sale. For the avoidance of doubt, no offer or invitation to subscribe for Class A Ordinary Shares is made to the public in the Cayman Islands. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of the date on the front cover of the prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

Conventions that Apply to this Prospectus

 

Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, references in this prospectus to:

 

  “Affiliated Entities” are to our subsidiaries, branch offices, and VIEs (as defined below);
     
  “Chanson Greenwich” are to Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC, a New York limited liability company, which is wholly owned by Chanson NY (as defined below);
     
  “Chanson International” are to Chanson International Holding, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands and formerly known as RON Holding Limited;
     
  “Chanson NY” are to George Chanson (NY) Corp., a New York corporation, which is wholly owned by Xinjiang United Family (as defined below);
     
  “China” or the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau for the purposes of this prospectus only;
     
  “Class A Ordinary Shares” are to Class A ordinary shares of Chanson International, par value $0.001 per share;
     
  “Class B Ordinary Shares” are to Class B ordinary shares of Chanson International, par value $0.001 per share;
     
  “Deen Global” are to our wholly owned subsidiary, Deen Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company;
     
  “Jenyd” are to Deen Global’s wholly owned subsidiary, Jenyd Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong corporation;
     
  “Chanson 23rd Street” are to Chanson 23rd Street LLC, a New York limited liability company, which is wholly owned by Chanson NY;
     
  “ordinary shares” are to Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares;
     
  “VIE” are to variable interest entity;
     
 

“we,” “us,” “our Company,” or the “Company” are to one or more of Chanson International and its Affiliated Entities, as the case may be; and

     
  “Xinjiang United Family” are to Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized under the laws of the PRC, which is wholly owned by Jenyd.

 

Unless the context indicates otherwise, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the Underwriter of its over-allotment option.

 

The functional currency of Xinjiang United Family, our wholly owned indirect subsidiary in the PRC, and its 25 VIEs, is Renminbi (“RMB”), the currency of China, and the functional currency of Chanson 23rd Street and Chanson Greenwich, our wholly owned indirect subsidiaries in New York City, is U.S. dollars. Our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars. In this prospectus, we refer to assets, obligations, commitments, and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements in U.S. dollars. These dollar references are based on exchange rates of RMB to U.S. dollars, determined as of a specific date or for a specific period. Changes in the exchange rate will affect the amount of our obligations and the value of our assets in terms of U.S. dollars which may result in an increase or decrease in the amount of our obligations (expressed in dollars) and the value of our assets, including accounts receivable (expressed in dollars).

ii

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information and financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to this summary, we urge you to read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our Class A Ordinary Shares, discussed under “Risk Factors,” before deciding whether to buy our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts and per share amounts in this prospectus have been presented giving effect to a forward split of our ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share and additional share issuances to our existing shareholders approved by our shareholders and board of directors on March 27, 2021.

 

Overview

 

Our Company

 

We manufacture and sell a wide selection of bakery products, seasonal products (i.e. products sold during particular holiday seasons), and beverage products; we also offer eat-in services in some of our stores. We currently focus our business in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (“Xinjiang”) of the PRC and New York City and plan to expand to other regions of the PRC and the U.S., with a goal of opening three to five new stores in China annually and 10 new stores in the United States during the next five years. We aim to make healthy, nutritious, and ready-to-eat food through advanced facilities and industry research and to create a comfortable, yet distinguishable store environment in which customers can enjoy our products.

 

We sell our products primarily through (i) a bakery chain consisting of 29 stores operated by Xinjiang United Family and its VIEs (the “PRC Stores”), under our “George●ChansonTM” brand in Xinjiang, and (ii) through Chanson 23rd Street in New York City. We are also currently renovating spaces for the opening of a new store in New York City. Selling through our own stores allows us to run our entire operation more efficiently and to exercise greater control over the quality of our products and the presentation of our brand, and to better manage customer experience in our stores. We also sell our products on our digital platforms and through third-party online food ordering platforms. Our current customer base consists of both individual and corporate customers. To expand our customer base, we have developed a variety of marketing and sale strategies, such as increasing our presence on social media platforms, devising pricing and discounting programs, and improving customer in-store experience.

 

For our PRC Stores, we manufacture the majority of bakery products in our central factory located in Urumqi, Xinjiang, prepare beverage products within the stores, and contract third-party manufacturers to produce seasonal products. For Chanson 23rd Street, we bake bakery products, prepare breakfast, lunch and all-day brunch, bar food, and other light meals for eat in, and make beverage products all within our kitchen in the store. To ensure the quality and safety of our products, we procure raw materials, including flour, eggs, and milk, from renowned suppliers with a record of consistently supplying high-quality raw materials over decades in the food industry. In addition, we have implemented a rigorous quality control system covering our entire operation process and mandated internal training to improve our employees’ awareness and knowledge of food safety.

 

We have a dedicated and highly-experienced product development team that constantly creates new products that reflect market trends and are designed to meet customer demand. As of March 2021, we had more than 190 types of bakery products and seasonal products on sale in our PRC Stores, including over 80 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019, and 92 types of eat-in menu items and bakery products on sale at Chanson 23rd Street, including 25 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019. We also offer a large number of beverage products in our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street and update our drink menus seasonally and in response to ever changing customer demand. By continuously offering new products and refining our product formulas to enhance existing products, we believe that we are able to steadily bring in new customers and drive the frequency of our existing customers’ visits to our stores, digital platforms, and store page on third-party platforms.

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had total revenue of $12,577,135 and $11,963,674, and net income of $945,468 and $758,973, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 81.1% and 80.3% of our total revenue for those fiscal years, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 18.9% and 19.7%, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, we had total revenue of $5,006,575 and $6,321,775, and a net loss of $45,903 and net income of $579,747, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 85.2% and 77.4% of our total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 14.8% and 22.6%, respectively.

 

Our PRC Stores primarily generate revenue through sale of bakery products, seasonal products, and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 90.7% and 88.5% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.9% and 8.6% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.4% and 2.9% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 91.6% and 91.8% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.3% and 5.5%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.1% and 2.7%, respectively.

 

1

 

 

Chanson 23rd Street primarily generates revenue through offering eat-in services and sale of bakery products and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 45.5% and 34.1% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 40.3% and 43.9% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 14.2% and 22.0% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 35.0% and 39.2% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 45.5% and 46.9%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 19.5% and 13.9%, respectively.

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe that the following competitive strengths have contributed to our success and differentiated us from our competitors:

 

  trendy brand reflecting healthy food concepts;
     
  strict quality control;
     
  advanced industry research and constant product innovation;
     
  advantageous information management system;
     
  well-developed distribution network in Xinjiang; and
     
  experienced management and professional teams.

 

Growth Strategies

 

We intend to develop our business and strengthen brand loyalty by pursuing the following strategies:

 

  expand into new markets by opening new stores;
     
  enhance in-store customer experience and customer services;
     
  keep implementing healthy and nutritious diet principles in product development; and
     
  increase brand awareness.

  

Our Securities

 

On March 27, 2021, our shareholders and board of directors approved (i) a forward split of our outstanding ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share, (ii) the creation of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, and (iii) additional share issuances to our existing shareholders to increase the number of total ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of this offering from 100,000 to 9,000,000. On March 29, 2021, we filed our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands (the “Cayman Registrar”) to effect such corporate actions, which filing is currently being processed by the Cayman Registrar. Our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will become effective upon acceptance by the Cayman Registrar. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to ordinary shares, options to purchase ordinary shares, share data, per share data, and related information have been retroactively adjusted, where applicable, in this prospectus to reflect the forward split of our ordinary shares and the additional share issuances to our existing shareholders as if they had occurred at the beginning of the earlier period presented.

 

Our authorized share capital is divided into Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. Due to the voting power of Class B Ordinary Shares, the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares currently and may continue to have a concentration of voting power, which limits the holders of Class A Ordinary Shares’ ability to influence corporate matters. Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one Class A Ordinary Share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares under any circumstances. See “Description of Share Capital.”

 

Unless the context requires otherwise, all references to the number of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares to be outstanding after our initial public offering are based on 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding.

 

2

 

 

Corporate Information

 

Our principal executive offices are located at No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, and our phone number is +86-0991-2302709. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, PO Box 10240, Grand Cayman, KY1-1002 Cayman Islands, and the phone number of our registered office is +1-345-949-8599. We maintain corporate websites at www.xson.com.cn, www.patisseriechanson.com, and www.thymebarnyc.com. The information contained in, or accessible from, our websites or any other website does not constitute a part of this prospectus. Our agent for service of process in the United States is George Chanson (NY) Corp., located at 20 West 23rd St, New York, NY 10010.

 

Corporate Structure

 

We currently conduct our business through:

 

  (i) an association between Xinjiang United Family and 25 individually-owned businesses comprising the VIEs known as the “United Family Group” or “UFG”: 24 of the entities that comprise UFG (each a “UFG Entity” and, collectively, the “UFG Entities”) are owned independently by our chairman of the board of directors (“Chairman”), Mr. Gang Li, and one of the entities is owned independently by Ms. Hui Wang, the Marketing Director of Xinjiang United Family. Our affiliation with UFG is managed through several exclusive agreements between Xinjiang United Family, each UFG Entity, and the sole owner of such UFG Entity. As a result of our arrangements with all the UFG Entities, we effectively control each UFG Entity. For more details on the United Family Group, please see “Corporate History and Structure—The United Family Group”;
     
  (ii) Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices; and
     
  (iii) Chanson 23rd Street and Chanson Greenwich (currently under renovation for an opening planned in the Summer 2021).

 

The following is a complete list of the stores of Xinjiang United Family as of the date of this prospectus, together with their recognized commercial name and relationship to Xinjiang United Family.

 

    Legal Name of Entity   Commercial Name   Nature of Entity
1   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Midong   Part of UFG – owned 100% by Mr. Li and operated under VIE agreements between this entity and Xinjiang United Family
             
2   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Dehui Wanda   Same as above
             
3   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Changji Youhao   Same as above
             
4   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Changji Huijia   Same as above
             
5   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery  

Hongshan

  Same as above

 

3

 

 

6   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Baisheng   Same as above
             
7   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Zhongyangjun   Same as above
             
8   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Beimen   Same as above
             
9   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Minzhu   Same as above
             
10   Tianshan District Jianquan No.3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Riyue Xingguang   Same as above
             
11   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Wanyancheng   Same as above
             
12   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Huarun Wanjia   Same as above
             
13   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Medical College   Same as above
             
14   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Changchun   Same as above
             
15   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Huijia Third Floor   Same as above
             
16   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Baishang   Same as above
             
17   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Xiaoxigou   Same as above
             
18   Xinshi District South No.3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Railway Bureau   Same as above
             
19   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Economics Development Wanda   Same as above
             
20   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Hongshan Lifestyle Store   Same as above

 

4

 

 

21   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Taigu Town   Same as above
             
22   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Nanhu   Same as above
             
23   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Hebei Road Huarun   Same as above
             
24   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Degang Wanda   Same as above
             
25   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Shihezi   Part of UFG – owned 100% by Ms. Hui Wang and operated under agreements between this entity and Xinjiang United Family
             
26   Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. Tianshan District Chanson Bakery   Tianbai   A branch office of Xinjiang United Family
             
27   Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. Chanson Bakery Urumqi Branch   Wenhua   A branch office of Xinjiang United Family
             
28   Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. Urumqi Meimei Chanson Bakery   Meimei   A branch office of Xinjiang United Family
             
29   Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. Ruitai Chanson Bakery   Ruitai  

A store operated by Xinjiang United Family, not a separate legal entity

             
30   Chanson 23rd Street LLC   Chanson 23rd Street   A wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Xinjiang United Family
             
31   Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC   Chanson Greenwich  

Same as above. We expect Chanson Greenwich to open in the Summer 2021.

 

For ease of reference, unless it is necessary to the understanding of the context to differentiate, throughout this prospectus we will refer to all of the above entities collectively as our “stores” and, to the extent we refer to a specific entity listed in the table above, we refer to such entity by its commercial name.

 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure after the Reorganization (as defined in “Corporate History and Structure—Our Corporate History”) and upon completion of this offering based on a proposed number of 3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares being offered, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option:

 

  

Notes: All percentages reflect the voting ownership interests instead of the equity interests held by each of our shareholders given that each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share and each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share.

 

(1) Represents 2,700,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,400,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Gang Li, the 100% owner of Danton Global Limited, as of the date of this prospectus.
   
(2) Represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Jihong Cai, the 100% owner of Haily Global Limited, as of the date of this prospectus.
   
(3) Represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Cheng Chen, the 100% owner of C&C Capital Investments LLC, as of the date of this prospectus.
   
(4) Represents an aggregate of 360,000 Class A Ordinary Shares held equally by two corporate shareholders, each one of which holds less than 5% of our voting ownership interests, as of the date of this prospectus.

  

Summary of Risk Factors

 

Investing in our Class A Ordinary Shares involves significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings. These risks are discussed more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors.”

 

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Risks Related to Our Business

 

Risks and uncertainties related to our business include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

  our business is affected by changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending;
     
  our long-term success is highly dependent on our ability to successfully identify and secure appropriate sites and timely develop and expand our operations in existing and new markets;
     
  we operate in a highly-competitive market and our failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our results of operations;
     
  our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows have been adversely affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) outbreak;
     
  we rely on our central factory and a limited number of third-party producers and suppliers. Any interruption in operations at our central factory or in such third-party producers or suppliers could prevent or limit our ability to meet demand for or fulfill orders of our products;
     
  our geographic focus makes us particularly vulnerable to economic and other events and trends in Xinjiang and New York City; and
     
  failure to maintain or enhance our brands or image could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

 

We are also subject to risks and uncertainties related to our corporate structure, including, but are not limited to, the following:

 

  our VIE Arrangements with the UFG Entities and the UFG Operators may not be effective in providing control over the UFG Entities;
     
  our contractual arrangements with the UFG Entities are governed by the laws of the PRC and we may have difficulty in enforcing any rights we may have under these contractual arrangements;
     
  our controlling shareholder has potential conflicts of interest with our Company which may adversely affect our business; and
     
  we rely on the approval certificates and business license held by UFG and any deterioration of the relationship between Xinjiang United Family and UFG could materially and adversely affect our overall business operations.

 

Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC

 

We face risks and uncertainties relating to doing business in the PRC in general, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

  changes in China’s economic, political, or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations;
     
  uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protection available to you and us;
     
  PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us;
     
  under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment; and
     
  there are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.

 

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Risks Relating to this Offering and the Trading Market

 

In addition to the risks described above, we are subject to general risks and uncertainties relating to this offering and the trading market, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

  there has been no public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell our Class A Ordinary Shares at or above the price you pay for them, or at all;
     
   the dual class structure of our ordinary shares has the effect of concentrating voting control with our Chairman, and his interest may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders; and
     
  We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

 

Impact of COVID-19 on Our Operations and Financial Performance

 

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we temporarily closed all but one of our PRC Stores between late January and early March of 2020. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities on March 8, 2020. However, all the PRC Stores were closed again on July 17, 2020 due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities in September 2020. In the United States, Chanson 23rd Street in New York City provided only delivery and pickup services between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and resumed outdoor dining services at the end of June 2020 and indoor dining services at the end of September 2020. Chanson 23rd Street suspended its indoor dining services again between December 14, 2020 and February 11, 2021 according to an indoor dining ban issued by the Governor of New York State. Chanson 23rd Street resumed its indoor dining services on February 12, 2021 at 25 percent capacity, which was increased to 35 percent on February 26, 2021 and further increased to 50 percent on March 19, 2021. In addition, the renovation of Chanson Greenwich was delayed and we currently expect the store to open in the Summer 2021.

 

See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—COVID-19 Affecting Our Results of Operations.”

 

Implications of Our Being an “Emerging Growth Company”

 

As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the “JOBS Act.” An “emerging growth company” may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to larger public companies. In particular, as an emerging growth company, we:

 

  may present only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations;
     
  are not required to provide a detailed narrative disclosure discussing our compensation principles, objectives and elements and analyzing how those elements fit with our principles and objectives, which is commonly referred to as “compensation discussion and analysis”;
     
  are not required to obtain an attestation and report from our auditors on our management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;

 

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  are not required to obtain a non-binding advisory vote from our shareholders on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements (commonly referred to as the “say-on-pay,” “say-on frequency” and “say-on-golden-parachute” votes);
     
  are exempt from certain executive compensation disclosure provisions requiring a pay-for-performance graph and CEO pay ratio disclosure;
     
  are eligible to claim longer phase-in periods for the adoption of new or revised financial accounting standards under §107 of the JOBS Act; and
     
  will not be required to conduct an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting until our second annual report on Form 20-F following the effectiveness of our initial public offering.

 

We intend to take advantage of all of these reduced reporting requirements and exemptions, other than the longer phase-in periods for the adoption of new or revised financial accounting standards under §107 of the JOBS Act.

 

Under the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of the above-described reduced reporting requirements and exemptions until we no longer meet the definition of an emerging growth company. The JOBS Act provides that we would cease to be an “emerging growth company” at the end of the fiscal year in which the fifth anniversary of our initial sale of common equity pursuant to a registration statement declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), occurred, if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue, have more than $700 million in market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates, or issue more than $1 billion in principal amount of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

 

Foreign Private Issuer Status

 

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As such, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies. For example:

 

  we are not required to provide as many Exchange Act reports, or as frequently, as a domestic public company;
     
  for interim reporting, we are permitted to comply solely with our home country requirements, which are less rigorous than the rules that apply to domestic public companies;
     
  we are not required to provide the same level of disclosure on certain issues, such as executive compensation;
     
  we are exempt from provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information;
     
  we are not required to comply with the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; and
     
  we are not required to comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and establishing insider liability for profits realized from any “short-swing” trading transaction.

 

Controlled Company

 

Upon completion of this offering, our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, will beneficially own approximately 86.62% of the aggregate voting power of our outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares as a group assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, or 86.03% assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option. As a result, we will be deemed a “controlled company” for the purpose of the Nasdaq listing rules. As a controlled company, we are permitted to elect to rely on certain exemptions from the obligations to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

 

  the requirement that our director nominees be selected or recommended solely by independent directors; and
     
  the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee and a compensation committee that are composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the purposes and responsibilities of the committees.

 

Although we do not intend to rely on the controlled company exemptions under the Nasdaq listing rules even if we are deemed a controlled company, we could elect to rely on these exemptions in the future, and if so, you would not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

 

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THE OFFERING

 

Class A Ordinary Shares offered by us   3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, or 3,450,000 Class A Ordinary Shares if the Underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full
     
Price per Class A Ordinary Share   We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be in the range of $4.00 to $6.00 per Class A Ordinary Share.
     
Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding prior to completion of this offering   3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
     
Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after this offering  

6,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares assuming no exercise of the Underwriter’s over-allotment option and excluding 180,000 Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Underwriter Warrants

 

6,510,000 Class A Ordinary Shares assuming full exercise of the Underwriter’s over-allotment option and excluding 180,000 Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Underwriter Warrants

     
Listing   We will apply to have our Class A Ordinary Shares listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
     
Ticker symbol   “CHSN”
     
Transfer Agent  

Transhare Corporation

     
Use of proceeds   We intend to use the proceeds from this offering to open new stores in the U.S. and for working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 46 for more information.
     
Lock-up   All of our directors and officers and our shareholders owning 5% or more of our Class A Ordinary Shares have agreed with the Underwriter, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer, or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of our Class A Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A Ordinary Shares for a period of six months after the date of this prospectus. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting” for more information.
     

Risk factors

 

 

 

Voting rights

 

The Class A Ordinary Shares offered hereby involve a high degree of risk. You should read “Risk Factors,” beginning on page 12 for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to invest in our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares are entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share.

 

Holders of Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share.

 

Holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares will generally vote together as a single class, unless otherwise required by law. Mr. Gang Li, who after our initial public offering will control approximately 86.62% of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the Underwriter or 86.03% of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option by the Underwriter, will have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election of our directors. See “Description of Share Capital”.

 

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Summary Consolidated Financial Data

 

The following selected historical statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, have been derived from our audited financial statements for those periods. The following summary consolidated financial data for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, have been derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. You should read this data together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus as well as “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” appearing elsewhere in the prospectus.

 

Selected Statements of Operations Information:

 

    For the Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2019
    For the Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2018
 
Revenue   $ 12,577,135     $ 11,963,674  
Gross profit   $ 6,673,679     $ 5,931,172  
Operating expenses   $ 5,606,716     $ 5,088,706  
Income from operations   $ 1,066,963     $ 842,466  
Provision for Income taxes   $ 59,686     $ 58,151  
Net income   $ 945,468     $ 758,973  

 

    For the
Six Months
Ended
June 30,
2020
    For the
Six Months
Ended
June 30,
2019
 
Revenue   $ 5,006,575     $ 6,321,775  
Gross profit   $ 2,498,432     $ 3,440,353  
Operating expenses   $ 2,479,379     $ 2,832,242  
Income from operations   $ 19,053     $ 608,111  
Provision for Income taxes   $ 7,451     $ 11,206  
Net income (loss)   $ (45,903 )   $ 579,747  

 

Selected Balance Sheet Information:

 

    As of
December 31,
2019
    As of
December 31,
2018
 
Current assets   $ 5,160,941     $ 3,742,066  
Total assets   $ 17,447,725     $ 14,755,305  
Current liabilities   $ 8,406,127     $ 7,225,513  
Total liabilities   $ 15,176,665     $ 13,402,926  
Total shareholders’ equity   $ 2,271,060     $ 1,352,379  

 

    As of
June 30,
2020
    As of
December 31,
2019
 
Current assets   $ 5,346,151     $ 5,160,941  
Total assets   $ 20,373,758     $ 17,447,725  
Current liabilities   $ 8,898,968     $ 8,406,127  
Total liabilities   $ 18,163,074     $ 15,176,665  
Total shareholders’ equity   $ 2,210,684     $ 2,271,060  

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our Class A Ordinary Shares, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with all of the other information set forth in this prospectus, including the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be materially and adversely affected, which could cause the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. The risks described below and discussed in other parts of this prospectus are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business. You should only consider investing in our Class A Ordinary Shares if you can bear the risk of loss of your entire investment.

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

Our business is affected by changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending.

 

Our success depends, in part, upon the popularity of our bakery products and our ability to develop new bakery products that appeal to consumers. Shifts in consumer preferences away from our bakery stores or our product offerings and mix, our inability to develop new products that appeal to consumers could harm our business. Our success depends in large part on our customers’ continued belief that food made with high-quality ingredients, including selected proteins raised without antibiotics, our artisan breads, cakes, pastries, and other bakery treats made without artificial preservatives, flavors, sweeteners, or colors from artificial sources are worth the prices charged at our bakery stores relative to the lower prices offered by some of our competitors. Our inability to successfully educate customers about the quality of our bakery products or our customers’ rejection of our pricing approach could result in decreased demand for our products or require us to change our pricing, marketing, or promotional strategies, which could materially and adversely affect our consolidated financial results or the brand identity that we have created. In addition, our success depends to a significant extent on discretionary consumer spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. Accordingly, we may experience declines in sales during economic downturns or during periods of uncertainty. Any material decline in the amount of discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations, business, and financial condition.

 

Our long-term success is highly dependent on our ability to successfully identify and secure appropriate sites and timely develop and expand our operations in existing and new markets.

 

One of the key means of achieving our growth strategies will be through opening and operating new stores on a profitable basis for the foreseeable future. We opened four, five, and three new stores in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively. We identify target markets, taking into account numerous factors such as the locations of our current stores, demographics, traffic patterns, information gathered from various sources, and, recently, whether known consumer patterns will remain at the same level as prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and if we need to modify the layout of our new stores to minimize contact with customers. We may not be able to open our planned new stores within budget or on a timely basis, if at all, given the uncertainty of these factors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. As we operate more stores, our rate of expansion relative to the size of our store base will eventually decline.

 

The number and timing of new stores opened during any given period may be negatively impacted by a number of factors, including:

 

  epidemics such as the COVID-19 outbreak;
     
  our ability to increase brand awareness and bakery product consumption in areas where we open stores;

 

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  the identification and availability of sites for store locations with the appropriate size, traffic patterns, local retail and business attractions, and infrastructure that will drive high levels of customer traffic and sales per unit;
     
  competition in existing and new markets, including competition for store sites;
     
  the negotiation of acceptable lease terms;
     
  our ability to obtain all required governmental permits on a timely basis;
     
  our ability to control construction and development costs of new stores;
     
  the maintenance of adequate distribution capacity, information systems, and other operational system capabilities;
     
  integrating new stores into our existing procurement, manufacturing, distribution, and other support operations;
     
  the hiring, training, and retention of store management and other qualified personnel;
     
  assimilating new store employees into our corporate culture;
     
  the effective management of inventory to meet the needs of our stores on a timely basis; and
     
  the availability of sufficient levels of cash flow and financing to support our expansion.

 

Unavailability of attractive store locations, delays in the acquisition or opening of new stores, delays or costs resulting from a decrease in commercial development due to capital constraints, difficulties in staffing and operating new store locations, or lack of customer acceptance of stores in new market areas may negatively impact our new store growth and the costs or the profitability associated with new stores.

 

Additionally, customer trends, preferences, and demand may vary significantly by region, and our experience in the markets in which we currently operate may not be applicable in other parts of the PRC and the U.S. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our experience to expand into other parts of the PRC and the U.S. When we enter new markets, we may face intense competition from companies with greater experience or an established presence in the targeted geographical areas or from other companies with similar expansion targets. In addition, our business model may not be successful in new and untested markets and markets with a different business environment. We may not be able to grow our revenue in the new cities we enter into, but we will incur substantial costs in connection with any such expansion. Consequently, we cannot assure you that we will achieve our planned growth or, even if we are able to grow our store base as planned, that any new stores will be profitable, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We operate in a highly-competitive market and our failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

The market for bakery products is highly competitive. Our current competitors include international and domestic companies that produce and sell bakery products in Xinjiang and New York City, and our potential competitors include companies that produce and sell bakery products in other cities in the U.S. We compete for customers primarily on the basis of the price and quality of our products, food safety, brand awareness and loyalty, responsiveness to customer demand and market trends, customer experience, the ability to accurately estimate sales quota and control inventory, production capacity, and operation and management of chain stores. We may not successfully compete with our existing competitors and new competitors may enter the market.

 

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In addition, we cannot predict the pricing or promotion actions of our competitors or their effect on customer perceptions or the success of our own advertising and promotional efforts. Our competitors may develop and launch products targeted to compete directly with our products and some of our competitors may have substantially greater financial, marketing, and other resources than we do. This creates competitive pressure that could cause us to lose market share or require us to lower prices, increase advertising expenditures, or increase the use of discounting or promotional campaigns. These competitive factors may also restrict our ability to increase prices, including in response to commodity and other cost increases. If we are unable to continue to respond effectively to these and other competitive pressure, our customers may reduce purchase of our products or may insist on prices that erode our margins. These or other developments could materially and adversely affect our sales volumes and margins and result in a decrease in our operating results, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has spread throughout the world, especially in China, the United States, and Europe. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic—the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. The outbreak has resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. Both the Chinese and U.S. governments have ordered quarantines, travel restrictions, and the temporary closure of stores and facilities. Companies are also taking precautions, such as requiring employees to work remotely, imposing travel restrictions, and temporarily closing businesses.

 

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we temporarily closed all but one of our PRC Stores between late January and early March of 2020. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities on March 8, 2020. However, all the PRC Stores were closed again on July 17, 2020 due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities in September 2020. In the United States, Chanson 23rd Street in New York City provided only delivery and pickup services between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and resumed outdoor dining services at the end of June 2020 and indoor dining services at the end of September 2020. Chanson 23rd Street suspended its indoor dining services again between December 14, 2020 and February 11, 2021 according to an indoor dining ban issued by the Governor of New York State. Chanson 23rd Street resumed its indoor dining services on February 12, 2021 at 25 percent capacity, which was increased to 35 percent on February 26, 2021 and further increased to 50 percent on March 19, 2021. In addition, the renovation of Chanson Greenwich was delayed and we currently expect the store to open in the Summer 2021. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—COVID-19 Affecting Our Results of Operations.”

 

Consequently, the COVID-19 outbreak has materially adversely affected our business operations and condition and operating results for 2020, including but not limited to material negative impact on our total revenue and net income. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak impacts our results of operations in 2021 will depend on the future developments of the outbreak, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the outbreak, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable.

 

Sales of our products are subject to changing customer preferences. If we do not correctly anticipate such changes, our sales and profitability may decline.

 

There are a number of trends in customer preferences which have an impact on us and the bakery industry as a whole. These include, among others, preferences for ready-to-eat, natural, and healthy products. Concerns as to the health impacts and nutritional value of certain bakery products may increasingly result in bakery product manufacturers being encouraged or required to produce products with reduced levels of salt, sugar, and fat and to eliminate trans-fatty acids and certain other ingredients. Customer preferences are also shaped by concern over the environmental impact of products. The success of our business depends on both the continued appeal of our products and, given the varied backgrounds and tastes of our customer base, our ability to offer a sufficient range of products to satisfy a broad spectrum of preferences. Any shift in customer preferences in the markets in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business. Customer tastes are also susceptible to change. Our competitiveness therefore depends on our ability to predict and quickly adapt to customer trends, exploiting profitable opportunities for product development without alienating our existing customer base or focusing excessive resources or attention on unprofitable or short-lived trends. If we are unable to respond on a timely and appropriate basis to changes in demand or customer preferences, our sales volumes and margins could be adversely affected.

 

14

 

 

Our future results and competitive position are dependent on the successful development of new products and improvement of existing products, which are subject to a number of difficulties and uncertainties.

 

Our future results and ability to maintain or improve our competitive position depend on our capacity to anticipate changes in our key markets and to identify, develop, manufacture, market, and sell new or improved products in these changing markets successfully. We aim to introduce new products and re-launch and extend existing product lines on a timely basis in order to counteract obsolescence and decreases in sales of existing products as well as to increase overall sales of our products. The launch and success of new or modified products are inherently uncertain, especially as to the products’ appeal to customers, and there can be no assurance as to our continuing ability to develop and launch successful new products or variations of existing products. The failure to launch a product successfully can give rise to inventory write-offs and other costs and can affect customer perception of our other products. Market factors and the need to develop and provide modified or alternative products may also increase costs. In addition, launching new or modified products can result in cannibalization of sales of our existing products if customers purchase the new product in place of our existing products. If we are unsuccessful in developing new products in response to changing customer demand or preferences in an efficient and economical manner, or if our competitors respond more effectively than we do, demand for our products may decrease, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our inability to source raw materials or other inputs of an acceptable type or quality could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We use significant quantities of food ingredients and packaging materials and are therefore vulnerable to fluctuations in the availability and prices of food ingredients, packaging materials, energy, and other supplies. In particular, raw materials such as milk, butter, eggs, flour, and sugar have historically represented a significant portion of our cost of revenue, and accordingly, adverse changes in raw material prices will impact our results of operations.

 

Specifically, the availability and the prices of milk, eggs, and other agricultural commodities can be volatile. We are also affected by the availability of quality raw materials. General economic conditions, unanticipated demand, problems in manufacturing or distribution, natural disasters, weather conditions during the growing and harvesting seasons, plant and livestock diseases, and local, national, or international quarantines can also adversely affect availability and prices of commodities in the long and short term.

 

While we attempt to negotiate fixed prices for certain materials with our suppliers for periods up to a full year, most of our contracts with suppliers do not have fix prices, therefore we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in managing input costs if prices increase for extended periods of time. Moreover, there is no market for hedging against price volatility for certain raw materials and accordingly such materials are bought at the spot rate in the market.

 

Our ability to avoid the adverse effects of a pronounced and sustained price increase in raw materials is limited. Any increases in prices or scarcity of ingredients or packaging materials required for our products could increase our costs and disrupt our operations. If the availability of any of our inputs is constrained for any reason, we may not be able to obtain sufficient supplies or supplies of a suitable quality on favorable terms or at all. Such shortages could materially and adversely affect our market share, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our inability to pass on price increases for materials or other inputs to our customers could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Our ability to pass through increases in the prices of raw materials to our customers depends, among others, on prevailing competitive conditions and pricing methods in the markets in which we operate, and we may not be able to pass through such price increases to our customers. Even if we are able to pass through increases in prices, there is typically a time lag between cost increases impacting our business and implementation of product price increases, during which time our gross margin may be negatively impacted. During our adjustments to increase our prices to recover cost increases, customers may take actions which exacerbate the impact of such cost increases, for example, by ceasing to purchase our products or deferring orders until adjustments have ended. Our inability to pass through price increases in raw materials and preserve our profit margins in the future could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

15

 

 

We rely on our central factory and a limited number of third-party producers and suppliers. Any interruption in operations at our central factory or in such third-party producers or suppliers could prevent or limit our ability to meet demand for or fulfill orders of our products.

 

We operate a central factory located in Urumqi, which produces all of the packaged bakery products, and the semi-finished products for birthday cakes and made-in-store pastries for our PRC Stores. Any significant disruption at our central factory for any reason, including regulatory requirements, the loss of certifications or approvals, technical difficulties, labor disputes, power interruptions or other infrastructure failures, fires, earthquakes, or other force of nature, or terrorist attacks, could disrupt the supply of the products of our PRC Stores and significantly harm our results of operations and financial performance.

 

In addition, the Premises Use Agreement for our central factory expires in 2028, and we may be unable to renew this agreement or find a new facility on commercially reasonable terms. If we were unable or unwilling to renew at the proposed rates, relocating our manufacturing facility would involve significant expenses in connection with the movement and installation of key manufacturing equipment and any necessary recertification with regulatory bodies, and we cannot assure you that such a move would not delay or otherwise adversely affect our manufacturing activities or operating results. If our manufacturing capabilities were impaired by our move, we may not be able to manufacture and ship our products in a timely manner, which would adversely impact our business.

 

We also depend upon a limited number of third-party producers to produce all of the seasonal products for our PRC Stores. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, our four largest third-party suppliers represented approximately 47% and 53% of raw material purchases of our PRC Stores, respectively, and our three largest third-party suppliers represented approximately 76% and 75% of raw material purchases of Chanson 23rd Street, respectively. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, our four largest third-party suppliers represented approximately 47% of raw material purchases of our PRC Stores, and our three largest third-party suppliers represented approximately 75% of raw material purchases of Chanson 23rd Street. These third-party producers and suppliers are run by independent entities that are subject to their own unique operational and financial risks, which are out of our control. Certain of our contracts with key suppliers, such as for the raw materials we used in our products, can be terminated by the supplier upon giving notice within a certain period. If any of these producers or suppliers breach or terminate their contracts with us or experience significant disruptions of their operations, we will be required to find and enter into arrangements with one or more replacement producers or suppliers. Finding alternative producers could involve significant delays and other costs and these producers may not be available to us on reasonable terms or at all. Any disruption of producing or packaging could delay delivery of our products, which could harm our business and financial results and result in lost or deferred revenue.

 

Our geographic focus makes us particularly vulnerable to economic and other events and trends in Xinjiang and New York City.

 

Our current operations in the PRC are geographically limited to three cities in Xinjiang, and 26 of our 29 PRC Stores are located in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. We derived 75% and 71% of our revenue from our stores in Urumqi in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and derived 89% of our revenue from our stores in Urumqi in the six months ended June 30, 2020. In addition, our current operations in the U.S. are limited to New York City. Our future growth will depend on the growth and stability of the economy of Xinjiang, especially in Urumqi, and New York City. An economic downturn of Xinjiang or New York City, governmental measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, or the implementation of provincial or local policies unfavorable to bakery industry may cause a decrease in the demand for our products and could have a negative impact on our profitability and business.

 

The complex ethnic composition of Xinjiang has given rise to ethnic and other tensions both in Urumqi and elsewhere in Xinjiang. Events such as terrorist and ethnic extremist attacks as well as riots and the resulting political instability, economy suspension, and concerns over safety in Xinjiang could have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operation.

 

Failure to maintain or enhance our brands or image could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

We believe our “George●Chanson,” “Patisserie ChansonTM,” and “Chanson” brands are well-recognized among our customers and other food industry players such as other bakery product manufacturers and bakery chain stores in the local markets we operate in. Our brands are integral to our sales and marketing efforts. Our continued success in maintaining and enhancing our brands and image depends to a large extent on our ability to satisfy customer needs by further developing and maintaining the quality of our products, as well as our ability to respond to competitive pressures. If we are unable to satisfy customer needs or if our public image or reputation were otherwise diminished, our business transactions with our customers may decline, which could in turn adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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Health concerns or adverse developments with respect to the safety or quality of products of the food industry in general or our own products specifically may damage our reputation, increase our costs of operations, and decrease demand for our products.

 

Food safety and the public’s perception that our products are safe and healthy are essential to our image and business. We sell food products for human consumption, which subjects us to safety risks such as product contamination, spoilage, misbranding, or product tampering. Product contamination, including the presence of a foreign object, substance, chemical, or other agent or residue or the introduction of a genetically modified organism, could require product withdrawals or recalls or the destruction of inventory, and could result in negative publicity, temporary plant closures, and substantial costs of compliance or remediation. We may also be impacted by publicity concerning any assertion that our products caused illness or injury. In addition, we could be subject to claims or lawsuits relating to an actual or alleged illness stemming from product contamination or any other incidents that compromise the safety and quality of our products. Any significant lawsuit or widespread product recall or other events leading to the loss of customer confidence in the safety and quality of our products could damage our brand, reputation, and image and negatively impact our sales, profitability, and prospects for growth. In addition, product recalls are difficult to foresee and prepare for and, in the event that we are required to recall one or more of our products, such recall may result in loss of sales due to unavailability of our products and may take up a significant amount of our management’s time and attention. We maintain systems designed to monitor food safety risks and carefully select our third-party producers and suppliers. However, we cannot guarantee that our efforts will be successful or that such risks will not materialize. In addition, although we attempt, through contractual relationships and regular inspections, to control the risk of contamination caused by third parties in relation to the manufacturing processes we outsource, we cannot guarantee that our efforts will be successful or that contamination of our products by third parties will not materialize.

 

We are also subject to further risks affecting the food industry generally, including risks posed by widespread contamination and evolving nutritional and health-related concerns. Regulatory authorities may limit the supply of certain types of food products in response to public health concerns and customers may perceive certain products to be unsafe or unhealthy. As a result, we or our suppliers would be required to find alternative supplies or ingredients that may or may not be available at commercially reasonable prices and within the required time. In addition, governmental regulations may require us to identify replacement products to offer to our customers or, alternatively, to discontinue certain offerings or limit the range of products we offer. We may be unable to find substitutes that are as appealing to our customer base, or such substitutes may not be widely available or may be available only at increased costs. Such substitutions or limitations could also reduce demand for our products.

 

We could also be subject to claims or lawsuits relating to an actual or alleged illness or injury or death stemming from the consumption of a misbranded, altered, contaminated, or spoiled product, which could negatively affect our business. Awards of damages, settlement amounts, and fees and expenses resulting from such claims and the public relations implications of any such claims could have an adverse effect on our business. We do not currently have insurance to cover claims for damages, and if we choose to purchase such insurance, the availability and price of insurance to cover claims for damages are subject to market forces that we do not control, and such insurance may not cover all the costs of such claims and would not cover damage to our reputation. Even if product liability claims against us are not successful or fully pursued, these claims could be costly and time consuming and divert our management’s time and resources towards defending them rather than operating our business. In addition, any adverse publicity concerning such claims, even if unfounded, could cause customers to lose confidence in the safety and quality of our products and damage our reputation and brand image.

 

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We could incur material costs to address violations of, or liabilities under, health, safety, and environmental regulations.

 

Our facilities and operations in the PRC are subject to numerous health, safety, and environmental regulations, including local and national laws governing, among other things, water supply and use, water discharges, air emissions, chemical safety, clean-up of contamination, energy use, noise pollution, and workplace health and safety. Health, safety, and environmental legislation in the PRC have generally become more comprehensive and restrictive and more rigid over time and enforcement has become more stringent. Failure to comply with applicable requirements, or the terms of required permits, can result in penalties or fines, clean-up costs, third-party property damage, and personal injury claims, which could have a material adverse effect on our brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, if health, safety, and environmental laws and regulations in the PRC and the other countries in which we operate or from which we source raw materials and ingredients become more stringent in the future, the extent and timing of investments required to maintain compliance may exceed our budgets or estimates and may limit the availability of funding for other investments.

 

Furthermore, under some environmental laws, we could be liable for costs incurred in investigating or remediating contamination at properties we own or occupy, even if the contamination was caused by a party unrelated to us or was not caused by us, and even if the activity which caused the contamination was legal at the time it occurred. The discovery of previously unknown contamination, or the imposition of new or more burdensome obligations to investigate or remediate contamination at our properties or at third-party sites, could result in substantial unanticipated costs which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Chanson 23rd Street and any future stores we may open in the U.S. are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations concerning waste disposal, pollution, protection of the environment, and the presence, discharge, storage, handling, release, and disposal of, and exposure to, hazardous or toxic substances. These environmental laws provide for significant fines and penalties for noncompliance and liabilities for remediation, sometimes without regard to whether the owner or operator of the property knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of hazardous toxic substances. Third parties may also make claims against owners or operators of properties for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of, or actual or alleged exposure to, such hazardous or toxic substances at, on or from our stores. Environmental conditions relating to releases of hazardous substances at prior, existing, or future store sites could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Further, environmental laws, and the administration, interpretation, and enforcement thereof, are subject to change and may become more stringent in the future, each of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

Increased distribution costs or disruption of product transportation could adversely affect our business and financial results.

 

Distribution costs have historically fluctuated significantly over time, particularly in connection with oil prices, and increases in such costs could result in reduced profits. In addition, certain factors affecting distribution costs are controlled by third-party carriers. To the extent that the market price for fuel or freight or the number or availability of carriers fluctuates, our distribution costs could be affected. In addition, temporary or long-term disruption of product transportation due to weather-related problems, strikes, lockouts, or other events could impair our ability to supply products affordably and in a timely manner or at all. Failure to deliver our perishable food products promptly could also result in inventory spoilage and the inability to satisfy the demand of our customers at our stores. Any increases in the cost of transportation, and any disruption in transportation, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Failure to obtain and maintain required licenses and permits or to comply with alcoholic beverage or food control regulations could lead to the loss of our Chanson 23rd Street’s liquor and food service licenses and, thereby, harm its business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

The food retail industry is subject to various federal, state, and local government regulations, including those relating to the sale of food and alcoholic beverages. Such regulations are subject to change from time to time. The failure to obtain and maintain licenses, permits, and approvals relating to such regulations could adversely affect the business, financial condition, or results of operations of Chanson 23rd Street. Typically, licenses must be renewed annually and may be revoked, suspended, or denied renewal for cause at any time if governmental authorities determine that our conduct violates applicable regulations. Difficulties or failure to maintain or obtain the required licenses and approvals could adversely affect Chanson 23rd Street and delay or result in our decision to cancel the opening of new stores, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

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Alcoholic beverage control regulations generally require Chanson 23rd Street to apply to a state authority and, in certain locations, county, or municipal authorities for a license that must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. Alcoholic beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of daily operations of Chanson 23rd Street, including minimum age of patrons and employees, hours of operation, advertising, trade practices, wholesale purchasing, other relationships with alcohol manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors, inventory control, and handling, storage, and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. Any future failure to comply with these regulations and obtain or retain liquor licenses could adversely affect the business, financial condition, or results of operations of Chanson 23rd Street.

 

Any disruption of our information technology system would harm our business and reduce our profitability.

 

We rely on our information technology systems, in particular our Enterprise Resource Planning management information system (the “ERP System”) in the PRC Stores, for various services related to inventory management, production, product transportation, point of sales, and accounting and financial management. Our performance depends on the availability of accurate and timely data and other information from key software applications to aid day-to-day business and decision-making processes. We may be adversely affected if our controls designed to manage information technology operational risks fail to contain such risks. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure and to maintain the related automated and manual control processes, we could be subject to adverse effects including billing and collection errors, business disruptions, in particular concerning our manufacturing and logistics functions, and security breaches. Any disruption caused by failings in our information technology infrastructure equipment or of communication networks, could delay or otherwise impact our day-to-day business and decision-making processes and negatively impact our performance. In addition, we are reliant on third parties to service parts of our IT infrastructure. Failure on their part to provide good and timely service may have an adverse impact on our information technology network. Furthermore, we do not control the facilities or operations of our suppliers. An interruption of operations at any of their facilities or any failure by them to deliver on their contractual commitments may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Data security breaches and attempts thereof could negatively affect our reputation, credibility, and business.

 

We collect and store personal information relating to our customers and employees, including their personally identifiable information, and rely on third parties for the various social media tools and websites we use as part of our marketing strategy. Customers are increasingly concerned over the security of personal information transmitted over the Internet (or through other mechanisms), consumer identity theft, and user privacy. Any perceived, attempted, or actual unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding our employees, customers, or website visitors could harm our reputation and credibility, reduce our e-commerce sales, impair our ability to attract website visitors, reduce our ability to attract and retain customers, and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of significant fines or penalties. We cannot assure you that any of our third-party service providers with access to such personally identifiable information will maintain policies and practices regarding data privacy and security in compliance with all applicable laws, or that they will not experience data security breaches or attempts thereof which could have a corresponding adverse effect on our business.

 

Recently, data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting new foreign, national, provincial or state, and local laws and legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security, as well as increased data protection obligations imposed on merchants by credit card issuers. As a result, we may become subject to more extensive requirements to protect the customer information that we process in connection with the purchase of our products, resulting in increased compliance costs.

 

A breach of security of confidential customer information related to our electronic processing of credit and debit card transactions, or a breach of security of our employee information, could substantially affect our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

A significant portion of the sales in Chanson 23rd Street are by credit or debit cards. Other retailers have experienced security breaches in which credit and debit card information has been stolen. Chanson 23rd Street may in the future become subject to claims for purportedly fraudulent transactions arising out of the actual or alleged theft of credit or debit card information, and Chanson 23rd Street may also be subject to lawsuits or other proceedings relating to these types of incidents. Chanson 23rd Street may ultimately be held liable for the unauthorized use of a cardholder’s card number in an illegal activity and be required by card issuers to pay charge-back fees. In addition, most states have enacted legislation requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information, including credit and debit card information. Any such claim or proceeding could cause Chanson 23rd Street to incur significant unplanned expenses, which could have an adverse impact on its business, financial condition, or results of operations. Further, adverse publicity resulting from these allegations may have a material adverse effect on Chanson 23rd Street and could substantially affect its reputation and business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

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Governmental regulation may adversely affect our ability to open new stores in the U.S. or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

Chanson 23rd Street and any store or stores we may open in the U.S. are subject to state and local licensing and regulation by health, alcoholic beverage, sanitation, food and occupational safety, and other agencies. We may experience material difficulties or failures in obtaining the necessary licenses, approvals, or permits for each store, which could delay store openings in the future or affect the operations in the U.S. In addition, stringent and varied requirements of local regulators with respect to zoning, land use, and environmental factors could delay or prevent development of new stores in particular locations.

 

We are subject to the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas, including Chanson 23rd Street. We may in the future have to modify our stores, for example, by adding access ramps or redesigning certain architectural fixtures, to provide service to or make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons. The expenses associated with these modifications could be material.

 

The operations of Chanson 23rd Street and any store or stores we may open in the U.S. are also subject to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act, which governs worker health and safety, the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wages and overtime, and a variety of similar federal, state, and local laws that govern these and other employment law matters. In addition, federal, state, and local proposals related to paid sick leave or similar matters could, if implemented, materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

Disclosure of our recipes and other proprietary information, or a failure to adequately protect these, could result in increased competition and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

 

Our ability to compete effectively depends in part on our ability to obtain, maintain, and protect our proprietary information. We rely on trade secret laws and practices, including physical security, limited dissemination and access, and confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, business partners, and others, to protect our recipes, proprietary processes, and other proprietary information. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect, and courts outside the jurisdictions in which we operate may be less willing to protect our trade secrets. There can be no assurance that our protective measures will effectively prevent disclosure or unauthorized use of proprietary information or provide an adequate remedy in the event of misappropriation, infringement, or other violations of our proprietary information.

 

Existing laws afford only limited protection for our proprietary rights. Despite our efforts, we may not be able to protect some of our proprietary information, or the protection that we receive may not be sufficient. We face additional risks that our protective measures could prove to be inadequate, including:

 

  the steps we take to prevent circumvention, misappropriation, or infringement of our proprietary rights may not be successful;
     
  confidentiality agreements may be intentionally or unintentionally breached, be deemed unenforceable, or not provide adequate recourse against the disclosing party;
     
  intellectual property laws may not sufficiently support our proprietary rights or may change in the future in a manner adverse to us; and
     
  effective protection of intellectual property rights may be unavailable or limited in some countries in which we operate or plan to do business.

 

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From time to time, we may seek to enforce our proprietary rights against third parties. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary information can be difficult and expensive. We may not be successful in our attempts to enforce our proprietary rights against third parties. Any such litigation may result in substantial diversion of financial and management resources and, if decided unfavorably to us, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

 

We are subject to the risks associated with leasing a substantial amount of space and are required to make substantial lease payments under our operating leases. Any failure to make these lease payments when due would likely harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

We do not own any real estate. Instead, we lease all of our store locations and our corporate office and central factory in Urumqi and New York City. Many of our lease agreements have defined escalating rent provisions over the initial term and any extensions. As our stores mature and as we expand our store base, our lease expenses and our cash outlays for rent under our lease agreements will increase. Our substantial operating lease obligations could have significant negative consequences, including:

 

  requiring that an increased portion of our cash from operations and available cash be applied to pay our lease obligations, thus reducing liquidity available for other purposes;
     
  increasing our vulnerability to adverse general economic and industry conditions;
     
  limiting our flexibility to plan for or react to changes in our business or in the industry in which we compete; and
     
  limiting our ability to obtain additional financing.

 

If an existing or future store is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may nonetheless remain committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Moreover, even if a lease has an early cancellation clause, we may not satisfy the contractual requirements for early cancellation under that lease.

 

We depend on cash flow from operations to pay our lease expenses, finance our growth capital requirements, and fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities to fund these requirements, we may not be able to achieve our growth plans, fund our other liquidity and capital needs, or ultimately service our lease expenses, which would harm our business.

 

Unexpected termination of leases, failure to renew the leases of our existing premises, or failure to renew such leases at acceptable terms could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We lease the premises for all of our stores and our corporate office and central factory. As a result, we may be subject to compulsory acquisition, closure, or demolition of any of the properties on which our stores are situated. Although we may receive liquidated damages or compensation if our leases are terminated unexpectedly, we may be forced to suspend operations of the relevant store and divert management attention, time, and costs to find a new site and relocate our store, which will negatively affect our business and results of operations.

 

We enter into leases of approximately one to 15 years with an option to renew for our stores. Rent for our leases is typically fixed amounts and subject to annual or biennially incremental increases as stipulated in the lease agreements. We cannot assure you that we would be able to renew the relevant lease agreements without substantial additional cost or increase in the rental cost payable by us. If a lease agreement is renewed at a rent substantially higher than the current rate, or currently existing favorable terms granted by the lessor are not extended, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If we are unable to renew the leases for our store sites, we will have to close or relocate the store, which could subject us to decoration and other costs and risks, and loss of existing customers, and could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, the relocated store may not perform as well as the existing store.

 

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If we cannot manage our growth effectively and efficiently, our results of operations or profitability could be adversely affected.

 

Our revenue for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, was $12,577,135, an increase of 5.1% from $11,963,674 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. Although our revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 decreased by 20.8% to $5,006,575 from $6,321,775 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we still intend to continue to expand our business by opening new stores. This expansion has placed, and will continue to place, substantial demands on our managerial, operational, technological, and other types of resources. Our planned expansion will also place significant demands on us to maintain the quality of our product and customer services to ensure that our brand does not suffer as a result of any deviations, whether actual or perceived, in the quality of our product and customer services. In order to manage and support our growth, we must continue to improve our existing operational, administrative, and technological systems and our financial and management controls, and recruit, train, and retain additional qualified bakery industry professionals as well as other administrative and sales and marketing personnel, particularly as we expand into new markets and launch new business initiatives. We may not be able to effectively and efficiently manage the growth of our operations, recruit and retain qualified personnel, and integrate new expansion into our operations. As a result, our quality of service may deteriorate and our results of operations or profitability could be adversely affected.

 

Any decrease in customer traffic in the shopping malls or other locations in which our stores are located could cause our sales to be less than expected.

 

Our stores are located in shopping malls, other shopping centers, and busy street locations. Sales at these stores are derived, to a significant degree, from the volume of customer traffic in those locations and in the surrounding area. Our stores benefit from the current popularity of shopping malls and centers as shopping destinations and their ability to generate customer traffic in the vicinity of our stores. Our sales volume and customer traffic may be adversely affected by, among other things:

 

  economic downturns in Xinjiang or New York City;
     
  high fuel prices;
     
  changes in customer demographics;
     
  a decrease in popularity of shopping malls or centers in which a significant number of our stores are located;
     
  epidemics, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, and measures imposed by governments or shopping malls in response to such epidemics, including limiting the number of customers in shopping malls;
     
  the closing of the “anchor” store of a shopping mall or center or the stores of other key tenants; or
     
  a deterioration in the financial condition of shopping mall and center operators or developers which could, for example, limit their ability to maintain and improve their facilities.

 

A reduction in customer traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

In addition, severe weather conditions and other catastrophic occurrences in areas in which we have stores may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Such conditions may result in physical damage to our stores, loss of inventory, decreases in customer traffic, and closure of one or more of our stores. Any of these factors may disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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If we are unable to attract, train, assimilate, and retain employees that embody our culture, including store personnel, store and district managers, senior managers, and technicians, we may not be able to grow or successfully operate our business.

 

Our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, train, assimilate, and retain a sufficient number of employees, including store personnel, store managers, and district managers, who understand and appreciate our culture, are able to represent our brand effectively and establish credibility with our customers. If we are unable to hire and retain store personnel capable of consistently providing a high level of customer service, as demonstrated by their enthusiasm for our culture, understanding of our customers, and knowledge of the bakery and other products we offer, our ability to open new stores may be impaired, the performance of our existing and new stores could be materially adversely affected, and our brand image may be negatively impacted. In addition, the rate of employee turnover in the bakery industry is typically high and finding qualified candidates to fill positions may be difficult. Our planned growth will require us to attract, train, and assimilate even more personnel. Any failure to meet our staffing needs or any material increases in team member turnover rates could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

 

We place substantial reliance on the bakery industry experience and knowledge of our senior management team as well as their relationships with other industry participants. Mr. Gang Li, our Chairman, and Ms. Jihong Cai, our chief financial officer, are particularly important to our future success due to their substantial experience and reputation in the bakery markets. We do not carry, and do not intend to procure, key person insurance on any of our senior management team. The loss of the services of one or more members of our senior management team due to their departure, or otherwise, could hinder our ability to effectively manage our business and implement our growth strategies. Finding suitable replacements for our current senior management could be difficult, and competition for such personnel of similar experience is intense. If we fail to retain our senior management, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

The market for technicians and other individuals with the required technical expertise to succeed in our business is highly competitive. There may be a limited supply of qualified individuals in some of the cities in the PRC where we have operations and other cities into which we intend to expand. We must hire and train qualified technicians and other employees on a timely basis to keep pace with our rapid growth while maintaining consistent quality of products across our operations in various geographic locations. We must also provide continuous training to our technicians and other employees so that they are equipped with up-to-date knowledge of various aspects of our operations and can meet our demand for high-quality products. If we fail to do so, the quality of our products may decrease in one or more of the markets where we operate, which in turn, may cause a negative perception of our brand and adversely affect our business.

 

Failure to maintain the quality of customer services could harm our reputation and our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our business is significantly affected by the overall size of our customer base, which in turn is determined by, among other factors, their experience with our customer services. As such, the quality of customer services is critical to retaining our existing customers and attracting new customers. If we fail to provide quality customers services, our customers may be less inclined to visit our stores and purchase our products or recommend us to new customers, and may switch to our competitors. Failure to maintain the quality of customer services could harm our reputation and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

The ongoing need for renovations and other capital improvements at our stores could have a material adverse effect on us, including our financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations.

 

To improve the in-store experience of our customers, our stores have an ongoing need for maintenance and renovations and other capital improvements, including replacements, from time to time, of furniture, fixtures, and equipment. These capital improvements may give rise to the following risks:

 

  possible environmental liabilities;
     
  construction cost overruns and delays;
     

 

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  the decline in revenue while stores are out of service due to capital improvement projects;
     
  a possible shortage of available cash to fund capital improvements and the related possibility that financing for these capital improvements may not be available to us on favorable terms, or at all;
     
  uncertainties as to market demand or a loss of market demand after capital improvements have begun; and
     
  bankruptcy or insolvency of a contracted party during a capital improvement project or other situation that renders them unable to complete their work.

 

The costs of all these capital improvements or any of the above noted factors could have a material adverse effect on us, including our financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations.

 

Future acquisitions may have an adverse effect on our ability to manage our business.

 

We may acquire businesses, technologies, services, or products which are complementary to our core bakery product manufacturing and retail business. Future acquisitions may expose us to potential risks, including risks associated with the integration of new operations, services, and personnel, unforeseen or hidden liabilities, the diversion of resources from our existing business and technology, our potential inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset new costs, the expenses of acquisitions, or the potential loss of or harm to relationships with both employees and customers resulting from our integration of new businesses.

 

Any of the potential risks listed above could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to manage our business, our revenue, and net income. We may need to raise additional debt funding or sell additional equity securities to make such acquisitions. The raising of additional debt funding by us, if required, would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in additional operating and financing covenants, or liens on our assets, that would restrict our operations. The sale of additional equity securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. 

 

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

 

Our corporate structure, in particular our VIE arrangements (the “VIE Arrangements”), are subject to significant risks, as set forth in the following risk factors. Mr. Gang Li and Ms. Hui Wang are referred herein individually as a “UFG Operator” and collectively as the “UFG Operators.”

 

Our VIE Arrangements with the UFG Entities and the UFG Operators may not be effective in providing control over the UFG Entities.

 

A substantial part of our current revenue and net income is derived from the UFG Entities. We do not have an ownership interest in any of the UFG Entities but rely on contractual arrangements with them to control and operate their business. However, the VIE Arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with the necessary control over each UFG Entity and its operations. Any deficiency in these contractual arrangements may result in our loss of control over the management and operations of the UFG Entities, which will result in a significant loss in the value of an investment in our Company. We rely on contractual rights through our VIE Arrangements to effect control over and management of the UFG Entities, which exposes us to the risk of potential breach of contract by the UFG Operators. In addition, since our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, and Ms. Hui Wang, the Marketing Director of Xinjiang United Family, prior to the closing of this offering, own 100% of the equity interests in 24 and one UFG Entities, respectively, it may be difficult for us to change our corporate structure if such UFG Operators refuse to cooperate with us.

 

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Our contractual arrangements with the UFG Entities are governed by the laws of the PRC and we may have difficulty in enforcing any rights we may have under these contractual arrangements.

 

As all of our contractual arrangements with the UFG Entities are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC, they would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. Disputes arising from these contractual arrangements between us and the UFG Entities will be resolved through arbitration in the PRC, although these disputes do not include claims arising under the U.S. federal securities law and thus do not prevent you from pursuing claims under the U.S. federal securities law. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in the U.S. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could further limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements, through arbitration, litigation, and other legal proceedings remain in the PRC, which could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements and exert effective control over the UFG Entities. Furthermore, these contracts may not be enforceable in the PRC if PRC government authorities or courts take a view that such contracts contravene PRC laws and regulations or are otherwise not enforceable for public policy reasons. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the UFG Entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We may not be able to consolidate the financial results of some of our affiliated companies or such consolidation could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

 

A substantial part of our business is conducted through the UFG Entities, which currently are considered for accounting purposes as VIEs, and we are considered the primary beneficiary, enabling us to consolidate our financial results in our consolidated financial statements. In the event that in the future a company we hold as a VIE would no longer meet the definition of a VIE, or we are deemed not to be the primary beneficiary, we would not be able to consolidate line by line that entity’s financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. Also, if in the future an affiliate company becomes a VIE and we become the primary beneficiary, we would be required to consolidate that entity’s financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. If such entity’s financial results were negative, this could have a corresponding negative impact on our operating results for PRC purposes. However, any material variations in the accounting principles, practices, and methods used in preparing financial statements for PRC purposes from the principles, practices, and methods generally accepted in the U.S. and in the SEC accounting regulations must be discussed, quantified, and reconciled in financial statements for the U.S. and SEC purposes.

 

The contractual arrangements between Xinjiang United Family and UFG may result in adverse tax consequences.

 

PRC laws and regulations emphasize the requirement of an arm’s length basis for transfer pricing arrangements between related parties. The laws and regulations also require enterprises with related party transactions to prepare transfer pricing documentation to demonstrate the basis for determining pricing, the computation methodology, and detailed explanations. Related party arrangements and transactions may be subject to challenge or tax inspection by the PRC tax authorizes.

 

Under a tax inspection, if our transfer pricing arrangements between Xinjiang United Family and UFG are judged as tax avoidance, or related documentation does not meet the requirements, Xinjiang United Family and UFG may be subject to material adverse tax consequences, such as transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could result in a reduction, for PRC tax purpose, of adjustments recorded by Xinjiang United Family, which could adversely affect us by (i) increasing UFG’s tax liabilities without reducing our subsidiaries’ tax liabilities, which could further result in interest being levied to us for unpaid taxes; or (ii) limiting the ability of our PRC companies to maintain preferential tax treatment and other financial incentives.

 

Our controlling shareholder has potential conflicts of interest with our Company which may adversely affect our business.

 

Mr. Gang Li is our controlling shareholder and Chairman. 24 of the UFG Entities are owned independently by Mr. Li. Given his significant interest in our Company, there is a risk that when conflicts of interest arise, Mr. Li will not act completely in the best interests of our shareholders (as opposed to his personal interest) or that conflicts of interests will be resolved in our favor. For example, he may determine that it is in UFG’s interests to sever the contractual arrangements with us, irrespective of the effect such action may have on us. In addition, he could violate his fiduciary duties by diverting business opportunities from us to others, thereby affecting the amount of payment UFG is obligated to remit to us under the consulting services agreements.

 

Our board of directors will be comprised of a majority of independent directors. These independent directors may be in a position to deter and counteract the actions of our officers or non-independent directors (including, potentially, Mr. Li) that are against our interests. We cannot, however, give any assurance as to how the independent directors will act in any given circumstance. Further, if we or the independent directors cannot resolve any conflicts of interest between us and those of our officers and directors who are management members of our affiliated companies in the PRC, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in the disruption of our business.

 

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In the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws or otherwise as a result of any one of the circumstances described above, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or our officers or directors whom reside within in the PRC. Even if you are successful in bringing an action, the PRC laws may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets and management, most of which are located in the PRC.

 

We rely on the approval certificates and business license held by UFG and any deterioration of the relationship between Xinjiang United Family and UFG could materially and adversely affect our overall business operations.

 

Pursuant to the VIE Arrangements, a substantial part of our business in the PRC will be undertaken on the basis of the approvals, certificates, business licenses, and other requisite licenses held by each UFG Entity. There is no assurance that each UFG Entity will be able to renew its licenses or certificates when their terms expire with substantially similar terms as the ones they currently hold.

 

Further, our relationship with each UFG Entity is governed by the VIE Arrangements, which are intended to provide us, through our indirect ownership of Xinjiang United Family, with effective control over the business operations of each UFG Entity. However, the VIE Arrangements may not be effective in providing control over the applications for and maintenance of the licenses required for our business operations. Any UFG Entity could violate the VIE Arrangements, go bankrupt, suffer from difficulties in its business, or otherwise become unable to perform its obligations under the VIE Arrangements and, as a result, our operations, reputation, business and stock price could be severely harmed.

 

The exercise of our option to purchase part or all of the assets of any UFG Entity under the call option agreement might be subject to approval by the PRC government. Our failure to obtain this approval may impair our ability to substantially control the UFG Entities and could result in actions by the UFG Entities that conflict with our interests.

 

Our call option agreement with UFG gives Xinjiang United Family, the option to purchase all or part of the assets of UFG. However, the option may not be exercised if the exercise would violate any applicable laws and regulations in the PRC or cause any license or permit held by, and necessary for the operation of UFG, to be cancelled or invalidated.

 

Because we rely on the exclusive service agreement with each UFG Entity for our revenue, the termination of this agreement will severely and detrimentally affect our continuing business viability under our current corporate structure.

 

We are a holding company and a substantial part of our business operations are conducted through the contractual arrangements between each UFG Entity and Xinjiang United Family. As a result, we currently rely for our revenue on dividends payments from Xinjiang United Family after it receives payments from the UFG Entities pursuant to the exclusive service agreements. The term of the exclusive service agreement is 10 years, unless terminated earlier by Xinjiang United Family with a 30-day prior notice. UFG does not have the right to terminate that agreement unilaterally. The agreement would renew automatically by 10 years after expiration, with no limit on times of renewal. Because neither we nor our subsidiaries own equity interests of UFG, the termination of the exclusive service agreement would sever our ability to continue receiving payments from the UFG Entities under our current holding company structure. While we are currently not aware of any event or reason that may cause the exclusive service agreement to terminate, we cannot assure you that such an event or reason will not occur in the future. In the event that the exclusive service agreement is terminated, this may have a severe and detrimental effect on our continuing business viability under our current corporate structure, which, in turn, may affect the value of your investment.

 

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Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC

 

Changes in China’s economic, political, or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

 

Most of our assets and operations are currently located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic, and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange, and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, including the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

 

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government, or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, reduce demand for our products, and weaken our competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustments, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activities in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protection available to you and us.

 

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The legislation over the past three decades has significantly increased the protection afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China. Our PRC Affiliated Entities are subject to various PRC laws and regulations generally applicable to companies in China. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, however, the interpretations of many laws, regulations, and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations, and rules involve uncertainties.

 

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, however, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy in the PRC legal system than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainties over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

 

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You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in the prospectus based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.

 

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and we conduct most of our operations in China and most of our assets are located in China. In addition, substantially all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state.

 

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S. See “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

 

It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the United States may not be efficient in the absence of a practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to securities business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.

 

Recent joint statement by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the “PCAOB,” proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could add uncertainties to our offering.

 

On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets.

 

On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply a minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a “Restrictive Market,” (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or the board of directors for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company’s auditor.

 

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company’s auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was signed into law.

 

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The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

 

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor is headquartered in Manhattan, New York, and has been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis with the last inspection in May 2018. However, the recent developments would add uncertainties to our offering and we cannot assure you whether the national securities exchange we apply to for listing or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach, or experience as it relates to our audit.

 

Failure to obtain requisite approvals, licenses, or permits or failure to comply with any requirements of PRC laws, regulations, and policies may materially and adversely affect our daily operations and hinder our growth.

 

Our operations are subject to extensive legal and regulatory requirements. We are required to hold a number of licenses and permits in connection with our operations, principally including food production permits and food business permits, before commencement of operations. Failure to obtain such permits or loss of or failure to renew them would be in violation of applicable laws and regulations. If we are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to administrative punishment, including fines, injunctions, asset seizures as well as compulsory suspension of business, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. As of the date of this prospectus, all UFG Entities have obtained the food business permit, though some of them did not have the food business permits at the time of opening. The failure of these entities to have the food business permit at the time of opening may subject us to fines or other penalties such as income confiscation, although we have not received any notice of warning or been subject to penalties or other penalties from the relevant governmental authorities regarding conducting our business without the above mentioned permits. We will file renewal requests 30 business days prior to the expiration date of those permits. In general, as long as a business entity operates legally and is in good standing, its renewal request will be approved. We will make our best effort to renew the permits described above but we cannot assure you that we will be able to renew such permits or we will not be subject to any penalties in the future. See “Regulations—PRC Regulations—Regulations on Food Production and Food Business Operation—Food Production Permit and Food Business Permit.”

 

Article 45 of the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that enterprises, institutions, and other producers and operators that implement pollution discharge permit management in China shall discharge pollutants in accordance with the requirements of the pollution discharge license. Based on the situation of our central factory, as well as our production equipment and production process, at least a sewage registration is required. As of the date of this prospectus, we are still in the process of applying for a sewage registration. As a result, we may be subject to administrative penalties by the environmental protection department or other relevant departments for discharging pollutants without obtaining a pollution discharge permit or failing to fill in a pollution discharge registration form, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. See “Regulations—PRC Regulations—Regulations on Food Production and Food Business Operation—Pollutant Discharge Permit.”

 

Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

 

China’s economy has experienced increases in labor costs in recent years. China’s overall economy and the average wage in China are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our customers by increasing prices for our products, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

  

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In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law, or the “Labor Contract Law,” that became effective in January 2008 and was amended on December 28, 2012, and its implementing rules that became effective in September 2008, employers are subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation, and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practice does not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our PRC Affiliated Entities have not made adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions for all employees as required by PRC regulations, which may subject us to penalties.

 

According to the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Regulations on the Housing Funds, companies operating in China are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance (collectively known as “social insurance”), and housing funds plans, and the employers must pay all or a portion of the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees. For more details, please see “Regulations—PRC Regulations—Regulations on Employment and Social Welfare—Social Insurance and Housing Fund.” The requirement of social insurance and housing fund has not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. Our PRC Affiliated Entities have not made adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions for all employees. We may be required to make up the social insurance contributions as well as to pay late fees at the rate of 0.05% per day of the outstanding amount from the due date. If we fail to make up for the shortfalls within the prescribed time limit, the relevant administrative authorities will impose a fine of one to three times the outstanding amount upon us. However, considering that (i) some of the employees of Xinjiang United Family are over the age limit to be paid social insurance fees; (ii) some employees chose to not receive social insurance fees deposited by Xinjiang United Family and decided to participate in their own voluntary social insurance plans instead, and promised not to ask Xinjiang United Family to make up the payment; and (3) pursuant to the Emergency Notice on Practicing Principles of the State Council Executive Meeting and Stabilizing Work on Collecting Social Insurance Premiums promulgated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on September 21, 2018, local authorities are prohibited from recovering unpaid social insurance premiums from enterprises, it is unlikely that the overdue social insurance premiums would be ordered to be repaid by Xinjiang United Family. With respect to housing fund plans, we may be required to pay and deposit housing funds in full and on time within the prescribed time limit. If we fail to do so, relevant authorities could file applications to competent courts for compulsory enforcement of payment and deposit.

 

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

 

On July 4, 2014, State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) issued the Circular on Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or “SAFE Circular 37.” According to SAFE Circular 37, prior registration with the local SAFE branch is required for PRC residents, (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities as well as foreign individuals that are deemed as PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purpose), in connection with their direct or indirect contribution of domestic assets or interests to offshore special purpose vehicles, or “SPVs.” SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendments to the SAFE registrations in the event of any changes with respect to the basic information of the offshore SPV, such as change of a PRC individual shareholder, name and operation term, or any significant changes with respect to the offshore SPV, such as an increase or decrease of capital contribution, share transfer or exchange, or mergers or divisions. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or “SAFE Notice 13,” effective in June 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.

 

In addition to SAFE Circular 37 and SAFE Notice 13, our ability to conduct foreign exchange activities in China may be subject to the interpretation and enforcement of the Implementation Rules of the Administrative Measures for Individual Foreign Exchange promulgated by SAFE in January 2007 (as amended and supplemented, the “Individual Foreign Exchange Rules”). Under the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules, any PRC individual seeking to make a direct investment overseas or engage in the issuance or trading of negotiable securities or derivatives overseas must make the appropriate registrations in accordance with SAFE provisions, the failure of which may subject such PRC individual to warnings, fines, or other liabilities.

 

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Our current shareholders who are subject to the SAFE Circular 37 and Individual Foreign Exchange Rules have completed the initial registrations with the qualified banks as required by the regulations. We may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our Company, however, and we have no control over any of our future beneficial owners. Thus, we cannot provide any assurance that our future PRC resident beneficial owners will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or continuously comply with all registration procedures set forth in these SAFE regulations. Such failure or inability of our PRC residents beneficial owners to comply with these SAFE regulations may subject us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, or limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends to, or obtain foreign-exchange-dominated loans from, our Company, or prevent us from being able to make distributions or pay dividends, as a result of which our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.

 

PRC regulation of parent/subsidiary loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

 

Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to utilize the proceeds from this offering to fund our PRC subsidiary by making loans to or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, subject to applicable government registration, statutory limitations on amount, and approval requirements. The amount of capital contributions that we may make to Xinjiang United Family is RMB6,000,000 (approximately $857,143), without obtaining approvals from SAFE or other government authorities. Additionally, Xinjiang United Family may increase its registered capital to receive additional capital contributions from us and currently there is no statutory limit to increasing its registered capital, subject to satisfaction of applicable government and filing requirements. Pursuant to relevant PRC regulations, we may provide loans to Xinjiang United Family up to the larger amount of (i) the balance between the registered total investment amount and registered capital of Xinjiang United Family, or (ii) twice the amount of the net assets of Xinjiang United Family calculated in accordance with the People’s Bank of China Circular 9, subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration or approval requirements. For any amount of loans that we may extend to Xinjiang United Family, such loans must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. For more details, see “Regulations—PRC Regulations—Regulations on Foreign Exchange.” These PRC laws and regulations may significantly limit our ability to use RMB converted from the net proceeds of this offering to fund the establishment of new entities in China by our PRC subsidiary or to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies through our PRC subsidiary. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiary or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received or expect to receive from our offshore offerings and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our business, including our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

 

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

 

The value of RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of RMB to the U.S. dollar, and RMB appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future. Since we own and operate stores both in the PRC and the U.S., the fluctuations in exchange rates would have a negative effect on our business and results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Most of our business is conducted in the PRC, and most of our books and records are maintained in RMB, which is the currency of the PRC, and the financial statements that we file with the SEC and provide to our shareholders are presented in U.S. dollars. Changes in the exchange rates between RMB and U.S. dollar affect the value of our assets and the results of our operations, when presented in U.S. dollars. The value of RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in the PRC’s political and economic conditions and perceived changes in the economy of the PRC and the U.S. Any significant revaluation of RMB may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenue, and financial condition. Further, our Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus are offered in U.S. dollars, we will need to convert part of the net proceeds we receive into RMB in order to use the funds for our business in the PRC. Changes in the conversion rate between the U.S. dollar and RMB will affect the amount of proceeds we will have available for our business.

 

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

 

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

 

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the “EIT Law,” that became effective in January 2008, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Under the implementation rules to the EIT Law, a “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances, and properties of an enterprise. In addition, a circular, known as “SAT Circular 82,” issued in April 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation, or the “SAT,” and partially amended by People’s Bank of China Circular 9 promulgated in January 2014, specifies that certain offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups will be classified as PRC resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in the PRC: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights. Further to SAT Circular 82, SAT issued a bulletin, known as “SAT Bulletin 45,” which took effect in September 2011 and amended on June 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016 to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of Chinese controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises, to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of such “Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises.” SAT Bulletin 45 provides procedures and administrative details for the determination of resident status and administration on post-determination matters. Although both SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreign individuals, the determining criteria set forth in SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 may reflect SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, PRC enterprise groups, or by PRC or foreign individuals.

 

If the PRC tax authorities determine that the actual management organ of Chanson International is within the territory of China, Chanson International may be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we will be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax on our world-wide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Finally, dividends payable by us to our investors and gains on the sale of our shares may become subject to PRC withholding tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our Company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our shares. Although up to the date of this prospectus, Chanson International has not been notified or informed by the PRC tax authorities that it has been deemed to be a resident enterprise for the purpose of the EIT Law, we cannot assure you that it will not be deemed to be a resident enterprise in the future.

 

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We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

 

In February 2015, SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or “SAT Circular 7.” SAT Circular 7 provides comprehensive guidelines relating to indirect transfers of PRC taxable assets (including equity interests and real properties of a PRC resident enterprise) by a non-resident enterprise. In addition, in October 2017, SAT issued an Announcement on Issues Relating to Withholding at Source of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises, or “SAT Circular 37,” effective in December 2017, which, among others, amended certain provisions in SAT Circular 7 and further clarify the tax payable declaration obligation by non-resident enterprise. Indirect transfer of equity interest and/or real properties in a PRC resident enterprise by their non-PRC holding companies are subject to SAT Circular 7 and SAT Circular 37.

 

SAT Circular 7 provides clear criteria for an assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. As stipulated in SAT Circular 7, indirect transfers of PRC taxable assets are considered as reasonable commercial purposes if the shareholding structure of both transaction parties falls within the following situations: i) the transferor directly or indirectly owns 80% or above equity interest of the transferee, or vice versa; ii) the transferor and the transferee are both 80% or above directly or indirectly owned by the same party; iii) the percentages in bullet points i) and ii) shall be 100% if over 50% the share value of a foreign enterprise is directly or indirectly derived from PRC real properties. Furthermore, SAT Circular 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers PRC taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such indirect transfer to the relevant tax authority and the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding, or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise.

 

According to SAT Circular 37, where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the EIT Law, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority. If the non-resident enterprise, however, voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.

 

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries, and investments. In the event of being assessed as having no reasonable commercial purposes in an indirect transfer transaction, we may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if we are a transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations (to be specific, a 10% withholding tax for the transfer of equity interests) if we are a transferee in such transactions, under SAT Circular 7 and SAT Circular 37. For transfer of shares by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiary may be requested to assist in the filing under the SAT circulars. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with the SAT circulars or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that we should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Our PRC subsidiary is subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

 

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may need dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family, to satisfy our liquidity requirements. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiary is required to set aside at least 10% of its respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of its respective registered capital. Our PRC subsidiary may also allocate a portion of its respective after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. These limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments, or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

 

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment and our payment of dividends.

 

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenue in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, Chanson International may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our PRC subsidiary is able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulation, such as the overseas investment registrations by our shareholders or the ultimate shareholders of our corporate shareholders who are PRC residents. Approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is, however, required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demand, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.

 

There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.

 

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, the profits of a foreign invested enterprise generated through operations, which are distributed to its immediate holding company outside the PRC, will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%. Pursuant to the Arrangement between the Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the “Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement,” a withholding tax rate of 10% may be lowered to 5% if the PRC enterprise is at least 25% held by a Hong Kong enterprise for at least 12 consecutive months prior to distribution of the dividends and is determined by the relevant PRC tax authority to have satisfied other conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws.

 

However, based on the Circular on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, or the “SAT Circular 81,” which became effective on February 20, 2009, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. According to Circular on Several Issues regarding the “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties, which became effective as of April 1, 2018, when determining an applicant’s status as the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests, or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors will be taken into account. Such factors include whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes actual business activities, and whether the counterparty country or region to the tax treaties does not levy any tax, grant tax exemption on relevant incomes, or levy tax at an extremely low rate. This circular further requires any applicant who intends to be proved of being the “beneficial owner” to file relevant documents with the relevant tax authorities. Our PRC subsidiary is wholly owned by our Hong Kong subsidiary. However, we cannot assure you that our determination regarding our qualification to enjoy the preferential tax treatment will not be challenged by the relevant PRC tax authority or we will be able to complete the necessary filings with the relevant PRC tax authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement with respect to dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiary to our Hong Kong subsidiary, in which case, we would be subject to the higher withdrawing tax rate of 10% on dividends received.

 

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If we become directly subject to the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity involving U.S.-listed Chinese companies, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate and resolve the matter which could harm our business operations, stock price, and reputation.

 

U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators, and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, has become virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism, and negative publicity will have on us, our business, and the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our Company. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from developing our business. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we and our business operations will be severely affected and you could sustain a significant decline in the value of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

The disclosures in our reports and other filings with the SEC and our other public pronouncements are not subject to the scrutiny of any regulatory bodies in the PRC.

 

We are regulated by the SEC, and our reports and other filings with the SEC are subject to SEC review in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Our SEC reports and other disclosure and public pronouncements are not subject to the review or scrutiny of any PRC regulatory authority. For example, the disclosure in our SEC reports and other filings are not subject to the review by China Securities Regulatory Commission, a PRC regulator that is responsible for oversight of the capital markets in China. Accordingly, you should review our SEC reports, filings, and our other public pronouncements with the understanding that no local regulator has done any review of us, our SEC reports, other filings, or any of our other public pronouncements.

 

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

 

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the “M&A Rules,” and recently adopted regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (“MOFCOM”) be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Mergers or acquisitions that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to MOFCOM when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the “Prior Notification Rules,” issued by the State Council in August 2008 is triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is clear that our business would not be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns. MOFCOM or other government agencies, however, may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Risks Relating to this Offering and the Trading Market

 

There has been no public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares prior to this offering, and you may not be able to resell our Class A Ordinary Shares at or above the price you pay for them, or at all.

 

Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares. We plan to apply for the listing of our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. An active public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares, however, may not develop or be sustained after the offering, in which case the market price and liquidity of our Class A Ordinary Shares will be materially and adversely affected.

 

The initial public offering price for our Class A Ordinary Shares may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market and such market prices may be volatile.

 

The initial public offering price for our Class A Ordinary Shares will be determined by negotiations between us and the Underwriter, and may not bear a direct relationship to our earnings, book value, or any other indicia of value. We cannot assure you that the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares will not decline significantly below the initial public offering price. The financial markets in the U.S. and other countries have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations in the last few years. Volatility in the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be caused by factors outside of our control and may be unrelated or disproportionate to changes in our results of operations.

 

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of Class A Ordinary Shares purchased.

 

The initial public offering price of our Class A Ordinary Shares is substantially higher than the (pro forma) net tangible book value per Class A Ordinary Share. Consequently, when you purchase our Class A Ordinary Shares in the offering, upon completion of the offering you will incur immediate dilution of $3.76 per share, assuming an initial public offering price of $5.00, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the front cover of this prospectus. See “Dilution.” In addition, you may experience further dilution to the extent that additional Class A Ordinary Shares are issued upon conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares or exercise of options we may grant from time to time.

 

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls or fail to remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that have been identified, we may fail to meet our reporting obligations or be unable to accurately report our results of operations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. Our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. However, in preparing our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as defined in the standards established by the PCAOB and other control deficiencies. The material weaknesses identified included a lack of accounting staff and resources with appropriate knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) and SEC reporting and compliance requirements. Following the identification of the material weaknesses and control deficiencies, we plan to continue to take remedial measures including (i) hiring more qualified accounting personnel with relevant U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting experience and qualifications to strengthen the financial reporting function and to set up a financial and system control framework; (ii) implementing regular and continuous U.S. GAAP accounting and financial reporting training programs for our accounting and financial reporting personnel; (iii) engaging an external consulting firm to assist us with assessment of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements and improvement of overall internal control; and (iv) appointing independent directors, establishing an audit committee, and strengthening corporate governance. However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Our failure to correct the material weaknesses or our failure to discover and address any other material weaknesses or control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares, may be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting significantly hinders our ability to prevent fraud.

 

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Upon completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the U.S. subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require that we include a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company,” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated, or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational, and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation in a timely manner.

 

We will incur substantial increased costs as a result of being a public company.

 

Upon consummation of this offering, we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses as a public company that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies.

 

Compliance with these rules and regulations increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some corporate activities more time-consuming and costlier. We have incurred additional costs in obtaining director and officer liability insurance. In addition, we incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act and will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

 

After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” or until five years following the completion of our initial public offering, whichever is earlier, we expect to incur significant additional expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a public company, we have been required to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures.

 

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We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

 

The dual class structure of our ordinary shares has the effect of concentrating voting control with our Chairman, and his interest may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders.

 

We have a dual-class voting structure consisting of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Under this structure, holders of Class A Ordinary Shares are entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share, and holders of Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share, which may cause the holders of Class B Ordinary Shares to have an unbalanced, higher concentration of voting power. Immediately prior to completion of this offering, Mr. Gang Li, our Chairman, beneficially owns 2,700,000, or 88.24% of our issued Class A Ordinary Shares, and 5,400,000, or 90.91%, of our issued Class B Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 90.78% of the voting rights in our Company. After this offering, Mr. Gang Li will hold 2,700,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,400,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 86.62% of the voting rights in our Company, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the Underwriter, or approximately 86.03% assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option by the Underwriter. As a result, until such time as Mr. Gang Li’s voting power is below 50%, Mr. Gang Li as the controlling shareholder has substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors, and other significant corporate actions. He may take actions that are not in the best interests of us or our other shareholders. These corporate actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders. Further, such concentration of voting power may discourage, prevent, or delay the consummation of change of control transactions that shareholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which shareholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. Future issuances of Class B Ordinary Shares may also be dilutive to the holders of Class A Ordinary Shares. As a result, the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected.

 

The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Since we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing rules, we may follow certain exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that could adversely affect our public shareholders.

 

Following this offering, our largest shareholder will continue to own more than a majority of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares. Under the Nasdaq listing rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group, or another company is a “controlled company” and is permitted to phase in its compliance with the independent committee requirements. Although we do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions under the Nasdaq listing rules even if we are deemed a “controlled company,” we could elect to rely on these exemptions in the future. If we were to elect to rely on the “controlled company” exemptions, a majority of the members of our board of directors might not be independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees might not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, if we rely on the exemptions, during the period we remain a controlled company and during any transition period following a time when we are no longer a controlled company, you would not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

 

Substantial future sales of our Class A Ordinary Shares or the anticipation of future sales of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the public market could cause the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline.

 

Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline. An aggregate of 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares are outstanding before the consummation of this offering and 6,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares will be outstanding immediately after the consummation of this offering if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, and 6,510,000 Class A Ordinary Shares will be outstanding immediately after the consummation of this offering if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is fully exercised. Sales of these shares into the market could cause the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to decline.

 

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

 

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares if the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares increases.

 

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if the publish a negative report regarding our Class A Ordinary Shares, the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and trading volume could decline.

 

Any trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares may depend in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade us, the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and the trading volume to decline.

 

The market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the initial public offering price.

 

The initial public offering price for our Class A Ordinary Shares will be determined through negotiations between the Underwriter and us and may vary from the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares following our initial public offering. If you purchase our Class A Ordinary Shares in our initial public offering, you may not be able to resell those shares at or above the initial public offering price. We cannot assure you that the initial public offering price of our Class A Ordinary Shares, or the market price following our initial public offering, will equal or exceed prices in privately negotiated transactions of our shares that have occurred from time to time prior to our initial public offering. The market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

 

  actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results;
     
  the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;
     
  actions of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our Company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
     
  announcements by us or our competitors of significant products or features, technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments;

 

  price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;
     
  lawsuits threatened or filed against us; and
     
  other events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events.

 

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, stockholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.

 

Our management has broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in the offering and may use them in ways that may not enhance our results of operations or the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

We anticipate that we will use the net proceeds from this offering for opening new stores in the U.S. and for working capital and other corporate purposes. Our management will have significant discretion as to the use of the net proceeds to us from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

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If we cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply fully with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, and we would incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we would not incur as a foreign private issuer.

 

We expect to qualify as a foreign private issuer upon the completion of this offering. As a foreign private issuer, we will be exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will be exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic issuers, and we will not be required to disclose in our periodic reports all of the information that U.S. domestic issuers are required to disclose. While we currently expect to qualify as a foreign private issuer immediately following the completion of this offering, we may cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer in the future, in which case we would incur significant additional expenses that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Because we are a foreign private issuer and are exempt from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, you will have less protection than you would have if we were a domestic issuer.

 

Nasdaq listing rules require listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of its board members be independent. As a foreign private issuer, however, we are permitted to, and we may follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements, or we may choose to comply with the above requirement within one year of listing. The corporate governance practice in our home country, the Cayman Islands, does not require a majority of our board to consist of independent directors. Thus, although a director must act in the best interests of the Company, it is possible that fewer board members will be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our Company may decrease as a result. In addition, Nasdaq listing rules also require U.S. domestic issuers to have a compensation committee, a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors, and an audit committee with a minimum of three members. We, as a foreign private issuer, are not subject to these requirements. Nasdaq listing rules may require shareholder approval for certain corporate matters, such as requiring that shareholders be given the opportunity to vote on all equity compensation plans and material revisions to those plans, certain ordinary share issuances. We intend to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq listing rules in determining whether shareholder approval is required on such matters and to appoint a nominating and corporate governance committee. We may, however, consider following home country practice in lieu of the requirements under Nasdaq listing rules with respect to certain corporate governance standards which may afford less protection to investors.

 

Although as a Foreign Private Issuer we are exempt from certain corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, if we cannot satisfy, or continue to satisfy, the initial listing requirements and other rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our securities may not be listed or may be delisted, which could negatively impact the price of our securities and your ability to sell them.

 

We will seek to have our securities approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market upon consummation of this offering. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Even if our securities are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

In addition, following this offering, in order to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we will be required to comply with certain rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, including those regarding minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum share price, minimum market value of publicly held shares, and various additional requirements. Even if we initially meet the listing requirements and other applicable rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, we may not be able to continue to satisfy these requirements and applicable rules. If we are unable to satisfy the Nasdaq Capital Market criteria for maintaining our listing, our securities could be subject to delisting.

 

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If the Nasdaq Capital Market does not list our securities, or subsequently delists our securities from trading, we could face significant consequences, including:

 

  a limited availability for market quotations for our securities;
     
  reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;
     
  a determination that our Class A Ordinary Share is a “penny stock,” which will require brokers trading in our Class A Ordinary Share to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Class A Ordinary Share;
     
  limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
     
  a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control.

 

Some provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our Company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including, among other things, the following:

 

  provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue shares with preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and
     
  provisions that restrict the ability of our shareholders to call meetings and to propose special matters for consideration at shareholder meetings.

 

Because we are an “emerging growth company,” we may not be subject to requirements that other public companies are subject to, which could affect investor confidence in us and our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, we will elect to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Because of these lessened regulatory requirements, our shareholders would be left without information or rights available to shareholders of more mature companies. If some investors find our Class A Ordinary Shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares and our share price may be more volatile. See “Implications of Our Being an Emerging Growth Company.”

 

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The laws of the Cayman Islands may not provide our shareholders with benefits comparable to those provided to shareholders of corporations incorporated in the U.S.

 

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, by the Companies Act (2021 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law in the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands and from English common law. Decisions of the Privy Council (which is the final Court of Appeal for British overseas territories such as the Cayman Islands) are binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. Decisions of the English courts, and particularly the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal are generally of persuasive authority but are not binding in the courts of the Cayman Islands. Decisions of courts in other Commonwealth jurisdictions are similarly of persuasive but not binding authority. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the U.S. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws relative to the U.S. Therefore, our public shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests in the face of actions by our management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the U.S.

 

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

 

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the board of directors, or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

 

You may be unable to present proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by shareholders.

 

Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. These rights, however, may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our articles of association allow our shareholders holding shares representing in aggregate not less than 10% of our voting share capital in issue, to requisition a general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting. Advance notice of at least 21 clear days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting and at least 14 clear days’ notice any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of at least one shareholder present or by proxy, representing not less than one-third of the total issued shares carrying the right to vote at a general meeting of the Company. For these purposes, “clear days” means that period excluding (a) the day

when the notice is given or deemed to be given and (b) the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect.

 

If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, U.S. taxpayers who own our Class A Ordinary Shares may have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which is known as a PFIC, for any taxable year if, for such year, either:

 

  At least 75% of our gross income for the year is passive income; or
     
  The average percentage of our assets (determined at the end of each quarter) during the taxable year which produce passive income or which are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%.

 

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Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.

 

If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our Class A Ordinary Shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements.

 

Depending on the amount of cash we raise in this offering, together with any other assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our 2021 taxable year or for any subsequent year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets which produce passive income, in which case we would be deemed a PFIC, which could have adverse US federal income tax consequences for US taxpayers who are shareholders. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year.

 

Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our PRC Affiliated Entities as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operations of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their operating results in our consolidated financial statements. For purposes of the PFIC analysis, in general, a non-U.S. corporation is deemed to own its pro rata share of the gross income and assets of any entity in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the equity by value.

 

For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were or are determined to be a PFIC, see “Material Income Tax Consideration—U.S. Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

 

Our pre-IPO shareholders will be able to sell their shares upon completion of this offering subject to restrictions under Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

 

3,060,000 of our Class A Ordinary Shares are issued and outstanding before this offering. Our pre-IPO shareholders may be able to sell their Class A Ordinary Shares under Rule 144 after the completion of this offering. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” below. Because these shareholders have paid a lower price per Class A Ordinary Share than participants in this offering, when they are able to sell their pre-IPO shares under Rule 144, they may be more willing to accept a lower sales price than the initial public offering price. This fact could impact the trading price of the Class A Ordinary Shares following the completion of the offering, to the detriment of participants in this offering. Under Rule 144, before our pre-IPO shareholders can sell their shares, in addition to meeting other requirements, they must meet the required holding period. We do not expect any of the Class A Ordinary Shares to be sold pursuant to Rule 144 during the pendency of this offering.

 

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DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events, all of which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. You can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar expressions in this prospectus. These statements are likely to address our growth strategy, financial results and product and development programs. You must carefully consider any such statements and should understand that many factors could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements. These factors may include inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of other risks and uncertainties, including some that are known and some that are not. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

 

  assumptions about our future financial and operating results, including revenue, income, expenditures, cash balances, and other financial items;
     
  our ability to execute our growth and expansion plan, including our ability to meet our goals;
     
  current and future economic and political conditions;
     
  our ability to compete in an industry with low barriers to entry;
     
  our ability to continue to operate through our VIE structure;
     
  our capital requirements and our ability to raise any additional financing which we may require;
     
  our ability to attract customers and further enhance our brand awareness;
     
  our ability to hire and retain qualified management personnel and key employees in order to enable us to develop our business;
     
  trends and competition in the bakery industry;
     
  future developments of the COVID-19 outbreak; and
     
  other assumptions described in this prospectus underlying or relating to any forward-looking statements.

 

We describe certain material risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our business, including our financial condition and results of operations, under “Risk Factors.” We base our forward-looking statements on our management’s beliefs and assumptions based on information available to our management at the time the statements are made. We caution you that actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed, implied, or forecast by our forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should be careful about relying on any forward-looking statements. Except as required under the federal securities laws, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements after the distribution of this prospectus, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, or otherwise.

 

Industry Data and Forecasts

 

This prospectus contains data related to the bakery industry in the PRC and the U.S. These industry data include projections that are based on a number of assumptions which have been derived from industry and government sources which we believe to be reasonable. The bakery industry may not grow at the rate projected by industry data, or at all. The failure of the industry to grow as anticipated is likely to have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, the rapidly changing nature of the bakery industry subjects any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our industry to significant uncertainties. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the industry data turns out to be incorrect, actual results may, and are likely to, differ from the projections based on these assumptions.

 

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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

 

We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands because of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands company, such as political and economic stability, an effective judicial system, a favorable tax system, the absence of foreign exchange control or currency restrictions, and the availability of professional and support services. The Cayman Islands, however, has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the U.S. and provides significantly less protection for investors than the U.S. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue in the Federal courts of the U.S.

 

Most of our operations are conducted in the PRC and most of our assets are located in the PRC. In addition, all of our directors and officers are nationals or residents of the PRC and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the U.S. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the U.S. upon us or these persons, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S.

 

We have appointed George Chanson (NY) Corp. as our agent to receive service of process with respect to any action brought against us in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under the federal securities laws of the U.S. or of any state in the U.S. or any action brought against us in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York under the securities laws of the State of New York.

 

Ogier, our counsel with respect to the laws of the Cayman Islands, and Dentons Law Offices, LLP (Guangzhou) (“Dentons”), our counsel with respect to PRC law, have advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S. or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S.

 

Ogier has further advised us that there is currently no statutory enforcement or treaty between the U.S. and the Cayman Islands providing for enforcement of judgments. A judgment obtained in the U.S., however, may be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination on the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment: (i) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction; (ii) is final; (iii) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (iv) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or public policy of the Cayman Islands. Furthermore, it is uncertain that Cayman Islands courts would enforce: (i) judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or other persons that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws; or (ii) original actions brought against us or other persons predicated upon the Securities Act. Ogier has informed us that there is uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law relating to whether a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the securities laws will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands as penal or punitive in nature.

 

Dentons has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedure Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedure Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. There are no treaties or other forms of reciprocity between the PRC and the U.S. for the mutual recognition and enforcement of court judgments. Dentons has further advised us that under PRC law, PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our officers and directors if the court decides that such judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest, thus making the recognition and enforcement of a U.S. court judgment in the PRC difficult.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Based upon an assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per Class A Ordinary Share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, we estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, of approximately $12,870,533 if the Underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, and $14,940,533 if the Underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full.

 

We plan to use the net proceeds we receive from this offering for opening new stores in the U.S. and the balance to fund working capital and for other general corporate purposes.

 

The foregoing represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus. To the extent that the net proceeds we receive from this offering are not immediately used for the above purposes, we intend to invest our net proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing bank deposits or debt instruments.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We intend to keep any future earnings to finance the expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future.

 

Under the Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend on its shares out of either profit or share premium amount, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts due in the ordinary course of business.

 

If we determine to pay dividends on any of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from our PRC Affiliated Entities. Pursuant to the EIT Law and its implementation rules, any dividends paid by Xinjiang United Family to Jenyd will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%. However, if Jenyd is determined by the relevant PRC tax authority to have satisfied the relevant conditions and requirements under Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable laws, the 10% withholding tax on the dividends Jenyd receives from Xinjiang United Family may be reduced to 5%. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC—There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.”

 

Current PRC regulations permit our indirect PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to Jenyd only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiary is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such entity in the PRC is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries and affiliates in the PRC incur debt on their own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. If we or our subsidiaries are unable to receive all of the revenue from our operations, we may be unable to pay dividends on our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments, and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies, without prior approval of SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations in PRC may be used to pay dividends to our Company.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2020:

 

  on an actual basis; and
     
  on an as adjusted basis to reflect the issuance and sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares by us in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per Class A Ordinary Share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

In addition, we currently have 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. The Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into shares of any other class. The Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time after issuance at the option of the holder on a one-to-one basis. The Class B Ordinary Shares are not being converted as part of this offering.

 

You should read this capitalization table in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    June 30, 2020  
    Actual     As
adjusted
(Over-
allotment
option not
exercised)(1)
    As
adjusted
(Over-
allotment
option
exercised
in full) (1)
 
    $     $     $   
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 3,297,036     $ 16,167,569     $ 18,237,569  
Shareholders’ Equity:                        
Class A Ordinary Shares, $0.001 par value, 44,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares authorized, 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding; 6,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised, and 6,510,000 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted assuming the over-allotment option is exercised in full     3,060       6,060       6,510  
Class B Ordinary Shares, $0.001 par value, 6,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares authorized, 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding; 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted     5,940       5,940       5,940  
Additional paid-in capital     869,400       13,736,933       15,806,483  
Statutory reserve     447,231       447,231       447,231  
Retained earnings     715,720       715,720       715,720  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     169,333       169,333       169,333  
Total Shareholders’ Equity     2,210,684       15,081,217       17,151,217  
Total Capitalization   $ 2,210,684     $ 15,081,217     $ 19,464,166  

 

  (1) Reflects the sale of Class A Ordinary Shares in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per share, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma as adjusted information is illustrative only, and we will adjust this information based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. Additional paid-in capital reflects the net proceeds we expect to receive, after deducting the underwriting discounts, and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We estimate that such net proceeds will be approximately $12,870,533 if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, or $14,940,533 if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full.

 

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per Class A Ordinary Share, which is the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price set forth on the front cover of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) each of additional paid-in capital, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization by $2,760,000 if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised or $3,174,000 if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, assuming the number of Class A Ordinary Shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, and estimated expenses payable by us.

 

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DILUTION

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts and per share amounts in this prospectus have been presented giving effect to a forward split of our ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share and additional share issuances to our existing shareholders approved by our shareholders and board of directors on March 27, 2021.

 

If you invest in our Class A Ordinary Shares, your interest will be diluted for each Class A Ordinary Share you purchase to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per Class A Ordinary Share and our net tangible book value per Class A Ordinary Share after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per Class A Ordinary Share is substantially in excess of the net tangible book value per Class A Ordinary Share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. The Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into shares of any other class. The Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time after issuance at the option of the holder on a one-to-one basis. The Class B Ordinary Shares are not being converted as part of this offering.

 

Our net tangible book value as of June 30, 2020, was $1,990,806, or $0.22 per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share). Net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting the net tangible book value per ordinary share (as adjusted for the offering) from the initial public offering price per Class A Ordinary Share and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

After giving effect to our sale of 3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares offered in this offering based on the assumed initial public offering price of $5.00 per Class A Ordinary Share, which is the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price shown on the front cover of this prospectus, after deduction of the estimated underwriting discounts, and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2020, would have been $14,861,339, or $1.24 per outstanding ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share). This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.02 per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share) to the existing shareholders, and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $3.76 per Class A Ordinary Share to investors purchasing Class A Ordinary Shares in this offering. The as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only.

 

A $1.00 change in the assumed public offering price of $5.00 per Class A Ordinary Share would, in the case of an increase, increase and, in the case of a decrease, decrease our pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the offering by $2,760,000, the pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share) after giving effect to this offering by $0.23 and the dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per Class A Ordinary Share to new investors in this offering by $0.77 assuming no change to the number of Class A Ordinary Shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses. The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

The following table illustrates such dilution:

 

    No
Exercise of
Over-
Allotment
Option
    Full
Exercise of
Over-
Allotment
Option
 
Assumed Initial public offering price per Class A Ordinary Share   $ 5.00     $ 5.00  
Net tangible book value per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share) as of June 30, 2020     0.22       0.22  
Increase in net tangible book value per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share) attributable to payments by new investors     1.02       1.14  
Pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share (both Class A and Class B Ordinary Share) immediately after this offering     1.24       1.36  
Amount of dilution in net tangible book value per Class A Ordinary Share to new investors in the offering   $ 3.76     $ 3.64  

 

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The following tables summarize, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of June 30, 2020, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the number of Ordinary Shares purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per Ordinary Share before deducting the estimated underwriting discounts, and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

    Class A and Class B
Ordinary Shares
purchased
    Total consideration     Average
price per
Ordinary
 
Over-allotment option not exercised   Number     Percent     Amount     Percent     Share  
    ($ in thousands)  
Existing shareholders     9,000,000       75.00 %   $ 878       5.53 %   $ 0.10  
New investors     3,000,000       25.00 %     15,000       94.47 %     5.00  
Total     12,000,000       100.00 %   $ 15,878       100.00 %   $ 1.32  

 

    Class A and Class B
Ordinary Shares
purchased
    Total consideration     Average
price per
Ordinary
 
Over-allotment option exercised in full   Number     Percent     Amount     Percent     Share  
    ($ in thousands)  
Existing shareholders     9,000,000       72.29 %   $ 878       4.84 %   $ 0.10  
New investors     3,450,000       27.71 %     17,250       95.16 %     5.00  
Total     12,450,000       100.00 %   $ 18,128       100.00 %   $ 1.46  

 

The pro forma as adjusted information as discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and other terms of this offering determined at the pricing.

 

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

 

Our Corporate History

 

Xinjiang United Family was established on August 7, 2009, as a limited company pursuant to PRC laws. On April 17, 2015, Xinjiang United Family incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, Chanson NY, a New York corporation, which in turn incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, Chanson 23rd Street, a New York limited liability company, on December 17, 2015. On February 20, 2020, our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, formed Chanson Greenwich, a New York limited liability company, and subsequently assigned his 100% membership interests in Chanson Greenwich to Chanson NY for a consideration of $10 on September 28, 2020. After the transfer, Chanson Greenwich became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson NY.

 

In connection with this offering, we have undertaken a reorganization of our corporate structure (the “Reorganization”) in the following steps:

 

  on July 26, 2019, we incorporated RON Holding Limited, an exempted company with limited liability, under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Effective on December 18, 2020, RON Holding Limited changed its name to Chanson International Holding;
     
  on August 13, 2019, we incorporated Deen Global in the British Virgin Islands as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson International;
     
 

on September 13, 2019, we incorporated Jenyd in Hong Kong as a wholly owned subsidiary of Deen Global;

      
 

on September 27, 2020, the original shareholders of Xinjiang United Family entered into a Share Transfer Agreement with Jenyd to transfer 100% of the equity interests of Xinjiang United Family to Jenyd; and

     
 

in March 2021, we undertook a series of corporate actions, including a forward split of our ordinary shares, the creation of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, re-designation of our ordinary shares into Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares, and additional share issuances to our existing shareholders. See “Description of Share Capital—History of Share Issuances.”

 

Our Corporate Structure

 

We currently conduct our business through:

 

  (i) an association with 25 individually-owned businesses comprising the VIEs known as the “United Family Group” or “UFG”: 24 of the UFG Entities are owned independently by our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, and one of the UFG Entities is owned independently by Ms. Hui Wang, the Marketing Director of Xinjiang United Family. Our affiliation with UFG is managed through several exclusive agreements between Xinjiang United Family, each UFG Entity, and the sole owner of such UFG Entity. As a result of our arrangements with all the UFG Entities, we effectively control each UFG Entity;
     
  (ii) Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices; and
     
  (iii) Chanson 23rd Street and Chanson Greenwich.

 

For a complete description of our existing stores, please see “Prospectus Summary—Corporate Structure.”

 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure after the Reorganization and upon completion of this offering based on 3,00,000 Class A Ordinary Shares being offered, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option:

 

 

 

Notes: All percentages reflect the voting ownership interests instead of the equity interests held by each of our shareholders given that each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share and each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share.

 

  (1)

Represents 2,700,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,400,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Gang Li, the 100% owner of Danton Global Limited, as of the date of this prospectus..

     
  (2) Represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Jihong Cai, the 100% owner of Haily Global Limited, as of the date of this prospectus.
     
  (3) Represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Cheng Chen, the 100% owner of C&C Capital Investments LLC, as of the date of this prospectus.
     
  (4) Represents an aggregate of 360,000 Class A Ordinary Shares held equally by two corporate shareholders, each one of which holds less than 5% of our voting ownership interests, as of the date of this prospectus.

 

The United Family Group

 

Each UFG Entity was established as an individually-owned business and became part of Xinjiang United Family through the VIE arrangements. UFG’s revenue accounted for 53% and 54% of our total revenue for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and 74% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. UFG consists of 25 VIEs through which we operate successful bakeries. Our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, is the sole owner of 24 UFG Entities, and Ms. Hui Wang, the Marketing Director of Xinjiang United Family, is the sole owner of one UFG Entity.

 

Our affiliation with UFG is managed through several exclusive agreements between Xinjiang United Family, each UFG Entity, and the sole owner of such UFG Entity, also known as the “VIE Agreements.” The VIE Agreements are designed to provide Xinjiang United Family with the power, rights, and obligations equivalent in all material respects to those it would possess as the sole equity holder of each UFG Entity, including absolute control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenue of each UFG Entity.

 

Below is the set of VIE Agreements Xinjiang United Family has entered into with each UFG Entity.

 

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Exclusive Service Agreement

 

Pursuant to the Exclusive Service Agreement between Xinjiang United Family and the applicable UFG Operator, who is the sole operator of the UFG Entity, Xinjiang United Family shall be in charge of all aspects of the UFG Entity’s operation, control and manage all matters and funds of UFG Entity, and enjoy all the other responsibilities and rights enjoyed by the UFG Operator in accordance with the applicable law, on an exclusive basis. For services rendered to the UFG Entity by Xinjiang United Family under the Exclusive Service Agreement, Xinjiang United Family is entitled to collect a service fee equal to the net profit after tax of the UFG Entity.

 

The term of the Exclusive Service Agreement is 10 years, unless terminated earlier by Xinjiang United Family with a 30-day prior notice. The UFG Entity does not have the right to terminate that agreement unilaterally. The agreement would renew automatically by 10 years after expiration, with no limit on times of renewal.

 

Xinjiang United Family has absolute authority over the management of the UFG Entity, including but not limited to decisions with regard to expenses, salary raises and bonuses, hiring, firing, and other operational functions. The Exclusive Service Agreement does not prohibit related party transactions. Upon the establishment of the audit committee at the consummation of this offering, the audit committee of Chanson International will be required to review and approve in advance any related party transactions, including transactions involving the UFG Entity.

 

Pledge Agreement

 

Under the Pledge Agreement between Xinjiang United Family and the UFG Operator, the UFG Operator pledged all of his or her assets for the business of the UFG Entity to Xinjiang United Family to guarantee the performance of the UFG Operator’s obligations under the Exclusive Service Agreement, Call Option Agreement, and Operating Rights Proxy Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction Agreements”). Under the terms of the Pledge Agreement, in the event that the UFG Entity or the UFG Operator breaches their respective contractual obligations under the Transaction Agreements, Xinjiang United Family, as pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including, but not limited to, the right to dispose of the pledged assets in accordance with applicable PRC laws. The UFG Operator further agreed not to dispose of the pledged assets or take any actions that would prejudice Xinjiang United Family’s interest.

 

The Pledge Agreement is effective until the latest date of the following: (1) the secured debt in the scope of pledge is cleared off; (2) Xinjiang United Family, as pledgee, exercise its pledge rights pursuant to provisions and conditions of the Pledge Agreement; and (3) the UFG Operator, as pledger, transfer all the pledged assets to Xinjiang United Family according to the Call Option Agreement, or other entity or individual designated by it.

 

The purposes of the Pledge Agreement are to (1) guarantee the performance of the UFG Operator’s obligations under the Exclusive Service Agreement, (2) make sure the UFG Operator does not transfer or assign the pledged assets, or create or allow any encumbrance that would prejudice Xinjiang United Family’s interests without Xinjiang United Family’s prior written consent, and (3) provide Xinjiang United Family control over the UFG Entity. In the event the UFG Entity or UFG Operator breaches its contractual obligations under the Transaction Agreements, Xinjiang United Family will be entitled to foreclose on the UFG Operator’s assets in the UFG Entity and may (1) exercise its option to purchase or designate third parties to purchase part or all of the UFG Operator’s assets in the UFG Entity and in this situation, Xinjiang United Family may terminate the Pledge Agreement and the other VIE agreements after acquisition of all assets in the UFG Entity or form a new VIE structure with any third party designated by Xinjiang United Family, or (2) dispose of the pledged assets and be paid in priority out of proceeds from the disposal in which case the existing VIE structure will be terminated.

 

Call Option Agreement

 

Under the Call Option Agreement, the UFG Operator irrevocably granted Xinjiang United Family an exclusive option to require the UFG Operator to transfer, to the extent permitted under PRC law, once or at multiple times, at any time, part or all of his or her assets in the UFG Entity to Xinjiang United Family (or its designee). The option price is the minimum amount to the extent permitted under PRC law.

 

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Under the Call Option Agreement, Xinjiang United Family may at any time under any circumstances, require the UFG Operator to transfer, at its discretion, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of the UFG Operator’s assets in the UFG Entity to Xinjiang United Family (or its designee). The Call Option Agreement, together with the Pledge Agreement, the Exclusive Service Agreement, and the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement and Powers of Attorney, enable Xinjiang United Family to exercise effective control over the UFG Entity.

 

The Call Option Agreement remains effective until all the equity or assets of the UFG Entity is legally transferred under the name of Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it.

 

Operating Rights Proxy Agreement and Powers of Attorney

 

Under the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement and the Powers of Attorney, the UFG Operator entrusted Xinjiang United Family or the personnel designated by it then to act as his or her proxy and exercise his or her rights as the sole operator of the UFG Entity, including but not limited to: (a) exercising operating rights; (b) getting access to financial information of the UFG Entity; (c) making resolutions about the disposition of the assets of the UFG Entity; (d) approving annual budgets of the UFG Entity or announcing dividends; (e) making resolutions about dissolution or liquidation of the UFG Entity, forming the liquidating committee, and exercising the authorities in the course of liquidation; (f) filing any required document to the company registration agency or any other relevant agency; and (g) signing any resolution.

 

The Operating Rights Proxy Agreement and the Powers of Attorney shall be retrospectively effective from their date of execution and maintain the effectiveness so long as the UFG Operator holds the operating rights of the UFG Entity.

 

Spousal Consents

 

The spouses of the UFG Operators, agreed, via spousal consents, to the execution of the “Transaction Documents” including: (a) Exclusive Service Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family; (b) Call Option Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family; (c) Operating Rights Proxy Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family; (d) Pledge Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family; and (e) Powers of Attorney executed by the UFG Operators, and the disposal of the operating rights or the assets for the business of the UFG Entity held by the UFG Operators and registered in their names.

 

The spouses of the UFG Operators further undertake not to make any assertions in connection with the operating rights and assets of the UFG Entity which are held by the UFG Operators. The spouses of the UFG Operators confirm that the UFG Operators can perform their obligations under the Transaction Documents and further amend or terminate the Transaction Documents without their authorization or consent. The spouses of the UFG Operators undertake to execute all necessary documents and take all necessary actions to ensure appropriate performance of the Transaction Documents.

 

The spouses of the UFG Operators also undertake that if they obtain any operating rights and assets of the UFG Entity which are held by the UFG Operators for any reasons, they shall be bound by the Transaction Documents entered into between the UFG Operators and Xinjiang United Family (as amended time to time) and comply with the obligations thereunder as an operator of the UFG Entity. For this purpose, upon Xinjiang United Family’s request, they shall sign a series of written documents in substantially the same format and content as the Transaction Documents (as amended from time to time).

 

Although each UFG Entity has its own set of agreements with Xinjiang United Family, the terms and conditions of their agreements with Xinjiang United Family are identical. As a result of the understandings and agreements, we effectively control all the UFG Entities. Except as set forth in these agreements, the UFG Operators are not entitled to any other compensation in connection with their ownership of all the UFG Entities.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks, and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those discussed in our forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts and per share amounts in this prospectus have been presented giving effect to a forward split of our ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share and additional share issuances to our existing shareholders approved by our shareholders and board of directors on March 27, 2021.

 

Overview

 

We manufacture and sell a wide selection of bakery products, seasonal products, and beverage products; we also offer eat-in services in some of our stores. We currently focus our business in Xinjiang of the PRC and New York City and plan to expand to other regions of the PRC and the U.S., with a goal of opening three to five new stores in China annually and 10 new stores in the United States during the next five years. We aim to make healthy, nutritious, and ready-to-eat food through advanced facilities and industry research and to create a comfortable, yet distinguishable store environment in which customers can enjoy our products.

 

We sell our products primarily through (i) a bakery chain consisting of 29 stores operated by Xinjiang United Family and its VIEs, under our “George●Chanson” brand in Xinjiang, and (ii) through Chanson 23rd Street in New York City. We are also currently renovating spaces for the opening of a new store in New York City. Selling through our own stores allows us to run our entire operation more efficiently and to exercise greater control over the quality of our products and the presentation of our brand, and to better manage customer experience in our stores. We also sell our products on our digital platforms and through third-party online food ordering platforms. Our current customer base consists of both individual and corporate customers. To expand our customer base, we have developed a variety of marketing and sale strategies, such as increasing our presence on social media platforms, devising pricing and discounting programs, and improving customer in-store experience.

 

For our PRC Stores, we manufacture the majority of bakery products in our central factory located in Urumqi, Xinjiang, prepare beverage products within the stores, and contract third-party manufacturers to produce seasonal products. For Chanson 23rd Street, we bake bakery products, prepare breakfast, lunch and all-day brunch, bar food, and other light meals for eat in, and make beverage products all within our kitchen in the store. To ensure the quality and safety of our products, we procure raw materials, including flour, eggs, and milk, from renowned suppliers with a record of consistently supplying high-quality raw materials over decades in the food industry. In addition, we have implemented a rigorous quality control system covering our entire operation process and mandated internal training to improve our employees’ awareness and knowledge of food safety.

 

We have a dedicated and highly-experienced product development team that constantly creates new products that reflect market trends and are designed to meet customer demand. As of March 2021, we had more than 190 types of bakery products and seasonal products on sale in our PRC Stores, including over 80 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019, and 92 types of eat-in menu items and bakery products on sale at Chanson 23rd Street, including 25 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019. We also offer a large number of beverage products in our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street and update our drink menus seasonally and in response to ever changing customer demand. By continuously offering new products and refining our product formulas to enhance existing products, we believe that we are able to steadily bring in new customers and drive the frequency of our existing customers’ visits to our stores, digital platforms, and store page on third-party platforms.

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had total revenue of $12,577,135 and $11,963,674, and net income of $945,468 and $758,973, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 81.1% and 80.3% of our total revenue for those fiscal years, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 18.9% and 19.7%, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, we had total revenue of $5,006,575 and $6,321,775, and a net loss of $45,903 and net income of $579,747, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 85.2% and 77.4% of our total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 14.8% and 22.6%, respectively.

 

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Our PRC Stores primarily generate revenue through sale of bakery products, seasonal products, and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 90.7% and 88.5% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.9% and 8.6%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.4% and 2.9%, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 91.6% and 91.8% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.3% and 5.5%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.1% and 2.7%, respectively.

 

Chanson 23rd Street primarily generates revenue through offering eat-in services and sale of bakery products and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 45.5% and 34.1% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 40.3% and 43.9%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 14.2% and 22.0%, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 35.0% and 39.2% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 45.5% and 46.9%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 19.5% and 13.9%, respectively.

 

Key Factors that Affect Our Results of Operations

 

We believe the following key factors may affect our financial condition and results of operations:

 

Our business is affected by changes in consumer preferences and discretionary spending.

 

Our success depends, in part, upon the popularity of our bakery products and our ability to develop new bakery products that appeal to consumers. Shifts in consumer preferences away from our bakery stores or our product offerings and mix, our inability to develop new products that appeal to consumers could harm our business. Our success depends in large part on our customers’ continued belief that food made with high-quality ingredients, including selected proteins raised without antibiotics, our artisan breads, cakes, pastry and other bakery treats made without artificial preservatives, flavors, sweeteners, or colors from artificial sources are worth the prices charged at our bakery stores relative to the lower prices offered by some of our competitors. Our inability to successfully educate customers about the quality of our bakery products or our customers’ rejection of our pricing approach could result in decreased demand for our products or require us to change our pricing, marketing, or promotional strategies, which could materially and adversely affect our consolidated financial results or the brand identity that we have created. In addition, our success depends to a significant extent on discretionary consumer spending, which is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. Accordingly, we may experience declines in sales during economic downturns or during periods of uncertainty. Any material decline in the amount of discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations, business, and financial condition.

 

Our revenue and growth could be adversely affected if our comparable store sales are less than expected.

 

Our success depends on increasing comparable store sales. To increase sales and profits, and therefore comparable store sales growth, we must focus on delivering value and generating customer excitement by strengthening opportunistic purchasing, optimizing inventory management, maintaining strong store conditions, and effectively marketing current products and new product offerings. We may not be able to maintain or improve the levels of comparable store sales that we have experienced in the past, and our comparable store sales growth is a significant driver of our profitability and overall business results. In addition, competition and pricing pressures from competitors may also materially adversely impact our operating margins. Our comparable store sales growth could be lower than our historical average or our future target for many reasons, including general economic conditions, operational performance, price inflation or deflation, new competitive entrants near our stores, price changes in response to competitive factors, the impact of new stores entering the comparable store base, possible supply shortages or other operational disruptions, the number and dollar amount of customer transactions in our stores, and our ability to provide product or service offerings that generate new and repeat visits to our stores. Opening new stores in our established markets may result in inadvertent oversaturation, temporarily or permanently diverting customers and sales from our existing stores to new stores and reduce comparable store sales, thus adversely affecting our overall financial performance. These factors may cause our comparable store sales results to be materially lower than in recent periods, which could harm our profitability and business. Changes in our average store sales or our inability to increase our average store sales could cause our operating results to vary adversely from expectations, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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Fluctuations in various food and supply costs, including dairy, could adversely affect our operating results.

 

Supplies and prices of the various ingredient materials that are used to prepare our bakery products (including flour, milk, sugar, eggs) can be affected by a variety of factors, such as weather, seasonal fluctuations, demand, politics, and economics factors, and such prices may fluctuate. An increase in pricing of any ingredient that is used in our bakery products could result in an increase in costs from our suppliers, and we may not be able to increase prices to cover increased costs which would have an adverse effect on our operating results and profitability.

 

The geographic concentration of our stores primarily in in Xinjiang and New York City subjects us to an increased risk of loss of revenue from events beyond our control or conditions affecting that region.

 

Currently, we operate 29 bakery stores exclusively located in Xinjiang. In addition, our current operations in the U.S. are limited to New York City. As a result, we are particularly susceptible to adverse trends, severe weather, competition, and economic conditions in these areas. Any unforeseen events or circumstances that negatively affect these areas could materially adversely affect our sales and profitability. These factors include, among other things, epidemics, changes in demographics, population and employee bases, wage increases, changes in economic conditions, severe weather conditions, and climate change. Such conditions may result in reduced customer traffic and spending in our stores, physical damage to our stores, loss of inventory, closure of one or more of our stores, inadequate workforce in our markets, temporary disruption in the supply of products, delays in the delivery of goods to our stores, increased expenses, and a reduction in the availability of products in our stores. Any of these factors may disrupt our business and materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations

 

If we are unable to compete successfully, our financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.

 

The industry in which we conduct our business is intensely competitive. Our bakery stores compete with well-established national, regional, and locally-owned traditional bakeries, cafés, and other companies providing bakery products. Additionally, we also compete with certain quick-service restaurants, specialty food stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. The principal factors on which we compete are taste, quality, prices of products offered, customer service, atmosphere, location, convenience, and overall customer experience. We also compete for retail space in desirable locations. Many competitors or potential competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources, which may allow them to react more quickly to changes in pricing, marketing, and other changing tastes of consumers. In the event that we cannot effectively compete on a continuing basis or competitive pressures arise, such inability to compete or competitive pressures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Key financial performance indicators

 

We consider a variety of financial and operating measures in assessing the performance of our business. The key financial performance measures we use are revenue, comparable store sales, gross profit and gross margin, selling, general, and administrative expenses (“SG&A expenses”), and operating income.

 

Revenue

 

Our net revenue is derived primarily from sales of bakery and other products under our “George●Chanson,” “Patisserie Chanson,” and “Chanson” brand names. We have experienced stable growth, resulting from our focus on supporting our best-selling items and introduction of new products. Our net revenue is periodically influenced by the efficiency of sales promotions and the introduction and discontinuance of sales and promotion incentives. Growth of our revenue is primarily driven by expansion of our store base in existing and new markets as well as comparable store sales growth, described below under “Comparable Store Sales.” Revenue is impacted by competition, current economic conditions, pricing, inflation, product mix and availability, promotional and competitive activities, and spending habits of our customers. Our product offerings across diverse product categories support growth in revenue by attracting new customers and encouraging repeat visits from our existing customers.

 

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Comparable Store Sales

 

Comparable store sales measure the performance of a store during the current reporting period against the performance of the same store in the corresponding period of the previous year. Comparable store sales are important points of analysis for us, as comparable store sales can be helpful to us in making future decisions regarding existing stores and new locations. Comparable store sales are impacted by the same factors that impact revenue. We often drill down into comparable store sales figures to determine the exact cause of changes in revenue. We also use comparable store sales to evaluate current and likely future performance and as a measure of revenue growth to evaluate how established stores have performed over time compared to new stores.

 

For simplicity, our comparable store sales consist of revenue from our stores only after they have had two full years of operations, which is when we believe comparability is achieved. Our comparable store definition includes stores that have been remodeled, expanded, or relocated in their existing location or respective geographic areas, but excludes stores that have been closed for an extended period or are planned to be closed or disposed of. Comparable store sales figures are presented as a percentage that indicates the relative amount of revenue increase or decrease, excluding the impact of foreign currency translation.

 

Opening new stores is a primary component of our growth strategy and, as we continue to execute on our growth strategy, we expect a significant portion of our revenue growth will be attributable to revenue from new stores. Accordingly, comparable store sales are one of the measures we use to assess the success of our growth strategy.

 

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

 

Gross profit is the difference between revenue and cost of revenue. Our cost of revenue consists of labor costs, costs of ingredients used to prepare our bakery products, inventory write-off due to discarded bakery products, packaging costs, freight charges, utility costs, rent expenses of manufacturing space, depreciation of production equipment, and other overhead costs. Ingredients costs account for the largest portion of our cost of revenue. Supplies and prices of our various ingredients can be affected by a variety of factors, such as weather, seasonal fluctuations, demand, political environment, and economic conditions. An increase in the price of any ingredients used in our bakery products could result in an increase in costs from our suppliers, and we may not be able to increase prices to cover increased costs, which would have an adverse effect on our operating results and profitability. In order to negotiate more favorable prices on ingredients, we have been and will continue to be directly involved in sourcing ingredients from qualified suppliers and try to lock in ingredient prices for typically six to 12 months through non-cancelable purchase commitments, when we expect the price to increase. Over the past years, we have invested significant time and energy to achieve cost reduction and productivity improvement in our supply chain. We have focused on reducing ingredient and packaging costs through increased volume buying, direct purchasing, and price negotiations, as well as strengthening inventory management from raw materials to finished goods to reduce the spoilage and wastage. On the other hand, labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our business. Increased labor costs due to competition, increased minimum wage or employee benefits costs, or otherwise, would adversely impact our operating expenses. In addition, our success depends on our ability to attract, motivate, and retain qualified employees, including store managers and staff, to keep pace with our growth strategy.

 

Gross margin is gross profit divided by revenue. Gross margin is a measure used by management to indicate whether we are selling our products at an appropriate gross profit. Our gross margin is impacted by our product mix and availability, as some products generally provide higher gross margins, and by our merchandise costs, which may vary. Gross margin is also impacted by prices of our products. We typically evaluate the profitability of our products annually or semi-annually. We consider many factors such as cost of revenue fluctuations and competitive pricing strategies. We have historically been able to discontinue less profitable products and launch similar new products, and refine our product formulas to enhance existing products with higher prices to cover higher ingredient costs. In addition, we have a dedicated and highly-experienced product development team that constantly creates brand new products that reflect market trends and are attractive to customers.

 

SG&A Expenses

 

Our SG&A expenses are comprised of both store-related expenses and corporate expenses. Store-related expenses include payroll and employee benefit expenses and sales commissions paid to sales personnel, store rent, occupancy and maintenance costs, the cost of opening new stores, and marketing and advertising expenses. Corporate expenses include payroll and benefits for corporate and field support, legal, professional, and other consulting fees, travel expenses, and other facility related costs, such as rent and depreciation.

 

SG&A expenses generally increase as we grow our store base and invest in corporate infrastructure. We have made significant investments in talent retention and infrastructure over the past years which have resulted in higher SG&A expenses. Our SG&A expenses are expected to continue increasing in the future as we invest to open new stores, launch new products, increase brand awareness, attract new customers, and increase our market penetration. To support our growth, we will continue to increase headcount, particularly in the sales and marketing departments. This increase in headcount will drive higher payroll and employee-related expenses. We also continue to invest in product innovation and fuel sales growth. We expect our SG&A expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars as we incur increased costs related to the growth of our business and our operation as a public company.

 

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Operating Income

 

Operating income is the difference between gross profit and SG&A expenses, depreciation, and amortization. Operating income excludes interest expenses, other income (expenses), and income tax expenses. We use operating income as an indicator of the productivity of our business and our ability to manage expenses.

 

Comparable Store Sales

 

A variety of factors affect our comparable store sales, including, among others, consumer trends, competition, current economic conditions, pricing, inflation, changes in our product mix, and the success of our marketing programs. Our comparable store sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 were as follows:

 

China

 

Our comparable store sales in China decreased by 5.2% during the year ended December 31, 2019, excluding the impact of foreign currency translation. Our comparable stores sales during 2019 were affected by the shopfront beautification projects done by the local government and our store renovation. Four of our PRC Stores were under shopfront beautification projects with duration between two to five months, while another two of our PRC Stores were under renovation with duration of about 40 days. Therefore, our sales were affected by the decreased frequency of customer visits resulted from the shopfront beautification projects and renovation. In addition, we opened five new stores in Urumqi. As the density of our stores increased, the frequency of customer visits to our existing stores were affected because some customers who live near our new stores would choose to visit our new stores instead of the existing ones.

 

United States

 

Our comparable store sales growth in the United States was 0.8% during the year ended December 31, 2019. As we only had one bakery store in operation in the United States, the comparable stores sales result was identical to the actual results. Please refer to the analysis below for more details.

  

Our comparable store sales for the six months ended June 30, 2020 were as follows:

 

China

 

Our comparable store sales in China decreased by 25.6% during the six months ended June 30, 2020, excluding the impact of foreign currency translation. Our comparable stores sales during the six months ended June 30, 2020 were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, which resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. In compliance with the government health emergency rules in place, we temporarily closed all but one of our PRC Stores between late January and early March of 2020. Even though our PRC Stores resumed their normal activities on March 8, 2020, the business of our stores located at shopping centers, school areas, and other commercial districts were still affected by the reduced customer traffic due to tightened safety control.

 

United States

 

Our comparable store sales in the United States decreased by was 48.3% during the six months ended June 30, 2020. As we only had one bakery store in operation in the United States, the comparable stores sales result was identical to the actual results. Please refer to the analysis below for more details.

 

COVID-19 Affecting Our Results of Operations

 

In 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has spread throughout the world, especially in China and the United States. The outbreak resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. After the store closure between late January and early March of 2020, all of our PRC Stores were closed again on July 17, 2020 due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities in September 2020. As a result of the store closure, the PRC Stores generated no revenue and the estimated loss of revenue was approximately RMB12 million (approximately $1.7 million) during the period of closure. In the United States, Chanson 23rd Street in New York City provided only delivery and pickup services between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and resumed outdoor dining services at the end of June 2020 and indoor dining services at the end of September 2020. Chanson 23rd Street suspended its indoor dining services again between December 14, 2020 and February 11, 2021 according to an indoor dining ban issued by the Governor of New York State. Chanson 23rd Street resumed its indoor dining services on February 12, 2021 at 25 percent capacity, which was increased to 35 percent on February 26, 2021 and further increased to 50 percent on March 19, 2021. In addition, the renovation of Chanson Greenwich was delayed and we currently expect the store to open in the Summer 2021. Consequently, the COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected our business operations and operating results for 2020. Our revenue generated in China decreased by approximately $1.3 million, or 13%, during the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the same period of last year, and our revenue generated in United States decreased by approximately $1.0 million, or 41%, during the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the same period of last year. Overall, our total revenue decreased by approximately $2.3 million, or 18%, during the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the same period of last year. For the two-month period from January 2021 to February 2021, our revenue generated in China increased by approximately $0.2 million, or 25%, as compared to the same period in 2020, as the COVID-19 first started to impact our operations in China since January 2020, while our revenue generated in the United States decreased by approximately $0.3 million, or 69%, as compared to the same period in 2020, as the COVID-19 outbreak did not have an impact in our U.S. operation during that period in 2020. Overall, our total revenue decreased by approximately $0.1 million, or 10%, during the two-month period from January 2021 to February 2021, as compared to the same period in 2020.

 

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As of the date of this prospectus, the COVID-19 outbreak in China appears to have been under relative control. However, the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. will depend on the future developments of the outbreak, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the outbreak, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. Therefore, while we expect the COVID-19 outbreak to continue negatively impacting our business, results of operations, and financial position, the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

 

During the time the stores were closed, we paid all our employees base salaries in order to satisfy their basic living expenditure needs. After the reopening, we have taken various preventative and quarantine measures across our stores, including conducting regular nucleic acid tests in accordance with the government requirement, monitoring our employees’ health conditions daily, and distributing free masks to all our employees. We also limit the customer flows in our stores and customers who visit our stores are required to measure temperature and wear masks. In the United States, we kept our store in New York City open and provided takeout and delivery services. To fulfill our social responsibility, we have offered special discounts on our products to all hospital workers and free pastries to all frontline workers, drivers, and delivery people as a gesture to show our appreciation for what they contributed to the society during the pandemic.

 

We have taken actions to preserve our liquidity during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 11, 2020, we entered into a loan agreement with Huaxia Bank, which provided us funding of RMB15 million (approximately $2.1 million) through May 2021 with a favorable fixed interest rate of 4.98%. We expect that we will be able to renew this bank loan upon its maturity based on past experience and our good credit history. On April 29, 2020, our subsidiary Chanson 23rd Street received funding for a loan totaling $209,291 under the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), enacted on March 27, 2020. Under the terms of the SBA PPP loan, up to 100% of the principal and accrued interest may be forgiven if certain criteria are met and the loan proceeds are used for qualifying expenses such as payroll costs, benefits, rent, and utilities as described in the CARES Act. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1% and any portion of the principal and accrued interest that is not forgiven is required to be repaid by April 29, 2021. In addition, we have increased efforts to collect our accounts receivable. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 96.8%, or $1.1 million, of our accounts receivable balance as of June 30, 2020 had been collected. The remaining balance of approximately $0.04 million is expected to be collected before June 30, 2021.  As of December 31, 2020, we had a negative working capital of approximately $3.4 million, including deferred revenue of approximately $4.8 million which was reported as current liability, but will not require cash payment in the future. We believe our cash and cash equivalents on hand, our operating cash flows, and the available bank facilities will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs over the next 12 months.

 

Results of Operations

 

Comparison of Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 and 2019

 

The following table summarizes the results of our operations during the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and provides information regarding the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) during such periods.

 

    For the six months ended June 30,     Variance  
    2020     2019     Amount     %  
Revenue   $ 5,006,575     $ 6,321,775     $ (1,315,200 )     (20.8 )%
Cost of revenue     2,508,143       2,881,422       (373,279 )     (13.0 )%
Gross profit     2,498,432       3,440,353       (941,921 )     (27.4 )%
                                 
OPERATING EXPENSES                                
Selling expenses     1,407,777       1,459,451       (51,674 )     (3.5 )%
General and administrative expenses     1,071,602       1,372,791       (301,189 )     (21.9 )%
Total operating expenses     2,479,379       2,832,242       (352,863 )     (12.5 )%
                                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS     19,053       608,111       (589,058 )     (96.9 )%
                                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)                                
Interest expense, net     (55,818 )     (67,207 )     11,389       (16.9 )%
Other income (expense), net     (1,687 )     50,049       (51,736 )     (103.4 )%
Total other expenses, net     (57,505 )     (17,158 )     (40,347 )     235.1 %
                                 
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION     (38,452 )     590,953       (629,405 )     (106.5 )%
                                 
INCOME TAX PROVISION     7,451       11,206       (3,755 )     (33.5 )%
                                 
NET INCOME (LOSS)   $ (45,903 )   $ 579,747     $ (625,650 )     (107.9 )%

 

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Revenue

 

We generate revenue primarily from bakery products and other products sold in China and the United States. Bakery products sold in China consist of packaged bakery products (cakes, bread, and snacks), birthday cakes, and made-in-store pastries. Other products sold in China consist of seasonal products (mooncakes and zongzi) and beverage products. Bakery products sold in the United States consist of cakes, bread, sweets, birthday cakes, and pastries. Other products sold in the United States consist of eat-in menu items (sandwiches, salads, toasts, croissants, soups, and desserts) and beverage products.

 

Our total revenue decreased by $1,315,200, or 20.8%, from $6,321,775 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $5,006,575 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in our revenue was due to decreased revenue from both China and the United States, as discussed in greater details below.

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively:

 

    For the six months ended June 30,     Variance  
    2020     %     2019     %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 3,908,641       78.1 %   $ 4,488,875       71.0 %   $ (580,234 )     (12.9 )%
Other products     359,417       7.1 %     405,711       6.4 %     (46,294 )     (11.4 )%
Subtotal: revenue from China     4,268,058       85.2 %     4,894,586       77.4 %     (626,528 )     (12.8 )%
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     335,665       6.8 %     669,205       10.6 %     (333,540 )     (49.8 )%
Other products     402,852       8.0 %     757,984       12.0 %     (355,132 )     (46.9 )%
Subtotal: revenue from the United States     738,517       14.8 %     1,427,189       22.6 %     (688,672 )     (48.3 )%
                                                 
Total Revenue   $ 5,006,575       100.0 %   $ 6,321,775       100.0 %   $ (1,315,200 )     (20.8 )%

 

China

 

Our PRC Stores accounted for 85.2% and 77.4% of our total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Revenue from China decreased by $626,528, or 12.8%, from $4,894,586 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $4,268,058 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in our revenue was primarily due to decreased revenue from bakery products, as discussed in greater details below.

 

Revenue from bakery products decreased by $580,234, or 12.9%, from $4,488,875 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $3,908,641 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in comparable store sales of 25.9% in bakery products, as a result of the store closures and reduced services due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, and depreciation of RMB against US$. The average translation rate for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 was at US$1 to RMB7.0332 and US$1 to RMB6.7856, respectively, which represented a decrease of 3.6%. The decrease was partially offset by the increased revenue of $591,162 from newly-opened PRC stores during the six months ended June 30, 2020 as these stores have increased customer visits.

 

Revenue from other products decreased by $46,294, or 11.4%, from $405,711 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $359,417 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Revenue from seasonal products remained relatively stable as our sales of seasonal products were during the Dragon Boat Festival in June 2020 when our stores were open, so our sales of these products were not materiality impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The decreased revenue in other products was mainly due to the decreased revenue from beverage products by $44,376, or 33.1%, which was mainly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak during the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

United States

 

Chanson 23rd Street, accounted for 14.8% and 22.6% of our total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Revenue from the United States decreased by $688,672, or 48.3%, from $1,427,189 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $738,517 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was primarily due to decreased revenue from both bakery products and other products as discussed in greater details below.

 

Revenue from bakery products decreased by $333,540, or 49.8%, from $669,205 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $335,665 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Chanson 23rd Street in New York City had been providing only delivery and pickup services between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and resumed dining services, outdoor only, at the end of June 2020. Therefore, revenue from bakery products decrease significantly.

 

Revenue from other products decreased by $355,132, or 46.9%, from $757,984 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $402,852 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Decreased revenue in other products was due to a decrease in revenue from both eat-in services and beverage products. Revenue from eat-in services decreased by $300,301, or 53.7%, from $559,255 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $258,954 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Revenue from beverage products decreased by $54,831, or 27.6%, from $198,729 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $143,898 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Revenue from other products decreased significantly as our business was negatively disrupted by COVID-19 as mentioned above.

 

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Cost of Revenue

 

Our cost of revenue consists of food ingredient costs, packing costs, workforce related costs, overhead costs such as manufacturing space rental and utility, depreciation, and amortization. Our overall cost of revenue decreased by $373,279, or 13.0%, from $2,881,422 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $2,508,143 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly attributable to the decrease in the cost of revenue from both the United States and China, as discussed in greater details below.

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our cost of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively:

 

    For the six months ended June 30,     Variance  
    2020     %     2019     %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 2,004,387       79.9 %   $ 2,040,790       70.8 %   $ (36,403 )     (1.8 )%
Other products     116,705       4.7 %     140,943       4.9 %     (24,238 )     (17.2 )%
Subtotal: cost of revenue from China     2,121,092       84.6 %     2,181,733       75.7 %     (60,641 )     (2.8 )%
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     167,794       6.7 %     303,775       10.6 %     (135,981 )     (44.8 )%
Other products     219,257       8.7 %     395,914       13.7 %     (176,657 )     (44.6 )%
Subtotal: cost of revenue from the United States     387,051       15.4 %     699,689       24.3 %     (312,638 )     (44.7 )%
                                                 
Total Cost of Revenue   $ 2,508,143       100.0 %   $ 2,881,422       100.0 %   $ (373,279 )     (13.0 )%

 

China

 

Cost of revenue from China decreased by $60,641, or 2.8%, from $2,181,733 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $2,121,092 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a decreased cost of revenue of bakery products, as discussed in greater details below.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of bakery products decreased by $36,403, or 1.8%, from $2,040,790 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $2,004,387 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The percentage of decrease in cost of revenue was less than that in revenue during the same period, mainly due to higher inventory spoilage caused by the store closure between late January and early March of 2020, as some of our fresh ingredients or ingredients with shorter storage life were spoiled or expired during the store closure period.

 

Cost of revenue from other products decreased by $24,238, or 17.2%, from $140,943 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $116,705 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. While the cost of revenue of seasonal product remained relatively stable, the cost of revenue from beverage products decreased by $23,101, or 35.6%, from $64,853 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $41,752 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The overall decrease in cost of revenue from other products was in line with the decrease in revenue from other products in our PRC Stores.

 

United States

 

Cost of revenue from the United States decreased by $312,638, or 44.7%, from $699,689 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $387,051 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was primarily due to the decreased cost of revenue from bakery products and other products as discussed in greater details below.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of bakery products decreased by $135,981, or 44.8%, from $303,775 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $167,794 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was largely in line with the decrease in revenue from bakery products in our U.S. store.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of other products decreased by $176,657, or 44.6%, from $395,914 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $219,257 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in cost of revenue from eat-in services by $137,075, or 49.4%, from $277,526 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $140,451 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was also due to a decrease in cost of revenue from sales of beverage products by $39,582, or 33.4%, from $118,388 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $78,806 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The overall decrease in cost of revenue from other products was in line with the decrease in revenue from other products in our U.S. store.

 

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Gross Profit and Gross Margin

 

Our gross profit decreased by $941,921, or 27.4%, from $3,440,353 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $2,498,432 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly attributable to the overall decrease in revenue. Our gross margin decreased by 4.5 percentage points from 54.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 49.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our gross profit for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively:

 

    For the six months ended June 30,     Variance  
    2020     Margin %     2019     Margin %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 1,904,254       48.7 %   $ 2,448,085       54.5 %   $ (543,831 )     (22.2 )%
Other products     242,712       67.5 %     264,768       65.3 %     (22,056 )     (8.3 )%
Subtotal: gross margin and margin % from China     2,146,966       50.3 %     2,712,853       55.4 %     (565,887 )     (20.9 )%
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     167,871       50.0 %     365,430       54.6 %     (197,559 )     (54.1 )%
Other products     183,595       45.6 %     362,070       47.8 %     (178,475 )     (49.3 )%
Subtotal: gross margin and margin % from the United States     351,466       47.6 %     727,500       51.0 %     (376,034 )     (51.7 )%
                                                 
Total Gross Margin and Margin %   $ 2,498,432       49.9 %   $ 3,440,353       54.4 %   $ (941,921 )     (27.4 )%

 

China

 

Gross profit from China decreased by $565,887, or 20.9%, from $2,712,853 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $2,146,966 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly attributable to the overall decrease in revenue. The gross margin decreased by 5.1 percentage points from 55.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 50.3% for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

The gross profit of bakery products decreased by $543,831, or 22.2%, from $2,448,085 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $1,904,254 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, and the gross margin of bakery products decreased by 5.8 percentage points from 54.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 48.7% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly due to the increased inventory spoilage caused by the store closure between late January and early March of 2020 as mentioned above.

 

The gross profit of other products decreased by $22,056, or 8.3%, from $264,768 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $242,712 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, which was in line with the decrease in revenue of other products. The gross margin of other products remained relatively stable with a slight increase by 2.2 percentage points from 65.3% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 67.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. While the gross margin of seasonal product remained relatively stable with a slight increase of 0.2 percentage points, the gross margin of beverage products increased by 1.9 percentage points from 51.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 53.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. During the six months ended June 30, 2019, we sold more fresh fruit beverage products and due to the overestimated customer demand, we stockpiled excess fresh fruit, which were spoiled due to their short storage life. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, we were able to better manage our inventory and estimate the demand, therefore reducing the stock spoilage, which in return, resulted in a higher gross margin as compared to the same period in 2019.

 

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United States

 

Gross profit from the United States decreased by $376,034, or 51.7%, from $727,500 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $351,466 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly attributable to the overall decrease in revenue. The gross margin decreased by 3.4 percentage points from 51.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 47.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

The gross profit of bakery products decreased by $197,559, or 54.1%, from $365,430 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $167,871 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, and the gross margin of bakery products decreased by 4.6 percentage points from 54.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 50.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. We did not close our store in New York City during the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to attract more customers, we offered discounts on customer orders over certain amount. We have also offered special discounts on our products to all hospital workers and free pastries to all frontline workers, drivers, and delivery people as a gesture to show our appreciation for what they contributed to the society during the pandemic. As a result of the discounts offered, our gross margin decreased during the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019.

 

The gross profit of other products decreased by $178,475, or 49.3%, from $362,070 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $183,595 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, and the gross margin of other products decreased by 2.2 percentage points from 47.8% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 45.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. More specifically, the gross profit of eat-in services decreased by $163,226, or 57.9%, from $281,729 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $118,503 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, and the gross margin of eat-in services decreased by 4.6 percentage points from 50.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 45.8% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly attributable to the discounts we offered during the six months ended June 30, 2020 as mentioned above. The gross profit of beverage products decreased by $15,249 or 19.0%, from $80,341 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $65,092 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, and the gross margin of beverage products increased by 4.8 percentage points from 40.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to 45.2% for the six months ended June 30, 2020. After the opening of our cocktail bar in February 2020, we launched serval new types of cocktails and spirit-free beverage products with relatively higher gross margin, especially our bottled cocktails, which were popular among our customers during the pandemic. As a result, gross margin increased during the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019.

 

Operating Expenses

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our operating expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

    For the six months ended June 30,  
    2020     2019     Variance  
    Amount     % of
revenue
    Amount     % of
revenue
    Amount     %  
                                     
Total revenue   $ 5,006,575       100.0 %   $ 6,321,775       100.0 %   $ (1,315,200 )     (20.8 )%
Total operating expenses:                                                
Selling expenses     1,407,777       28.1 %     1,459,451       23.1 %     (51,674 )     (3.5 )%
General and administrative expenses     1,071,602       21.4 %     1,372,791       21.7 %     (301,189 )     (21.9 )%
Total operating expenses   $ 2,479,379       49.5 %   $ 2,832,242       44.8 %   $ (352,863 )     (12.5 )%

 

Selling Expenses

 

Our selling expenses primarily include payroll and sales commission expenses paid to our sales and marketing personnel, store operating expenses, store rental, store decoration and maintenance expenses, utility expenses, and other expenses related to sales activities. Selling expenses decreased by $51,674, or 3.5%, from $1,459,451 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $1,407,777 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in selling expenses was primarily due to the decrease in salary expenses of $66,575 and social security expenses of $30,062. During our store closure period in China from January to March 2020, we paid our employees base salaries in order to satisfy their basic living expenditure needs during the store closures. In addition, we were exempted from paying work-related injury insurance, endowment insurance, and unemployment insurance for our employees since February 2020, a measurement taken by the Chinese government to support the economy during the pandemic. The decrease was partially offset by the increased service commission of $19,870 paid to the third-party delivery companies as our store in the United States could only provide delivery services and pick up services during the period between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and increased renovation expenses of $19,709 incurred for preparation of our new stores. Our selling expenses accounted for 28.1% and 23.1% of our revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

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General and Administrative Expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of administrative employee salaries, welfare and insurance expenses, depreciation, and professional service expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by $301,189, or 21.9%, from $1,372,791 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $1,071,602 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, primarily due to a decrease in administrative employee salaries by $330,481. The decrease in administrative employee salaries was mainly due to us paying our employees base salaries during the store closure, the exemption of social security expenses mentioned above, and a reduced headcount for our store in the United States, as a measure to reduce expenses. Our general and administrative expenses accounted for 21.4% and 21.7% of our revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

Other Expenses, Net

 

Our other expenses, net primarily consist of interest expenses on our short-term bank loans, and gain or loss from disposal of fixed assets. Other expenses, net decreased by $40,347, or 235.1%, from $17,158 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $57,505 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in other income by $51,736, or 103.4%, from a net other income of $50,049 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to a net other expense of $1,687 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease was mainly because we had other income in the six months ended June 30, 2019 of $57,920, from a payment waived by one of our suppliers due to quality issues of its products. The other expenses were partially offset by a decrease in interest expenses by $11,389, or 16.9%, from $67,207 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 to $55,818 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. In 2020, banks offered favorable interest rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore our weighted average interest rate for the six months ended June 30, 2020 decreased as compared to the same period in 2019.

 

Provision for Income Taxes

 

Our provision for income taxes was $7,451 and $11,206 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease was a result of the decreased income before income taxes, due to the impact of COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Under the EIT Law, domestic enterprises and foreign investment enterprises are usually subject to a unified 25% EIT rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays, or exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

 

Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices were incorporated in the PRC. During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises. Based on the EIT Law, for the year ended December 31, 2018, once an enterprise meets certain requirements and is identified as a small-scale minimal profit enterprise, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 5% and the portion between RMB1 million and RMB3 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices will continue to enjoy the favorable tax rate as long as they are qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises.

 

The UFG Entities are individually-owned businesses, which are not subject to the EIT Law. The Measures for Individual Income Tax Calculation of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households, or the “Measures,” were adopted by the SAT on December 19, 2014 and promulgated on December 27, 2014, and amended on June 15, 2018. According to Article 7 of the Measures, for the income from production and operation of individually-owned businesses, the amount of taxable income shall be the balance of the total income of each tax year after deducting costs, expenses, taxes, losses and other expenditures, and allowable compensation for losses in previous years. Income tax for an individually-owned business can generally be assessed on an actual basis or a deemed basis, which the UFG Entities apply. Therefore, income tax for the UFG Entities is levied as a fixed-rate income tax at a certain percentage of a deemed Taxable Net Income (“TNI”) as assessed by the local tax authority. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, eight of these UFG Entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,000 per month. The rest of these UFG Entities were exempted from paying income tax. Along with the continuing growth of business, we expect that the tax rates of these UFG Entities are likely to increase in the future in the annual assessment based on the past performance by the local tax authority. If these UFG Entities change their forms of organization from individually-owned businesses to other corporate forms (such as limited liability company) as a result of their business development requirement, they will no longer enjoy the favorable tax rates and will be subject to the EIT Law, though we currently do not expect their forms of organization to change in the foreseeable future.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the tax saving as the result of the favorable tax rates and tax exemption amounted to $154,659 and $270,068, respectively, and the per share effect of the favorable tax rate and tax exemption was $1,547 and $2,701, respectively.

 

Net Income

 

As a result of the foregoing, we reported a net loss of $45,903 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to a net income of $579,747 for the six months ended June 30, 2019. 

 

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Comparison of Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

 

The following table summarizes the results of our operations during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and provides information regarding the dollar and percentage increase or (decrease) during such years.

 

    For the years ended
December 31,
    Variance  
    2019     2018     Amount     %  
Revenue   $ 12,577,135     $ 11,963,674     $ 613,461       5.1 %
Cost of revenue     5,903,456       6,032,502       (129,046 )     (2.1 )%
Gross profit     6,673,679       5,931,172       742,507       12.5 %
                                 
OPERATING EXPENSES                                
Selling expenses     3,152,341       2,917,083       235,258       8.1 %
General and administrative expenses     2,454,375       2,171,623       282,752       13.0 %
Total operating expenses     5,606,716       5,088,706       518,010       10.2 %
                                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS     1,066,963       842,466       224,497       26.6 %
                                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)                                
Interest expense, net     (148,902 )     (110,007 )     (38,895 )     35.4 %
Other income, net     87,093       84,665       2,428       2.9 %
Total other expenses, net     (61,809 )     (25,342 )     (36,467 )     143.9 %
                                 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION     1,005,154       817,124       188,030       23.0 %
                                 
INCOME TAX PROVISION     59,686       58,151       1,535       2.6 %
                                 
NET INCOME   $ 945,468     $ 758,973     $ 186,495       24.6 %

 

Revenue

 

We generate revenue primarily from bakery products and other products sold in China and the United States. Bakery products sold in China consist of packaged bakery products (cakes, bread, and snacks), birthday cakes, and made-in-store pastries. Other products sold in China consist of seasonal products (mooncakes and zongzi) and beverage products. Bakery products sold in the United States consist of cakes, bread, sweets, birthday cakes, and pastries. Other products sold in the United States consist of eat-in menu items (sandwiches, salads, toasts, croissants, soups, and desserts) and beverage products.

 

Our total revenue increased by $613,461, or 5.1%, from $11,963,674 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $12,577,135 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in our revenue was primarily due to increased revenue from China, as discussed in greater details below.

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:

 

    For the Years ended December 31,     Variance  
    2019     %     2018     %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 9,260,071       73.6 %   $ 8,506,774       71.1 %   $ 753,297       8.9 %
Other products     943,004       7.5 %     1,100,765       9.2 %     (157,761 )     (14.3 )%
Subtotal: revenue from China     10,203,075       81.1 %     9,607,539       80.3 %     595,536       6.2 %
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     957,797       7.6 %     1,034,220       8.6 %     (76,423 )     (7.4 )%
Other products     1,416,263       11.3 %     1,321,915       11.0 %     94,348       7.1 %
Subtotal: revenue from the United States     2,374,060       18.9 %     2,356,135       19.7 %     17,925       0.8 %
                                                 
Total Revenue   $ 12,577,135       100.0 %   $ 11,963,674       100.0 %   $ 613,461       5.1 %

 

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China

 

Our PRC Stores accounted for 81.1% and 80.3% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Revenue from China increased by $595,536, or 6.2%, from $9,607,539 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $10,203,075 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in our revenue was primarily due to increased revenue from bakery products, which was partially offset by the decreased revenue from other products, as discussed in greater details below.

 

Revenue from bakery products increased by $753,297, or 8.9%, from $8,506,774 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $9,260,071 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was mainly due to revenue from the five newly-opened PRC stores amounted to $1,320,118 during the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was partially offset by the decrease in comparable store sales of 2.2% in bakery products, which was discussed above, closure of two less profitable bakery stores, and depreciation of RMB against US$. The average translation rate for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were at US$1 to RMB6.9088 and at US$1 to RMB6.6163, respectively, which represented a decrease of 4.4%.

 

Revenue from other products decreased by $157,761, or 14.3%, from $1,100,765 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $943,004 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly due to the decreased revenue of seasonal products by $123,742, or 15.0%, from $825,385 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $701,643 for the year ended December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2019, in order to improve the profitability of our seasonal products, we changed our business strategy by selling more high-end seasonal products with higher selling prices and gross profit, which resulted in overall decrease in sales volume and revenue from seasonal products. However, our gross margin of seasonal products improved during the year ended December 31, 2019, as discussed in “—Gross Profit and Gross Margin” below.

 

United States

 

Chanson 23rd Street, accounted for 18.9% and 19.7% of our total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Revenue from the United States increased by $17,925, or 0.8%, from $2,356,135 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $2,374,060 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to increased revenue from other products, which was partially offset by decreased revenue from bakery products as discussed in greater details below.

 

Revenue from bakery products decreased slightly by $76,423, or 7.4%, from $1,034,220 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $957,797 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was due to a shift in the business model of Chanson 23rd Street, as we focused more on offering eat-in services as discussed below.

 

Increased revenue in other products was due to an increase in revenue from eat-in services, partially offset by a decrease in revenue from beverage products.

 

Revenue from eat-in services increased by $274,684, or 34.2%, from $804,291 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $1,078,975 for the year ended December 31, 2019. Starting from fiscal year 2019, we have focused more on offering eat-in services as we aim to make Chanson 23rd Street an affordable luxury European-style café and eatery that specializes in the art of dessert making. Therefore, we developed and refined our recipes in order to serve customers with better light meals, which brought in more new customers and increased the frequency of our existing customers’ visits to our store.

 

Revenue from beverage products decreased by $180,336, or 34.8%, from $517,624 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $337,288 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly due to the temporary closure of our cocktail bar due to renovation between August 2019 and February 2020. Therefore, revenue from beverage products deceased significantly for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to last year.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

Our cost of revenue consists of food ingredient costs, packing costs, workforce related costs, overhead costs such as store rental and utility, depreciation, and amortization. Our overall cost of revenue decreased by $129,046, or 2.1%, from $6,032,502 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $5,903,456 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly attributable to the decrease in the cost of revenue from the United States, which was partially offset by the increase in the cost of revenue from China, as discussed in greater details below.

 

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The following table sets forth the breakdown of our cost of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:

 

    For the Years ended December 31,     Variance  
    2019     %     2018     %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 4,330,824       73.4 %   $ 3,902,285       64.7 %   $ 428,539       11.0 %
Other products     368,509       6.2 %     588,476       9.8 %     (219,967 )     (37.4 )%
Subtotal: cost of revenue from China     4,699,333       79.6 %     4,490,761       74.4 %     208,572       4.6 %
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     444,813       7.5 %     640,869       10.6 %     (196,056 )     (30.6 )%
Other products     759,310       12.9 %     900,872       14.9 %     (141,562 )     (15.7 )%
Subtotal: cost of revenue from the United States     1,204,123       20.4 %     1,541,741       25.6 %     (337,618 )     (21.9 )%
                                                 
Total Cost of Revenue   $ 5,903,456       100.0 %   $ 6,032,502       100.0 %   $ (129,046 )     (2.1 )%

 

China

 

Cost of revenue from China increased by $208,572, or 4.6%, from $4,490,761 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $4,699,333 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to the increased cost of revenue of bakery products, which was partially offset by the decreased cost of revenue of other products as discussed in greater details below.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of bakery products increased by $428,539, or 11.0%, from $3,902,285 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $4,330,824 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The overall increase in cost of revenue was in line with the increase in revenue from bakery products in our PRC Stores.

 

Cost of revenue from other products decreased by $219,967, or 37.4%, from $588,476 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $368,509 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly due to the cost of revenue from seasonal products decreasing by $161,280, or 38.0%, from $423,957 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $262,677 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease of the cost of revenue from seasonal products was mainly due to the decreased sales volume as mentioned above, which was in line with the decrease in the revenue of seasonal products during the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

United States

 

Cost of revenue from the United States decreased by $337,618, or 21.9%, from $1,541,741 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $1,204,123 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to the decreased cost of revenue from bakery products and other products as discussed in greater details below.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of bakery products decreased by $196,056, or 30.6%, from $640,869 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $444,813 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly due to reduced ingredient costs and workforce related costs. As we gained more experiences since we started our U.S. operations in 2015, we managed to improve our operation efficiency with better management of inventory and manpower, which resulted in reduced product waste and downsized operation headcount.

 

Cost of revenue from sales of other products decreased by $141,562, or 15.7%, from $900,872 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $759,310 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in cost of revenue from the sales of beverage products by $132,239, or 38.1%, from $346,716 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $214,477 for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was in line with the decrease in sales of beverage products resulting from the temporary closure of our cocktail bar.

 

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Gross Profit and Gross Margin

 

Our gross profit increased by $742,507, or 12.5%, from $5,931,172 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $6,673,679 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was mainly attributable to the overall increase in sales as well as the decrease in cost of revenue. Our gross margin increased by 3.5 percentage points from 49.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 53.1% for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our gross profit for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:

 

    For the Years ended December 31,     Variance  
    2019     Margin %     2018     Margin %     Amount     %  
China                                    
Bakery products   $ 4,929,247       53.2 %   $ 4,604,489       54.1 %   $ 324,758       7.1 %
Other products     574,495       60.9 %     512,289       46.5 %     62,206       12.1 %
Subtotal: gross margin and margin % from China     5,503,742       53.9 %     5,116,778       53.3 %     386,964       7.6 %
                                                 
United States                                                
Bakery products     512,984       53.6 %     393,351       38.0 %     119,633       30.4 %
Other products     656,953       46.4 %     421,043       31.9 %     235,910       56.0 %
Subtotal: gross margin and margin % from the United States     1,169,937       49.3 %     814,394       34.6 %     355,543       43.7 %
                                                 
Total Gross Margin and Margin %   $ 6,673,679       53.1 %   $ 5,931,172       49.6 %   $ 742,507       12.5 %

 

China

 

Gross profit from China increased by $386,964, or 7.6%, from $5,116,778 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $5,503,742 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was mainly attributable to the overall increase in sales. The gross margin increased by 0.6 percentage points from 53.3% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 53.9% for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

The gross profit of bakery products increased by $324,758, or 7.1%, from $4,604,489 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $4,929,247 for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was in line with the increase in the sales of bakery products. The gross margin of bakery products from the PRC Stores remained relatively stable with a slight decrease of 0.9 percentage points from 54.1% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 53.2% for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

The gross profit of other products increased by $62,206, or 12.1%, from $512,289 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $574,495 for the year ended December 31, 2019, while the gross margin increased 14.4 percentage points from 46.5% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 60.9% for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was mainly attributable to the increase of gross profit of seasonal products by $37,538, or 9.4%, from $401,428 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $438,966 for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the gross margin of seasonal products from the PRC Stores increased by 14.0 percentage points from 48.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 62.6% for the year ended December 31, 2019. As mentioned above, in order to improve the profitability of our seasonal products, we changed our business strategy by selling more high-end seasonal products with higher selling prices and gross profit during the year ended December 31, 2019, resulting in a higher gross margin of seasonal products.

 

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United States

 

Gross profit from the United States increased by $355,543, or 43.7%, from $814,394 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $1,169,937 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was mainly attributable to the overall decrease in cost of revenue. The gross margin increased by 14.7 percentage points from 34.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 49.3% for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

The gross profit of bakery products increased by $119,633, or 30.4%, from $393,351 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $512,984 for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the gross margin of bakery products increased by 15.6 percentage points from 38.0% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 53.6% for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increases were due to the improvement in operation efficiency as we mentioned above.

 

The gross profit of other products increased by $235,910, or 56.0%, from $421,043 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $656,953 for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the gross margin of other products increased by 14.5 percentage points from 31.9% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 46.4% for the year ended December 31, 2019. The gross profit of eat-in services increased by $284,007, or 113.5%, from $250,135 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $534,142 for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the gross margin of eat-in services increased by 18.4 percentage points from 31.1% for the year ended December 31, 2018 to 49.5% for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increases were due to the increased sales and improvement in operation efficiency as we mentioned above.

 

Operating Expenses

 

The following table sets forth the breakdown of our operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

    For the Years Ended December 31,  
    2019     2018     Variance  
    Amount     % of
revenue
    Amount     % of
revenue
    Amount     %  
                                     
Total revenue   $ 12,577,135       100.0 %   $ 11,963,674       100.0 %   $ 613,461       5.1 %
Total operating expenses:                                                
Selling expenses     3,152,341       25.1 %     2,917,083       24.4 %     235,258       8.1 %
General and administrative expenses     2,454,375       19.5 %     2,171,623       18.2 %     282,752       13.0 %
Total operating expenses   $ 5,606,716       44.6 %   $ 5,088,706       42.6 %   $ 518,010       10.2 %

 

Selling Expenses

 

Our selling expenses primarily include payroll and sales commission expenses paid to our sales and marketing personnel, store operating expenses, store rental, store decoration and maintenance expenses, utility expenses, and other expenses related to sales activities. Selling expenses increased by $235,258, or 8.1%, from $2,917,083 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $3,152,341 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in selling expenses was primarily caused by an increase in store rental expenses by $180,282 and salary expenses by $42,866, because we opened five new stores in the PRC and hired sales personnel for these new stores to promote bakery product sales during the fiscal year 2019. Our selling expenses accounted for 25.1% and 24.4% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of administrative employee salaries, welfare and insurance expenses, depreciation, and professional service expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $282,752, or 13.0%, from $2,171,623 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $2,454,375 for the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to an increase in professional fees in relation to accounting services by $206,320, an increase in services fees incurred for the year ended December 31, 2019 for the preparation of our initial public offering, and an increase in administrative employee salaries by $34,487 when we hired more administrative employees and expanded our management team to meet the business growth demand. Our general and administrative expenses accounted for 19.5% and 18.2% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

Other Expenses, Net

 

Our other expenses, net primarily consist of interest expenses on our short-term bank loans, and gain or loss from disposal of fixed assets. Other expenses, net increased by $36,467, or 143.9%, from $25,342 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $61,809 for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in other expenses, net was primarily due to our interest expenses increasing by $38,895 from $110,007 for the year ended December 31, 2018 to $148,902 for the year ended December 31, 2019, because we carried an increased weighted average loan balance for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to 2018.

 

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Provision for Income Taxes

 

Our provision for income taxes was $59,686 and $58,151 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Under the EIT Law, domestic enterprises and foreign investment enterprises are usually subject to a unified 25% EIT rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays, or exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

 

Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices were incorporated in the PRC. During the year ended December 31, 2018, Xinjiang United Family and its two branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises, and during the year ended December 31, 2019, Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises. Based on the EIT Law of PRC, for the year ended December 31, 2018, once an enterprise meets certain requirements and is identified as a small-scale minimal profit enterprise, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 5% and the portion between RMB1 million and RMB3 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices will continue enjoying the favorable tax rate as long as they are qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises.

 

The UFG Entities are individually-owned businesses, which are not subject to the EIT Law. The Measures for Individual Income Tax Calculation of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households, or the “Measures,” were adopted by the SAT on December 19, 2014 and promulgated on December 27, 2014, and amended on June 15, 2018. According to Article 7 of the Measures, for the income from production and operation of individually-owned businesses, the amount of taxable income shall be the balance of the total income of each tax year after deducting costs, expenses, taxes, losses and other expenditures, and allowable compensation for losses in previous years. Income tax for an individually-owned business can generally be assessed on an actual basis or a deemed basis, which the UFG Entities apply. Therefore, income tax for the UFG Entities is levied as a fixed-rate income tax at a certain percentage of a deemed TNI as assessed by the local tax authority. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, eight of these UFG Entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,600 per month. The rest of these UFG Entities were exempted from paying income tax. Along with the continuing growth of business, we expect that the tax rates of these UFG Entities are likely to increase in the future in the annual assessment based on the past performance by the local tax authority. If these UFG Entities change their forms of organization from individually-owned businesses to other corporate forms (such as limited liability company) as a result of their business development requirement, they will no longer enjoy the favorable tax rates and will be subject to the EIT Law, though we currently do not expect their forms of organization to change in the foreseeable future.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, tax savings as the result of the favorable tax rates and tax exemptions amounted to $465,888 and $506,612, respectively, and the per share effect of the favorable tax rate and tax exemptions was $4,659 and $5,066, respectively.

 

Net Income

 

As a result of the foregoing, we reported a net income of $945,468 for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to a net income of $758,973 for the year ended December 31, 2018.

   

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

To date, we have financed our operations primarily through cash flow from operations, bank loans, and shareholder working capital funding, when necessary. We plan to support our future operations primarily from cash flows provided by operating activities.

 

As of June 30, 2020, we had $3,297,036 in cash and cash equivalents as compared to $3,874,288 as of December 31, 2019. As of June 30, 2020, we also had $1,168,708 accounts receivable balance, approximately 91.3%, or $1.1 million, of the June 30, 2020 balance have been subsequently collected. The remaining balance is expected to be collected before June 30, 2021. The collection of such receivables made cash available for use in our operations as working capital, if necessary.

 

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As of June 30, 2020, we had approximately $2.3 million in bank loans outstanding. We expect that we will be able to renew our existing bank loan upon its maturity based on past experience and our good credit history.

 

As of June 30, 2020, we had a negative working capital of approximately $3.6 million, including deferred revenue of approximately $4.3 million which was reported as current liability, but will not require cash payment in the future. We believe our cash and cash equivalents on hand, our operating cash flows, and the available bank facilities will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs over the next 12 months. However, if we were to experience an adverse operating environment, including adverse developments in the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, or incur unanticipated capital expenditures, or if we decide to accelerate our growth, then additional financing may be required. Our capital expenditures, including development costs related to the opening or acquisition of additional bakery stores and facilities, maintenance and renovation expenditures, and other capital needs such as other infrastructure to support ongoing operational initiatives have been and will continue to be significant. We cannot guarantee, however, that additional financing, if required, would be available at all or on favorable terms. Such financing may include the use of additional debt or the sale of additional equity securities. Any financing which involves the sale of equity securities or instruments that are convertible into equity securities could result in immediate and possibly significant dilution to our existing shareholders.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had $3,874,288 in cash and cash equivalents as compared to $546,584 as of December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2019, we also had $455,668 accounts receivable balance. We collected all our accounts receivable during the subsequent period from January to July 2020. The collection of such receivables made cash available for use in our operations as working capital, if necessary.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately $2.1 million in bank loans outstanding, which was subsequently fully repaid upon its maturity. On May 11, 2020, we secured another bank loan with Huaxia Bank, which provided us additional funding of RMB15 million (approximately $2.1 million) through May 2021. We expect that we will be able to renew our existing bank loan upon its maturity based on past experience and our good credit history.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had a negative working capital of approximately $3.2 million, including deferred revenue of approximately $3.4 million which was reported as current liability, but will not require cash payment in the future. We believe our cash and cash equivalents on hand, our operating cash flows, and the available bank facilities will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs over the next 12 months. However, if we were to experience an adverse operating environment, including adverse developments in the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, or incur unanticipated capital expenditures, or if we decide to accelerate our growth, then additional financing may be required. Our capital expenditures, including development costs related to the opening or acquisition of additional bakery stores and facilities, maintenance and remodel expenditures, and other capital needs such as other infrastructure to support ongoing operational initiatives have been and will continue to be significant. We cannot guarantee, however, that additional financing, if required, would be available at all or on favorable terms. Such financing may include the use of additional debt or the sale of additional equity securities. Any financing which involves the sale of equity securities or instruments that are convertible into equity securities could result in immediate and possibly significant dilution to our existing shareholders.

 

In the coming years, we will be looking to other sources, such as equity financing, to meet our cash needs. While facing uncertainties in regards to the size and timing of capital to be raised, we are confident that we can continue to meet operational needs mainly by utilizing cash flows generated from our operating activities and shareholder working capital funding, as necessary.

 

Currently, our main operations are conducted in China and most of our revenue, expenses, cash, and cash equivalents are denominated in RMB. Our holding company, however, may need dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiary and VIEs to satisfy its liquidity requirements. Although dividends may be freely remitted in or out of China in RMB or foreign currency according to the PRC regulations, our PRC subsidiary and VIEs are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets, equivalent to their reserves and their share capital, to the holding company in the form of loans, advances, or cash dividends. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC—Our PRC subsidiary is subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.” As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the total restricted net assets equivalent amounted to $1,325,631 and $1,248,175, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, the total restricted net assets amounted to $1,325,631.

 

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The following table sets forth summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 

    For the six months ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   $ 85,350     $ (199,798 )
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     (45,278 )     1,634,086  
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     (562,607 )     87,921  
Effect of exchange rate change on cash     (65,720 )     (14,814 )
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash     (588,255 )     1,507,395  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period     3,885,291       557,587  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period   $ 3,297,036     $ 2,064,982  

 

The following table sets forth summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 

    For the Years Ended
December 31,
 
    2019     2018  
Net cash provided by operating activities   $ 1,433,517     $ 604,160  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     1,317,784       (2,321,437 )
Net cash provided by financing activities     619,890       2,043,885  
Effect of exchange rate change on cash     (43,487 )     (19,360 )
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash     3,327,704       307,248  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year     557,587       250,339  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of year   $ 3,885,291     $ 557,587  

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $85,350 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, mainly derived from a net loss of $45,903 for the period, and net changes in our operating assets and liabilities, which mainly included an increase in accounts receivable of $723,571. Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, many of our corporate customers in China and the U.S. were adversely affected during this period, which resulted in slow collection of our accounts receivable. Approximately 91.3%, or $1.1 million, of the June 30, 2020 balance have been subsequently collected. The remaining balance of approximately $0.1 million is expected to be collected before June 30, 2021. Deferred revenue increased by $921,132, primarily due to increased membership cards sales. Amounts loaded onto our membership cards are initially recorded at deferred revenue, and recognized as revenue upon redemption, at which point, we also reduce the deferred revenue liability.

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $199,798 for the six months ended June 30, 2019, mainly derived from a net income of $579,747 for the period, and net changes in our operating assets and liabilities, which mainly included an increase in accounts receivable of $426,671 because of the increased sales of our products. Trade payable and other current liabilities decreased by $353,703 due to the payments to our suppliers and other debtors.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1,433,517 for the year ended December 31, 2019, mainly derived from a net income of $945,468 for the year, and net changes in our operating assets and liabilities, which mainly included a decrease in accounts receivable of $210,407. We strengthened our effort in collection of accounts receivable during the year ended December 31, 2019, resulting in decreased accounts receivable despite of the increase in sales. Deferred revenue increased by $473,946, primarily due to increased membership cards sales. Amounts loaded onto our membership cards are initially recorded at deferred revenue, and recognized as revenue upon redemption for payment, at which point, we also reduce the deferred revenue liability.

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $604,160 for the year ended December 31, 2018, mainly derived from a net income of $758,973 for the year, and net changes in our operating assets and liabilities, which mainly included an increase in deferred revenue of $353,389 primarily due to increased membership cards sales as we mentioned above. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities was partially offset by the increase in accounts receivable of $213,722 because of the increased sales of our products. The inventory increased by $196,243 as we increased the stockpile of ingredient materials in order to prepare for increased sales orders.

 

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Investing Activities 

 

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to $45,278 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to purchases of property and equipment and leasehold improvement for the new stores.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities amounted to $1,634,086 for the six months ended June 30, 2019, primarily including proceeds from the collection of the amount due from a related party of $1,943,385 and purchases of property and equipment of $309,299.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities amounted to $1,317,784 for the year ended December 31, 2019, including proceeds from collection of amount due from a related party of $1,896,008 and purchase of property and equipment of $636,499.

 

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to $2,321,437 for the year ended December 31, 2018, primarily including purchase of property and equipment of $424,043 and advances made to a related party of $1,897,394. The amount due from a related party represented cash advanced to the chief executive officer of Xinjiang United Family and our controlling shareholder and Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, mainly as the initial working capital in relation to the opening of five new UFG Entities, such as prepaid rental, renovation, and other start-up expenses in 2019. The amount due from Mr. Gang Li had been fully utilized or collected by us as of December 31, 2019. As of December 31, 2020, we had an amount of approximately $0.2 million due from a related party, representing cash advanced to Mr. Gang Li, mainly as the initial working capital, such as prepaid rental, renovation, and other start-up expenses, for the opening of a newly established bakery store, Chanson Greenwich, in New York. The amount due from Mr. Gang Li had been fully utilized or collected by us in January 2021. Chanson Greenwich was initially formed by Mr. Gang Li, and subsequently Mr. Gang Li assigned his membership interests in Chanson Greenwich to Chanson NY on September 28, 2020. After the transfer, Chanson Greenwich became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson NY. Such business advances to our related party were mainly for the expansion of our business and historically such advances were all fully utilized or collected by us; hence, we do not expect any potential risks or negative consequences of such advances on our liquidity. We are in process of refining our organization structure, and we expect that we will make no such advances to our related party in the future.

 

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Financing Activities

 

Net cash used in financing activities was $562,607 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, which primarily consisted of repayments of short-term bank loans of $2,137,025 and repayment of a shareholder loan of $739,433 and was partially offset by proceeds from short-term bank loans of $2,342,291.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $87,921 for the six months ended June 30, 2019, which primarily consisted of proceeds from short-term bank loans of $2,211,000, and proceeds from a shareholder loan of $271,015, and was partially offset by repayments of short-term bank loans of $2,207,937 and payments made for deferred offering costs of $271,015.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $619,890 for the year ended December 31, 2019, which primarily consisted of proceeds from a shareholder loan of $813,352 which was partially offset by payments made for deferred offering costs of $194,282. There were also proceeds from short-term bank loans of $2,172,000 because we borrowed RMB15 million from Huaxia Bank as working capital for one year. On the other hand, we repaid $2,171,180 (RMB15 million) short-term bank loans to Huaxia Bank upon loan maturity.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $2,043,885 for the year ended December 31, 2018, which primarily consisted of proceeds from short-term bank loans of $2,271,000 because we borrowed RMB15 million from Huaxia Bank as working capital for one year. On the other hand, we repaid $227,115 (RMB1.4 million) short-term bank loans to China Construction Bank upon loan maturity.

 

Contractual obligations

  

As of June 30, 2020, our contractual obligations were as follows:

 

          Less than                                
Contractual obligations   Total     1 year     1-2 years     2-3 years     3-4 years     4-5 years     Thereafter  
Short-term bank loans (1)   $ 2,312,949     $ 2,312,949     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
Future lease payments (2)     12,397,606       535,640       1,501,421       1,418,719       1,284,895       1,279,301       6,377,630  
Total   $ 14,710,555     $ 2,848,589     $ 1,501,421     $ 1,418,719     $ 1,284,895     $ 1,279,301     $ 6,377,630  

 

(1) Repayment of a bank loan: as of June 30, 2020, our contractual obligation to repay outstanding bank loans totaled $2,312,949 and related to the following bank loans:

 

A. On May 11, 2020, Xinjiang United Family signed a new loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million ($2,103,658 as of June 30, 2020) as working capital for a year, with a maturity date of May 11, 2021. The loan bears a favorable fixed interest rate of 4.98% and is guaranteed by Ms. Baolin Wang, the legal representative of Xinjiang United Family, and XJ Financing Guaranty. In order for XJ Financing Guaranty to endorse the guarantee with the bank, our controlling shareholder, Mr. Gang Li, and his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong, jointly signed a personal guarantee agreement with XJ Financing Guaranty and pledged their residential property as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. In addition, Xinjiang United Family pledged all its equipment in the PRC and the operating rights of two bakery stores as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. Three affiliated entities controlled by Mr. Gang Li also signed guarantee agreements with XJ Financing Guaranty.

 

B. On April 29, 2020, our U.S. subsidiary Chanson 23rd Street received funding for a loan totaling $209,291 under the U.S. SBA PPP, which is part of the CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020. Under the terms of the SBA PPP loan, up to 100% of the principal and accrued interest may be forgiven if certain criteria are met and the loan proceeds are used for qualifying expenses such as payroll costs, benefits, rent, and utilities as described in the CARES Act. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1% and any portion of the principal and accrued interest that is not forgiven is required to be repaid by April 29, 2021.

 

(2) We lease office spaces, bakery stores facilities, and employee dormitories, which are classified as operating leases in accordance with ASC Topic 842. As of June 30, 2020, our future lease payments totaled $12,397,606.

   

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As of December 31, 2019, our contractual obligations were as follows:

 

          Less than                                
Contractual obligations   Total     1 year     1-2 years     2-3 years     3-4 years     4-5 years     Thereafter  
Short-term bank loans (1)   $ 2,138,962     $ 2,138,962     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
Future lease payments (2)     9,519,920       1,274,794       1,109,458       947,492       764,814       756,981       4,666,381  
Total   $ 11,658,882     $ 3,413,756     $ 1,109,458     $ 947,492     $ 764,814     $ 756,981     $ 4,666,381  

 

(1) Repayment of a bank loan: as of December 31, 2019, our contractual obligation to repay an outstanding bank loans totaled $2,138,962 and related to the following bank loan:

 

A. On April 11, 2019, Xinjiang United Family entered into a loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million (approximately $2,138,962 as of December 31, 2019) as working capital for a year, with a maturity date of April 11, 2020. The loan bore a fixed interest rate of 6.98%. The loan was subsequently repaid in full upon maturity. This loan was guaranteed by Ms. Baolin Wang, the legal representative of Xinjiang United Family, and a third-party guaranty company, Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd. (“XJ Financing Guaranty”). In order for XJ Financing Guaranty to endorse the guarantee with the bank, our controlling shareholder, Mr. Gang Li, and his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong, jointly signed a personal guarantee agreement with XJ Financing Guaranty and pledged their residential property as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. In addition, Xinjiang United Family pledged all its equipment in the PRC and the operating rights of two bakery stores as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. Three affiliated entities controlled by Mr. Gang Li also signed guarantee agreements with XJ Financing Guaranty.

 

(2) We lease office spaces, bakery stores facilities, and employee dormitories, which are classified as operating leases in accordance with Topic 842. As of December 31, 2019, our future lease payments totaled $9,519,920.

 

Trend Information

 

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this registration statement, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments, or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net revenue, income from continuing operations, profitability, liquidity, or capital resources, or that would cause reported financial information not necessarily to be indicative of future operating results or financial condition.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2019 or June 30, 2020.

 

Inflation

 

Inflation does not materially affect our business or the results of our operations.

 

Seasonality

 

For bakery products sold by our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street and eat-in services offered by Chanson 23rd Street, we have not experienced obvious seasonal fluctuations in our sales as these products have been commonly consumed on a daily basis by our customers. With respect to beverage products sold by our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street, we have experienced in the past, and expect to continuously experience in the future, higher retail sales during summer as a result of higher customer demand. With respect to seasonal products sold by our PRC Stores, we have experienced in the past, and expect to continuously experience in the future, seasonal fluctuations in our retail sales as a result of customers’ increased demand for these seasonal products as gifts and for person consumption during holiday seasons. Historically, we generate almost all the retail sales of our seasonal products during the one or two months before Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival in China, which respectively take place at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter of a year.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. These financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities and revenue and expenses, to disclose contingent assets and liabilities on the date of the consolidated financial statements, and to disclose the reported amounts of revenue and expenses incurred during the financial reporting period. The most significant estimates and assumptions include the valuation of accounts receivable, advances to suppliers, useful lives of property and equipment, the recoverability of long-lived assets, provision necessary for contingent liabilities, and revenue recognition. We continue to evaluate these estimates and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We rely on these evaluations as the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. We believe critical accounting policies as disclosed in this prospectus reflect the more significant judgments and estimates used in preparation of our consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

The following critical accounting policies rely upon assumptions and estimates and were used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements:

 

Uses of estimates

 

In preparing the consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates are based on information as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Significant estimates required to be made by management include, but are not limited to, the valuation of accounts receivable, useful lives of property and equipment, the recoverability of long-lived assets, provision necessary for contingent liabilities, and revenue recognition. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Accounts Receivable

 

Accounts receivable are recognized and carried at original invoiced amount less an estimated allowance for uncollectible accounts.

 

We determine the adequacy of reserves for doubtful accounts based on individual account analysis and historical collection trend. We establish a provision for doubtful receivables when there is objective evidence that we may not be able to collect amounts due. The allowance is based on management’s best estimate of specific losses on individual exposures, as well as a provision on historical trends of collections. The provision is recorded against accounts receivable balances, with a corresponding charge recorded in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Actual amounts received may differ from management’s estimate of credit worthiness and the economic environment. Delinquent account balances are written-off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 and 2018, there was no allowance recorded as we consider all of the accounts receivable fully collectible.

 

Inventories, net

 

Inventories consist of ingredient materials, finished goods, packing materials and other materials. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, on a weighted average basis. Costs include the cost of ingredient materials, direct labor and related production overhead. Any excess of the cost over the net realizable value of each item of inventories is recognized as a provision for diminution in the value of inventories. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the normal course of business less any costs to complete and sell products. We periodically evaluate inventories for their net realizable value adjustments, and reduces the carrying value of those inventories that are obsolete or in excess of the forecasted usage to their estimated net realizable value based on various factors including aging and expiration dates, as applicable, taking into consideration historical and expected future product sales. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, no inventory reserve was recorded because no slow-moving, obsolete or damaged inventory was identified.

 

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Revenue recognition

 

We adopted Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach.

 

ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, establishes principles for reporting information about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts to provide goods or services to customers. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that it expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services recognized as performance obligations are satisfied.

 

We currently generate our revenue through our bakery/café stores as well as through online sales. We recognize revenue from bakery-café sales upon delivery of the related food and other products to the customer and fulfillment of all performance obligations. Revenue is recognized net of any discounts, sales incentives, and sales taxes and value added taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities.

 

In the PRC Stores, we sell membership cards that do not have an expiration date and from which we do not deduct non-usage fees from outstanding card balances. Membership cards are reloadable and redeemable at any of our store locations. Amounts loaded into these cards are initially recorded as deferred revenue. When membership cards are redeemed at stores, we recognize revenue and reduce the deferred revenue. While we continue to honor all membership cards presented for payments, management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote for certain cards with long periods of inactivity (“breakage”), which is five years after the last usage based upon our historical redemption patterns. Membership card breakage is recorded as revenue in the consolidated statement of income and the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss). Membership card breakage was immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

In the PRC Stores, we maintain a customer loyalty program in which customers earn free cash vouchers when purchasing or reloading membership cards at certain amount. These cash vouchers typically do not expire, except for certain vouchers given out at special occasions, which usually state an expiration date and can only be exchanged for certain seasonal products or specialty cakes. We establish corresponding liabilities in deferred revenue for the membership cards and the free cash vouchers upon issuance. We allocate the consideration received for membership card purchasing or reloading with free cash vouchers proportionately between the membership cards and cash vouchers based on their face values. Revenue is recognized at the allocated amount upon redemption of membership cards and cash vouchers for payment, at which point we deliver products to customers and reduce the deferred revenue. Unredeemed cash vouchers will be recognized as revenue upon their expiration dates, if any, or five years after their issuance if there are no stated expiration dates, when management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote.

 

Contract balances and remaining performance obligations

 

Contract balances typically arise when a difference in timing between the transfer of control to the customer and receipt of consideration occurs. We did not have contract assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. Our contract liabilities, which are reflected in our consolidated balance sheets as deferred revenue of $3,410,303 and $2,979,547 as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as deferred revenue of $4,276,345 as of June 30, 2020, consist primarily of customer payments for the membership cards and the fair value of the cash vouchers under our customer loyalty programs. These amounts represent our unsatisfied performance obligations as of the balance sheet dates. The amount of revenue recognized in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 that was included in the opening deferred revenue was $1,864,535 and $1,740,797, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate amount of unredeemed membership cards and cash vouchers was $3,410,303. The amount of revenue recognized in the six months ended June 30 2020 and 2019 that was included in the opening deferred revenue was $1,845,873 and $918,272, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of unredeemed membership cards and cash vouchers was $4,276,345. We will recognize revenue when customers make purchases with membership cards or cash vouchers, and a significant portion of the balance is expected to occur during the first two years after June 30, 2020 and the remaining balance between the third and fifth year.

 

Disaggregation of revenue

 

We disaggregate our revenue by geographic areas, as we believe our best depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of the revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. Our disaggregation of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 is disclosed in Note 12 of our accompanying consolidation financial statements. Our disaggregation of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 is disclosed in Note 12 of our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidation financial statements.

 

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Income taxes

 

We account for current income taxes in accordance with the laws of the relevant tax authorities. Deferred income taxes are recognized when temporary differences exist between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period including the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the “more likely than not” test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. No penalties or interest relating to income taxes were incurred during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 or the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. We do not believe there was any uncertain tax provision at December 31, 2019 and 2018 or at June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

Our operating subsidiary in China is subject to the income tax laws of the PRC. Our operating subsidiaries in the United States are subject to the tax law of the United States. As of December 31, 2019, the tax years ended December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2019 for our PRC subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by PRC tax authorities, and the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2019 for our United States subsidiaries remain open for statutory examination by U.S. tax authorities. As of June 30, 2020, the tax years ended December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2019 for our PRC subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by PRC tax authorities, and the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2019 for our United States subsidiaries remain open for statutory examination by U.S. tax authorities.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements 

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740) Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards (the Simplification Initiative). The objective of the Simplification Initiative is to identify, evaluate, and improve areas of U.S. GAAP for which cost and complexity can be reduced while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. The specific areas of potential simplification in this ASU were submitted by stakeholders as part of the Simplification Initiative. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. We adopted this ASU on January 1, 2021 and the adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

 

Except for the above-mentioned pronouncements, there are no new recently issued accounting standards that will have material impact on our consolidated and unaudited condensed consolidated financial position, statements of operations, and cash flows.

 

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INDUSTRY

 

All the information and data presented in this section have been derived from the industry report of Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co. (“Frost & Sullivan”) commissioned by us in September 2020 entitled “The Xinjiang Province and the United States Bakery Industry Independent Market Research” (the “Frost & Sullivan Report”) unless otherwise noted. Frost & Sullivan has advised us that the statistical and graphical information contained herein is drawn from its database and other sources. The following discussion contains projections for future growth, which may not occur at the rates that are projected or at all.

 

OVERVIEW OF BAKERY PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING MARKETS IN THE PRC

 

Introduction

 

Bakery products are foods made from flour, yeast, salt, and water, together with sugar, oil, milk, eggs, or additives for extra flavor and texture, and cooked in an oven. Bakery products in the PRC include both Western bakery products such as bread, cakes, and biscuits, and traditional Chinese bakery products such as mooncakes, Chinese pancakes, and stuffed pies. As the pace of life becomes faster in the PRC, the demand for bakery products is expected to grow steadily since ready-made bakery products are time saving and convenient to carry.

 

Market Size

 

Bakery products have become more popular among Chinese consumers. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, the retail sales value of bakery products in the PRC had increased from approximately $24.30 billion in 2015 to approximately $30.46 billion in 2019, representing a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 5.8%. The rise in retail sales value during the period was mainly due to the rising disposable income, an influx of western pastry, and increasing per capita consumption of bakery products in the PRC. With an optimistic economic outlook highlighted under the Outline of 13th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development of the PRC by the PRC government and increasing consumption of bakery products among Chinese consumers, the retail sales value of bakery products in the PRC is expected to further increase at a CAGR of 3.7%, reaching approximately $36.09 billion by the end of 2024.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

Note: Total Retail Sales Value is converted to USD at RMB/USD of 6.605.

 

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According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, from 2015 to 2019, the retail sales value of bakery products in Xinjiang had increased at a CAGR of 8.1% from approximately $0.88 billion to approximately $1.20 billion. The rise in retail sales value during the period was mainly due to the rising disposable income, an influx of western pastry, and increasing per capita consumption of bakery products in the area. It is estimated by Frost & Sullivan that bakery products will become more popular among consumers in Xinjiang and the total consumption of bakery products will further increase, driving the retail sales value of bakery products in Xinjiang to reach approximately $1.48 billion by the end of 2024, representing a CAGR of 4.7%. Such growth in the retail sales value of bakery products will create sufficient room for the industry to develop moderately and market participants may seek opportunities to expand their market presence in Xinjiang in the next few years.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

Note: Total retail sales value is converted to USD at RMB/USD of 6.605.

 

Production Analysis

 

There are three different production modes for bakery products in the PRC. Most of the bakery product manufacturers produce their products in a central factory and deliver the finished product to chain stores and retail stores for sale. These manufacturers may enjoy lower manufacturing cost but the shelf life of their bakery products is usually shorter (approximately three to five days). Some bakery product manufacturers produce semi-finished products in a central factory and rely on their stores for further processing, such as baking, garnishing, and packaging. The bakery products produced this way are fresher than those delivered from a central factory, since the bakery products are prepared right before being put on the shelf. Lastly, some bakery product manufacturers establish a designated area in their chain stores or retail stores for production in order to offer bakery products with the best quality and freshness. However, as more manpower is needed to produce the same amount of bakery products, the cost of this production model is the highest among three production modes.

 

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Cost analysis

 

Labor cost. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the average annual wage of employed persons in the manufacturing industry in urban areas of the PRC increased from approximately $8,519.9 in 2015 to approximately $11,831.5 in 2019, representing a CAGR of 8.6%, such an increase being mostly attributable to the high demand for labor workers and a rise in the minimum wage level. Besides, driven by the strong economic performance in the PRC, the average annual wage of employed persons in manufacturing industry in urban areas of the PRC is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.0% from 2020 to 2024 and reach approximately $13,134.6 in 2024. On the other hand, the average annual wage of employed persons in the catering service industry in urban areas of the PRC increased at a CAGR of 5.0% from approximately $6,284.1 in 2015 to approximately $7,622.4 in 2019. With an expansion of the catering service industry and increasing frequency of dining out among Chinese consumers in the recent years, the average annual wage of employed persons in the catering service industry is expected to reach approximately $8,786.3 in 2024, representing a CAGR of 3.1% from 2020 to 2024. The anticipated rising labor cost in the PRC is expected to exert operational pressure on bakery product manufacturers. Small-sized manufacturers without sufficient capital flow may experience difficulties in hiring enough employees and sustain their business.

 

 

Source: The National Bureau of Statistics of China, and the Frost & Sullivan Report

Note: Total average annual wage is converted to USD at RMB/USD of 6.605.

 

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Raw material cost. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the China Sugar Association and the estimation of Frost & Sullivan, the average selling prices of eggs, sugar, and flour increased at a CAGR of 4.4%, 0.6%, and 4.8% from 2015 to 2019, respectively. The increase in selling prices of eggs, sugar, and flour were mainly due to a steadily increasing demand for these raw ingredients from the food manufacturing industry and the relatively stable supply of eggs, sugar, and flour due to the removal of excess capacity of production in the PRC. The selling prices of eggs, sugar, and flour are expected to increase and reach approximately $0.92 per pound, $0.45 per pound, and $0.48 per pound respectively in 2024, representing a moderate CAGR of 2.3%, 3.0%, and 3.4%, respectively from 2020 to 2024. As the prices of fundamental ingredients of bakery products increased over the recent years, the cost increase will ultimately be shifted to consumers, which will lead to a rise in the unit price of bakery products.

 

 

Source: The National Bureau of Statistics of China, China Sugar Association, and the Frost & Sullivan Report

Note: Total average selling prices are converted to USD at RMB/USD of 6.605.

 

Rental cost. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, the average monthly rent of retail outlets in Xinjiang increased from approximately $0.95 per square feet in 2015 to approximately $1.01 per square feet in 2019, representing a CAGR of 1.5%. The increase in Xinjiang was mainly due to steady economic growth and stimulating economic policies adopted by the government. Because of urban development and more frequent economic activities in Xinjiang, the average monthly rent of retail outlets in Xinjiang is expected to further increase, reaching approximately $1.04 per square feet in 2024, representing a CAGR of 0.7%. Retail outlet rents often constitute a large part of the business costs of a bakery product retailer, the rising rent will impose higher financial pressure to bakery products retailers.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

Note: Average monthly rent is converted to USD at RMB/USD of 6.605.

 

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Market Drivers and Development Trends

 

Improved quality of life. Over the past five years, the spending power of Chinese residents has increased and Chinese consumers have exhibited a stronger preference for bakery products made from better ingredients and of higher quality even at a higher price. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the amount of disposable income per capita nationwide in the PRC has increased from approximately $3,325.7 in 2015 to approximately $4,653.0 in 2019, representing a CAGR of 8.8%. The improved living standards have therefore stimulated the consumption of staple food, such as bakery products, in the PRC.

 

Integration of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). ERP generally refers to an integrated application of business management software that fully administers the daily operations of a business, such as procurement procedures, production processes, and the distribution of sales. A holistic ERP enables manufacturers to facilitate information flow and foster error-free transactions, which ultimately enhances the business performance and optimizes operation efficiency. Specifically, ERP, such as Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP), has been increasingly adopted by business enterprises in the bakery product manufacturing and retail market in the PRC. Market participants use ERP to adjust their business strategies and optimize their operational capabilities in order to manage costs and maximize their profit.

 

Expansion of E-commerce channels. The popularity of online and on-demand food delivery platforms, such as Ele.me and Meituan Waimai, in the PRC over the recent years has encouraged bakery product manufacturers and retailers to adjust their business models to suit consumers’ demand for convenient food delivery. For example, Ebeecake in Beijing has prioritized the e-commerce channel in their sales methods and has dedicated itself to provide consumers a unique experience through their online platform and third-party platforms, such as JD.com. As the bakery product manufacturers and retailers face more intense competition in the PRC, it is expected that more market participants will expand their e-commerce channels to attract potential consumers.

 

Changes in marketing strategies. With a growing awareness of a healthy lifestyle among the Chinese consumers, bakery product manufacturers and retailers have launched low calorie, low carbohydrates, and vegan products with the addition of dietary fiber together with extensive marketing to meet the trend. Additionally, they have focused on the packaging and appearance of bakery products to appeal to consumers and increase the likelihood of their products being shared via social media platforms. Bakery product manufacturers and retailers also conduct advertising campaigns through their own social media accounts.

 

Competition Overview

 

The bakery product market in the PRC is highly fragmented and competitive with no single leading firm. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, there were more than 1,400 bakery product manufacturers with more than 8,500 retail outlets in the PRC and the top five market participants contributed to an aggregate market share of approximately 6.6% in terms of revenue in 2019. More specifically, there were more than 40 bakery product manufacturers with over 100 retail outlets in Xinjiang in 2019. The competition among the bakery product manufacturers and retailers in the PRC is expected to become more intense in the future as more international enterprises enter the Chinese market and some other big food manufacturing companies expand their product portfolios and enter the bakery product market to directly compete with existing market participants. In addition, some small-sized manufacturers may enter the bakery product market to provide exotic and unique bakery products.

 

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OVERVIEW OF BAKERY PRODUCT MARKET IN THE UNITED STATES

 

Market Size

 

The bakery product market in the United States is considered as a relatively mature market, as products such as bread, cakes, and pastries have been one of the staple foods in the western culture. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, commercial bakeries generally refer to establishments that primarily engaged in manufacturing fresh and frozen bread and bread-type rolls and other fresh bakery products, such as bagels, biscuits, and cakes. The retail sales value of commercial bakeries recorded had steadily climbed from approximately $28.12 billion in 2015 to approximately $33.54 billion in 2019, representing a CAGR of 4.5%. However, as a result of lockdown measures and social-distancing practices due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the United States, the retail sales value of commercial bakeries has dropped in 2020. However, it is expected that the retail sales performance of commercial bakeries will start to recover once the disease is effectively under control, and therefore, the retail sales value of commercial bakeries is anticipated to reach approximately $33.17 billion by the end of 2024, representing a CAGR of 7.8%.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

 

The retail sales value of commercial bakeries in New York City has experienced a moderate growth from approximately $1.25 billion in 2015 to approximately $1.73 billion in 2019, representing a CAGR of 8.5%. Commercial bakeries in New York City have been providing a wide range of bakery products, such as cakes, bagels, breads, cookies, and pies, with different flavors, and have remained one of the most popular types of stores in the city. The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected consumer commercial bakeries in New York City, causing the retail sales value to decrease to an expected $1.08 billion in 2020. As New York City gradually recovers from its lockdown, the businesses of commercial bakeries are expected to gradually recover and the retail sales value of commercial bakeries in New York City is expected to reach approximately $1.58 billion by the end of 2024, representing a CAGR of 10.0%.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

 

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Market Drivers and Development Trends

 

Improving quality of life. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce, the per capita disposable personal income in the United States increased from approximately $42,953 in 2015 to approximately $49,763 in 2019, representing a CAGR of 3.8%. Because of such an increase in per capital disposable personal income, consumers are more willing to pay more to purchase premium and healthier bakery products, such as low-carbohydrates, gluten-free, and trans-fat-free bakery products, in order to pursue a better lifestyle.

 

Wide spectrum of distribution network. Apart from selling their products through traditional brick-and-mortar stores, bakery product manufacturers nowadays also utilize the Internet for marketing and sales. For example, the emergence of online food-ordering platforms, such as Seamless, Postmates, and Uber Eats, has provided an additional business opportunity for bakery product manufacturers and retailers to expand their distribution networks, which ultimately increases their customer bases and sales volumes of their products across the United States.

 

Rise of social media platforms. Social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, have served as the fundamental component of digital and social marketing in the retail sector nowadays. It has encouraged customers to post user-generated contents, including product reviews and comments, on the Internet and foster customer-to-customer interactions. As a result, bakery products manufacturers and retailers may understand customers’ preferences on the flavor of bakery products and keep updated with the latest consumer market trends through online social media platforms, and develop new recipes and enrich their product portfolio. In addition, as potential customers of a company can be relatively easily reached through social media, successful social media campaigns, such as content promotion and influence of opinion leaders, can spur product sales growth and boost the brand awareness and value proposition of bakery product manufacturers and retailers.

 

Competition Overview

 

The bakery product market in the United States is highly competitive and fragmented with a number of small to medium size manufacturers specializing in a wide variety of bakery products, such as French patisseries, bread, cookies, and cakes. According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, there are more than 3,000 commercial bakeries and over 7,000 retail bakeries across the United States, of which there are more than 280 commercial bakeries and over 360 retail bakeries in New York City in 2019. The competition among these players mainly focuses on price, quality, product differentiation, marketing strategies, and nutritional values. Successful marketing strategies and product differentiation are the key factors as they facilitate manufacturers to establish their brand image, and customers are more likely to purchase products from a well-known brand.

 

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OVERVIEW OF RESTAURANT BUSINESS IN NEW YORK CITY

 

According to the Frost & Sullivan Report, the retail sales value of restaurant business in New York City had grown at a CAGR of 5.6% from approximately $37.30 billion in 2015 to approximately $46.44 billion in 2019. The increase in retail sales value of restaurant business was mainly due to a growing disposable income per capita of residents in New York City, more diverse restaurant categories available to customers, and a rising number of travelers to New York City. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, residents were asked to comply with social-distancing measures and mass gatherings were limited, which has brought tremendous impact to restaurant businesses in New York City and the retail sales value of restaurant business is expected to decrease to approximately $30.42 billion in 2020. As New York City gradually recovers from its lockdown, the retail sales of restaurant business in New York City is expected to recover and reach approximately $46.52 billion by the end of 2024, representing a CAGR of 11.2% from 2020 to 2024.

 

 

Source: The Frost & Sullivan Report

 

The restaurant market in New York City is highly competitive and fragmented. In 2019, there were more than 7,000 establishments of full-service restaurants across New York City. Market players in the restaurant market compete with their product offerings, such as availability of international cuisines, as well as food quality and prices.

 

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BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

We manufacture and sell a wide selection of bakery products, seasonal products (i.e. products sold during particular holiday seasons), and beverage products; we also offer eat-in services in some of our stores. We currently focus our business in Xinjiang of the PRC and New York City and plan to expand to other regions of the PRC and the U.S., with a goal of opening three to five new stores in China annually and 10 new stores in the United States during the next five years. We aim to make healthy, nutritious, and ready-to-eat food through advanced facilities and industry research and to create a comfortable, yet distinguishable store environment in which customers can enjoy our products.

 

We sell our products primarily through (i) a bakery chain consisting of 29 stores operated by Xinjiang United Family and its VIEs, under our “George●Chanson” brand in Xinjiang, and (ii) through Chanson 23rd Street in New York City. We are also currently renovating spaces for the opening of a new store in New York City. Selling through our own stores allows us to run our entire operation more efficiently and to exercise greater control over the quality of our products and the presentation of our brand, and to better manage customer experience in our stores. We also sell our products on our digital platforms and through third-party online food ordering platforms. Our current customer base consists of both individual and corporate customers. To expand our customer base, we have developed a variety of marketing and sale strategies, such as increasing our presence on social media platforms, devising pricing and discounting programs, and improving customer in-store experience.

 

For our PRC Stores, we manufacture the majority of bakery products in our central factory located in Urumqi, Xinjiang, prepare beverage products within the stores, and contract third-party manufacturers to produce seasonal products. For Chanson 23rd Street, we bake bakery products, prepare breakfast, lunch and all-day brunch, bar food, and other light meals for eat in, and make beverage products all within our kitchen in the store. To ensure the quality and safety of our products, we procure raw materials, including flour, eggs, and milk, from renowned suppliers with a record of consistently supplying high-quality raw materials over decades in the food industry. In addition, we have implemented a rigorous quality control system covering our entire operation process and mandated internal training to improve our employees’ awareness and knowledge of food safety.

 

We have a dedicated and highly-experienced product development team that constantly creates new products that reflect market trends and are designed to meet customer demand. As of March 2021, we had more than 190 types of bakery products and seasonal products on sale in our PRC Stores, including over 80 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019, and 92 types of eat-in menu items and bakery products on sale at Chanson 23rd Street, including 25 types of new products introduced to the market since 2019. We also offer a large number of beverage products in our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street and update our drink menus seasonally and in response to ever changing customer demand. By continuously offering new products and refining our product formulas to enhance existing products, we believe that we are able to steadily bring in new customers and drive the frequency of our existing customers’ visits to our stores, digital platforms, and store page on third-party platforms.

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had total revenue of $12,577,135 and $11,963,674, and net income of $945,468 and $758,973, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 81.1% and 80.3% of our total revenue for those fiscal years, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 18.9% and 19.7%, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, we had total revenue of $5,006,575 and $6,321,775, and a net loss of $45,903 and net income of $579,747, respectively. Our PRC Stores accounted for 85.2% and 77.4% of our total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and Chanson 23rd Street accounted for 14.8% and 22.6%, respectively.

 

Our PRC Stores primarily generate revenue through sale of bakery products, seasonal products, and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 90.7% and 88.5% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.9% and 8.6% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.4% and 2.9% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 91.6% and 91.8% of our PRC Stores’ revenue, revenue derived from sale of seasonal products accounted for 6.3% and 5.5%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 2.1% and 2.7%, respectively.

 

Chanson 23rd Street primarily generates revenue through offering eat-in services and sale of bakery products and beverage products. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 45.5% and 34.1% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 40.3% and 43.9% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 14.2% and 22.0% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, revenue derived from offering eat-in services accounted for 35.0% and 39.2% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue, revenue derived from sale of bakery products accounted for 45.5% and 46.9%, and revenue derived from sale of beverage products accounted for 19.5% and 13.9%, respectively.

 

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Our Competitive Strengths

 

We believe we have the following competitive strengths:

 

Trendy Brand Reflecting Healthy Food Concepts

 

We aim to promote long-term, healthy diets, and have integrated healthy food concepts and nutritious elements into all lines of our products. We have successfully developed a group of popular products based on the low-fat, low-sugar, low-sodium, and protein-rich principles while adjusting product textures and tastes to accommodate customer preferences. These products, including enzyme bread, high-fiber bread, whole-wheat bread, and calcium bread, have been highly praised by our customers. We believe our differentiated approach will continue to strengthen the loyalty of existing customers to our brand and will attract new customers to both our products and brand.

 

Strict Quality Control

 

Product quality has always been one of our top priorities. We start quality control with our suppliers by procuring raw materials from renowned suppliers that have proven records of supplying high-quality raw materials and complying with food safety standards and measures. We also continuously introduce new production equipment with up-to-date industry technologies while making further improvements and adjustments to existing production equipment based on our product features and our actual production needs. As a result, we have effectively decreased defective rates of all product lines in our central factory and enhanced the quality of our products.

 

We have created and executed a comprehensive system of quality control and performance appraisal, covering a wide range of activities in procurement, production, sale, finance, and day-to-day employee management, among other things. Our system includes central factory daily management procedures, employee health review standards, and factory workshop sanitation and inventory management policies. This system has been effectively used to monitor and conduct hazard analyses on raw materials, production, inventory maintenance, and transportation. In addition, we have adopted a set of strictly standardized rules to further refine quality control in every part of the production process, appropriately adjusting management policies, standards, and measures based on distinct features of our production mode. Through such an integrated approach, we have been able to adopt a science-backed and data-based style of management, resulting in higher-quality products.

 

Advanced Industry Research and Constant Product Innovation

 

With a successful history of developing new products based on customer demand and market trends, we focus on constant innovation to improve the taste, texture, formula, and packaging of our products, forming a virtuous cycle that has enabled us to introduce new products periodically. We keep separate product lines for our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street, and have introduced over 80 types of new products in our PRC Stores and 25 types of new products in Chanson 23rd Street since 2019. We typically evaluate the profitability of our products annually or semi-annually by considering factors such as cost of revenue increases and competitive pricing strategies. We have historically been able to terminate less profitable products, and launch similar new products and refine our product formulas to enhance existing products with higher prices to cover higher ingredient costs.

 

To develop product formulas that reflect key market trends and thus enable our products to be competitive, our research and development (“R&D”) team members frequently participate in industry conferences and engage with industry experts. Through years of efforts, we have also developed a systematic approach to refine product packaging. For instance, we seamlessly combine functionality with aesthetics by integrating automatic packaging and packaging techniques with a heat-sealing feature and stylish graphic designs. To keep our organization rejuvenated with innovative ideas, we have not only devised talent strategies to recruit talents from the PRC, Europe, and the U.S., but also increased the strength and scale of our internal training programs to equip our employees with a strong sense of business and competitiveness.

 

Advantageous Information Management System

 

To maximize our operation efficiency and distribute our resources based on a data-centric principle, we have adopted the ERP System in our PRC Stores and central factory. The ERP System is a business process management software for managing business and automating back office functions related to technology, services, and human resources. The ERP System integrates data collected from every critical aspect of our production and sale process and facilitates a convenient data exchange process among the management office, the central factory and PRC Stores, and other distributors. Through the ERP System, we are able to locate and verify details of all the processed transactions in our PRC Stores and even determine the cost of every single kind of products. Chanson 23rd Street has not adopted and currently has no plan to adopt the ERP System since operations of the store is not as complex as those of the PRC Stores.

 

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Well-Developed Distribution Network in Xinjiang

 

We highly value the development of our distribution network. With years of experience in marketing and selling products in the food industry in Xinjiang, we have adopted a core strategy that focuses on developing a network of stores and supplementing the network with other distribution channels. We have 29 stores in three well-developed cities of Xinjiang, namely Urumqi, Changji, and Shihezi. The relatively low labor cost in Xinjiang and our long-term, sustainable business relationships with established local supermarkets that enjoy high levels of brand loyalty, such as Youhao Supermarket and Huijia Supermarkets, strengthen our power to control front-end product sales, prepare us with a solid foundation to explore new market opportunities, and improve our operation efficiency. We also sell products through our digital platforms and collaboration with third-party online food ordering platforms such as Meituan-Dianping and Koubei. To maintain a close connection between the point of sale of each distribution channel and our production team, we primarily use our own transportation team to transport products. Third-party companies sometimes provide ancillary logistic support. We designed and effectively implemented various marketing strategies in our distribution network in Xinjiang to introduce new products and promote marketing campaigns within short periods of time.

 

Experienced Management and Professional Teams

 

Our senior management team, led by Mr. Cheng Chen, our chief executive officer, and Ms. Jihong Cai, our chief financial officer, has deep expertise and a proven track of record in managing brands and operating food and retailing businesses. Our professional team is comprised of highly-skilled and dedicated employees and third-party consultants with wide ranging experience in services, product development, business development, and marketing. For instance, the R&D department of our PRC Stores is led by Mr. Fufen Wang, Mr. Shangke Zhong, and Mr. Yiguang Mo, all of whom have decades of experience in the bakery industry and are certified by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the PRC as National Advanced Chefs specializing in pastry and bakery in the PRC. Chanson 23rd Street has hired third-party consultants to help develop recipes and train staff. Its consultants include Chef Rory Macdonald, who worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants and is known for his six-course, omakase-style, dessert tasting menus that have earned extensive acclaim. We believe that our management and professional teams will not only be able to effectively grow our business through continued operating improvement and research, but also serve as key drivers of our success and position our Company as an attractive vehicle for future long-term growth in the food industry beyond bakery products.

 

Our Growth Strategies

 

We intend to develop our business and strengthen brand loyalty by pursuing the following strategies:

 

Expand into New Markets by Opening New Stores

 

We plan to explore new markets while enhancing our current presence in the Xinjiang market and the New York City market by analyzing our sales data and features of customer trends in different regions, continuously focusing on improving customer in-store experience, further expanding our distribution networks, and exploring new partnership opportunities.

 

We have formed Chanson Greenwich in preparation for the opening of a new store in the Tribeca area of New York City in 2021 and are currently renovating the space. After opening our new store in Tribeca, we plan to open 10 additional stores in New York City during the next five years. The cellar space at our store in Tribeca is designed to be used as our central kitchen to produce bakery products, which will be delivered to these future stores on a daily basis. Such a store organization structure, we believe, will significantly reduce our costs for equipment and personnel, while satisfying our customers’ need for ready-to-eat and high-quality food. We believe that the operation and business concepts of our new stores will allow us to successfully enter other markets underlining urban, fast-paced lifestyles similar to first-tier cities in the U.S. and the PRC.

 

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Enhance In-Store Customer Experience and Customer Services

 

To improve customer in-store experience and the visibility of our brand image across different regions, we have renovated the majority of our stores during the last four years. Our vision is to create a store environment consisting of a clean, modern interior design, with open kitchens, relaxing music playing, soft light, and the smell of freshly-made bakery products. In addition to implanting fundamental brand values into renovation, we also give individual store managers flexibility in decorating their store and arranging the display of our products in ways that match characteristics of the region where the store is located and cater to local customers’ needs. To enhance customer services, we have been systematically training and will continuously provide standardized training to our store employees, so they are able to present themselves in consistent manners and provide high-quality services that uphold our brand image. We firmly believe that a relaxing café environment, which allow customers to use our stores as their go-to places for multiple social purposes, in-store experiences with elements distinctively associated with our brand, and high-quality services will allow us to stand out from our competitors.

 

Keep Implementing Healthy and Nutritious Diet Principles in Product Development

 

As a socially responsible company, our corporate mission is to promote healthy, nutritious, and conscious eating. To further align our actions with our vision, we have integrated and plan to keep integrating healthy elements and concepts, such as zero fat or low fat, low calorie, zero or low sugar, high fiber, vitamins and minerals, and low oligosaccharide into our existing and future products through measures and procedures that have been approved by industry experts.

 

Increase Brand Awareness

 

We will continue to increase customer awareness and excitement for the “George●Chanson,” “Patisserie Chanson,” and “Chanson” brands and drive customer loyalty through our marketing efforts, social media presence, continued store expansion, and growing e-commerce sales. Our marketing programs are designed to develop and foster a personal connection with the community and position Chanson as a high-quality, community-conscious brand that provide healthy, nutritious, and ready-to-eat food. We will also continue to leverage our growing social media presence to increase our online sales and drive additional store visits within existing and new markets. We see a significant opportunity to increase our brand visibility in the New York City market, which will be a key area of focus in our marketing strategy going forward.

 

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Our PRC Stores

 

Products

 

In our PRC Stores, we currently offer more than 190 types of bakery products and seasonal products, together with a large number of beverage products. We derived 90.7% and 88.5% of our revenue from the sales of bakery products, 6.9% and 8.6% of our revenue from the sales of seasonal products, and 2.4% and 2.9% of our revenue from the sales of beverage products during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We derived 91.6% of our revenue from the sales of bakery products, 6.3% from the sales of seasonal products, and 2.1% from the sales of beverage products during the six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. We constantly research on the latest European pastry and bakery trends to improve our product presentation and packaging. As the result of our effort, our products have been consistently praised by our customers as healthy, fresh, and stylish, and are commonly perceived as popular gift choices among our customers.

 

 

Our bakery products include packaged bakery products (cakes, bread, and snacks), birthday cakes, and made-in-store pastries. Our bestselling bakery products are little puffs, chocolate cakes, cheese cakes, whole-wheat bread, multigrain bread, original-flavor cookies, amber-walnut cookies, seven-inch fruit cakes, croissants, and almond pudding.

 

Our seasonal products include mooncakes and zongzi (sticky-rice ball stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves). Our bestselling seasonal products are red-bean flavored mooncakes, sweet-date flavored zongzi, and flower flavored zongzi.

 

Our beverage products include store-made beverages and juice products. Our bestselling beverage products are strawberry flavored latte, orange-and-lemon flavored tea, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

 

Manufacturing and Logistics

 

We produce packaged bakery products at our central factory before shipping them to our stores. For birthday cakes and made-in-store pastries, we primarily only produce semi-finished products, such as various sweet dough and plain cakes at our central factory and ship them to our stores, leaving the final processing of made-in-store pastries and the decoration of birthday cakes to our employees at the stores. As of March 2021, 26 of our PRC Stores were equipped with ovens to produce made-in-store pastries and to meet additional customer demand for our products on a daily basis, and the other three stores got made-in-store pastries directly from our central factory.

 

We contract third-party producers to produce seasonal products, mainly zongzi (sticky-rice ball stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves) and mooncakes to meet customer demand during Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, which are traditional Chinese holidays and respectively take place at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter of a year. Typically, third-party producers need a period of 45 to 60 days to process our supply orders, produce seasonal products, and deliver them to us. Customers’ demand for our seasonal products usually concentrates on the one or two months before these holidays. We sell seasonal products to individual and corporate customers.

 

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Whether we enter into a supply agreement with a third-party producer for a particular year depends on the selling records of seasonal products in previous years, our sales plan during that year, and the production capacity of the third-party producer. By promptly communicating with and maintaining sustainable relationship with a group of third-party producers, our sales team is prepared to deal with additional customer orders during a particular season.

 

Product transportation to our stores is carried out by our own transportation team. As of March 2021, our transportation team had four trucks capable of transporting an aggregate of 4.6 tons of goods. All of those trucks have been incorporated into the ERP System. Depending on product features, our products are shipped at either room temperature, which is suitable for products that can be preserved at room temperature, or through cold-chain transportation, which is applied to semi-finished products such as frozen dough and desserts. Our -32.8 degree Fahrenheit large freezer and our 323 square feet cold-storage facilities can adequately house the operation of cold-chain transportation.

 

Distribution Channels

 

Stores

 

We currently have 29 PRC Stores in three cities of Xinjiang, namely Urumqi, Changji, and Shihezi. Instead of franchising, we choose to directly operate all of our PRC Stores because it allows us to exercise greater control over product quality, front-end sales, customer service quality, and overall shopping environment. This model also makes it easier to initiate transparent communication between our central management team and employees at our stores and to more efficiently manage our entire business operation through the ERP System. We plan to continue operating our stores directly in the foreseeable future.

 

We employ a rigorous analytical process to identify new store locations, whereby we evaluate locations based on market characteristics, demographic characteristics, including income and education levels, the presence of key anchor stores and co-tenants, population density, convenience for parking and other means of transportation, and the overall surrounding environment, among other factors. Before entering into a lease agreement, our management team conducts comprehensive research on lease prices near the selected location and identify factors causing any price difference. We also actively monitor and manage the performance of our stores and seek to incorporate information learned through the monitoring process into our future site selection decisions. We believe we have a flexible site selection model, whereby our stores can be located in both street and mall locations. We have grown our store base in both locations since our first store opened in 2012, with 14 stores in street locations and 15 stores in malls as of March 2021.

 

Digital Platforms

 

Customers can place orders at the website of our PRC Stores, www.xsong.com.cn. On our website, we sell birthday cakes and seasonal products, and promote seasonal and membership deals. We have a team of professionals working on refining the website to improve our online interaction with customers and the efficiency of customers’ online ordering process. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the product sales made through our website accounted for 0.02% and 0.03% of our total sales, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the product sales made through our website accounted for 3.65% of our total sales.

 

In February 2020, we launched a new online store, which is linked to our official account on WeChat and focuses on selling seven-inch or larger cakes. Customers may place orders directly through their mobile phones and get their cakes quickly delivered by our own transportation team.

 

Third-Party Platforms

 

We list our bakery products on third-party online food ordering platforms such as Meituan-Dianping and Koubei. Customers can order through its mobile app and website, and pick up the ordered bakery products at our stores or have them delivered by the carriers of these platforms. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the sales made through third-party platforms accounted for 4.62% and 1.59% of our total sales, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the sales made through third-party platforms accounted for 3.65% of our total sales.

 

Store Experience

 

Our PRC Stores have sizes ranging from 482 square feet to 2,640 square feet. 26 of our PRC Stores have seats, with an average capacity of eight guests. Our internal teams have designed these stores and coordinated the whole renovation process to ensure the best presentation of our products and brand image. Our PRC Stores have been designed to possess a warm, inviting, and modern ambiance, with glass display cases and vintage cake stands showcasing baked goods that sit high upon marble counters. We believe that it is with this inviting and accessible atmosphere that we have cultivated a loyal customer base in residential and commercial markets.

 

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Our PRC Stores are generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily during the summer and from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. during the winter, and benefit from a balanced sales mix across operating hours.

 

Our Flagship Store

 

On November 29, 2019, we opened our flagship store, Hongshan Lifestyle Store, in Urumqi. At approximately 2,640 square feet and with 26 seats, the store features glass display cases, an open kitchen, and a cocktail bar, and sells bread, desserts, sandwiches, custom cakes, and beverages. Our flagship store is an important marketing platform that allows us to showcase our vision of a comfortable yet distinguishable store environment and connect with our customers in a new way, and for our customers to immerse themselves in an atmosphere that encompasses who we are.

 

 

Membership and Customers

 

We issue free membership cards that are rechargeable with cash in our PRC Stores to encourage higher spending by customers and strengthen their loyalty to our brand. Both corporate and individual customers can get membership cards, add money onto the cards, and use them to purchase products in our PRC Stores. By using our membership cards, customers will enjoy benefits such as free cash vouchers that can be used to purchase our products and 12% off original prices of all products on member day each week. Once a customer adds at least RMB200 (approximately $29) to a new membership card, the customer is counted as one of our members. As of March 2021, we had approximately 358,400 members. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the sales to members collectively accounted for 39.54% and 46.33% of our total sales, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the sales to members collectively accounted for 47.97% of our total sales.

 

We sell bakery products from our PRC Stores to both individual and corporate customers.

 

Our individual customers come from a variety of age groups and social backgrounds. There are three methods for them to purchase our products, namely, purchasing products at our stores with cash or credit cards, getting membership cards and using membership cards to make a purchase at our stores, and ordering our products on digital platforms.

 

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Our corporate customers primarily get membership cards and purchase cash vouchers for products such as seasonal products, cakes, and birthday cakes as part of employment benefits for their employees. During the time of year around Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, the majority of our customers buying seasonal products are corporate customers (though the number of individual customers who purchased zongzi from us increased during Dragon Boat Festival of 2020). We have already developed and maintained stable relationship with several corporate customers over the years. Our top corporate customers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 included Urumqi Public Traffic Group Co., Ltd., Bank of Kunlun Co., Ltd. Urumqi Branch Office, Xinjiang Medical University, Bank of Communications Limited Xinjiang Branch Office, Xinjiang Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital, and the Trade Union Committee of Agricultural Bank of China Urumqi Branch Office. Our top corporate customers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 included Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture People’s Hospital, the Sales Department of China Construction Bank Co. Ltd. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Branch, Shenhua Xinjiang Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., the Trade Union Committee of Science Research Institute of National Network Xinjiang Electric Power Co. Ltd., and Urumqi Blood Center. Our top corporate customers for the six months ended June 30, 2020 included the Sales Department of China Construction Bank Co. Ltd. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Branch, Urumqi City Rail Group Co., Ltd., Labor Union of Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics, and Labor Union of CAAC Xinjiang Regional Administration.

 

Competition

 

The PRC bakery products market is highly fragmented, and competition in this market tends to be regionalized due to customers’ localized food preferences. Virtually all of our bakery products of our PRC Stores are sold in Xinjiang. Our major competitors are international and domestic companies that produce and sell bakery products in Xinjiang, including Tous Les Jours, Vinesweet, Bakery Share, Lanzhou Aili’s Food Company Ltd., Maiquer Group Co., and BreadTalk Group Ltd. We compete for customers primarily on the basis of the price and quality of our products, food safety, brand awareness and loyalty, responsiveness to customer demand and market trends, customer experience, the ability to accurately estimate sales quota and control inventory, production capacity, and operation and management of chain stores.

 

We also potentially compete with bakery product manufacturers, such as Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V., and Toly Bread Co., and bakery chain stores, such as Paris Baguette from Korea, Yamazaki Baking from Japan, and Holiland and Wedome, both of which are PRC based. Although none of the above enterprises has built a dominating presence in Xinjiang, we anticipate to directly compete with them when we expand to other regional markets in the PRC in the future.

 

Chanson 23rd Street

 

Under Chanson 23rd Street, which is located in New York City’s Flatiron District, we operate Patisserie Chanson on the ground floor and Thyme Bar in the underground cellar.

 

Patisserie Chanson is a modern European-style café and eatery that specializes in the art of dessert making. With an open display array of innovative gourmet pastries and piquant coffee brews, Patisserie Chanson is committed to offering eat-in services and serving freshly prepared bakery products and extensive beverage products.

 

Thyme Bar is a cocktail bar we opened in February 2020, which features various to-go cocktails. The opening menu of Thyme Bar was designed by Colin Stevens, who created every drink with a sustainable and low-waste approach, repurposing waste from nearby restaurants, like coffee grounds from Patisserie Chanson. Thyme Bar was one of the first bars in New York City to pivot and offer to-go cocktails and has been able to successfully maintain and evolve this business model through the COVID-19 outbreak. In August 2020, Jeremy Le Blanche became the new Head Bartender of Thyme Bar and introduced “The Thyme Bar Experience,” a floriography-based cocktail prix-fixe menu with food pairings designed for the outdoor dining age.

 

Patisserie Chanson and Thyme Bar have both received positive media coverage since their openings. The French-style chocolate fondants of Patisserie Chanson have been reported by Vogue on April 14, 2017 as one of the most seasonally appropriate pastel-hued desserts for Easter season in New York City, and Thyme Bar has been reported by Forbes on April 16, 2020 to be among 11 of the best cocktails-to-go bars in New York and again on October 28, 2020 for crafting to-go cocktails that are “sippable art.”

 

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Products

 

In Chanson 23rd Street, we currently offer 92 types of eat-in menu items and bakery products, together with a large number of beverage products. We make these products in the kitchen or bar of the store and serve them to eat-in customers or sell them in our store. We derived 45.5% and 34.1% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue from offering eat-in services, 40.3% and 43.9% from the sales of bakery products, and 14.2% and 22.0% from the sales of beverage products during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We derived 35.0% of Chanson 23rd Street’s revenue from offering eat-in services, 45.5% from the sales of bakery products, and 19.5% from the sales of beverage products during the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

 

Our eat-in menu includes sandwiches, salads, toasts, croissants, soups, and desserts. Our bestselling menu items include avocado toast, smoked salmon croissant, and black truffle grilled cheese.

 

Our bakery products include cakes, bread, sweets, birthday cakes, and pastries. Our bestselling bakery products include kouign amann, kouign amann (salted caramel), and croissant.

 

Our beverage products include store-made coffee, herbal tea, fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages. Our bestselling beverage products include latte, cappuccino, brewed coffee, and “Thyme 2 Go” cocktails, which are bottled cocktails have been pre-chilled and pre-diluted.

 

Store Design

 

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Chanson 23rd Street has two floors with an aggregate size of approximately 3,900 square feet. Seating in Chanson 23rd Street is comprised of a combination of table seats and bar seats with a capacity of 40 guests.

 

The design of Chanson 23rd Street intends to deliver a modern, clean, and inviting atmosphere with marble tables and counters, enhanced with abundant light and wooden fixture accents, and a layout that optimizes the available space and serves as a setting for a wide variety of occasions. Our open kitchen showcases our preparation processes and exemplified our commitment to freshness. We believe this layout achieves this atmosphere and makes us a desirable destination at any time of day.

 

Our Dining and Shopping Experience

 

We offer a variety of dining and purchasing options in Chanson 23rd Street. Customers can either grab our bakery products and beverage products for take-out or take a seat and stay longer for a relaxed and enjoyable eat-in experience. Chanson 23rd Street generally provides bakery products and eat-in services from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and its bar is open from 7 p.m. to midnight daily. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Chanson 23rd Street is currently providing outdoor dining only and delivery and pickup services from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at weekends, and its bar is open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at weekends.

 

Chanson 23rd Street offers delivery and pickup services within New York City (not including Staten Island). Customers may order sandwiches, desserts, French pastries, breakfast foods, brunch and lunch foods, beverages, and to-go cocktails via our website, patisseriechanson.com, and through third-party delivery partners, including Grubhub, Uber Eats, Caviar, Postmates, and Seamless.

 

In addition, Chanson 23rd Street offers corporate catering services in the New York City area. Our corporate catering focuses on meetings and work celebrations, offering breakfast and lunch boxes, croissant platters, salads, parfaits, sandwiches, sweets, cakes, and beverages. For special events, we can provide custom cakes with a company logo, personal monogramming, or custom flavors and colors.

 

Revenue derived from delivery, pickup, and catering services accounted for 47.39% and 20.38% of the total revenue of Chanson 23rd Street for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and 66.18% for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

 

Éclair Making Class

 

Chanson 23rd Street typically offers a 30 minutes pastry lesson on filling and decorating éclairs every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for $29 per person. Participants learn the essential techniques for making éclairs under the guide of a chef instructor and may take éclairs they made home to taste with family and friends. Chanson 23rd Street has suspended the éclair making classes due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

Customers

 

The majority of sales of Chanson 23rd Street are to individual customers and Chanson 23rd Street also supplies bread and desserts to corporate customers, including coffee shops and cafes in New York City. Chanson 23rd Street generated 53.25% and 86.46% of its revenue from sales to individual customers and 46.75% and 13.54% from sales to corporate customers during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and 47.99% from sales to individual customers and 52.01% from sales to corporate customers during the six months ended June 30, 2020. Revenue generated from the top three corporate customers accounted for approximately 39% and 10% of the revenue of Chanson 23rd Street during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and approximately 50.3% during the six months ended June 30, 2020. Chanson 23rd Street increased its efforts to develop corporate customers in 2019 and increased its share of revenue from corporate customers considerably. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, development of corporate customers has slowed down in 2020. As a result, we expect sales to individual customers to remain the most significant sales channel of Chanson 23rd Street for the near future.

 

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Competition

 

The New York City bakery products and restaurant business markets are highly competitive and fragmented with a number of small to medium size manufacturers specializing in a wide variety of bakery products and restaurants. All of the products of Chanson 23rd Street are sold in New York City. Our major competitors are internationally and domestically renowned bakery chain-stores in New York City, including Paris Baguette, Maison Kayser, and Le Pain Quotidien, and bakery product manufacturers including Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V., and Toly Bread Co. In addition, we face significant competition from a variety of locally owned restaurants and national chain restaurants offering bakery products, as well as take-out options from grocery stores. We compete for customers primarily on the basis of price, quality, product differentiation, marketing strategies, and nutritional values.

 

Suppliers

 

We carefully select suppliers based on product quality and authenticity, and we seek to develop long-term relationships with them. Each year, we conduct a rigorous selection and evaluating process that gives us a chance to review our relationship with current suppliers and to explore relationships with new suppliers who are experienced and professionally trustworthy and strive for providing high-quality raw materials. We have been able to use the information learned from new suppliers to evaluate our agreements with current suppliers. We do not engage in any hedging agreements to manage our exposure to fluctuations in the price of food commodities. Our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street negotiate and manage supply arrangements separately.

 

Our PRC Stores enter into supply agreements in the ordinary course of business with our suppliers, pursuant to a form of supply agreement typically for a one-year term. For some raw materials, such as butter, our suppliers provide a certain quantity of raw materials at a fixed price and deliver them separately based upon our needs; for other raw materials, such as eggs, our suppliers provide raw materials at prices determined when we place our orders. If the price of certain imported raw material is expected to rise, suppliers will provide a written notice to us at least one month in advance and we will then decide whether to order additional raw materials before the price increases. Suppliers deliver to our central factory approximately twice per week on Mondays and Fridays. After suppliers deliver, our payment per order is calculated based on the actual number of qualified products that meet our verification standards. Usually, we are given one to three months to complete the payment per order. Top suppliers of our PRC Stores during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 included Urumqi Zhixin Huajia Commerce and Trade Co., Ltd. (“Zhixin Huajia”), Urumqi Jinda Food Raw Material Co., Ltd. (“Jinda”), Urumqi Fukangyuan Commerce and Trade Co., Ltd. (“Fukangyuan”), and Urumqi Jinmaosheng Commerce and Trade Co., Ltd. (“Jinmaosheng”). Their supply constituted 25%, 9%, 7%, and 6% of our PRC Stores’ total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that fiscal year, respectively. Top suppliers of our PRC Stores during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 included Zhixin Huajia, Jinda, Fukangyuan, and Jinmaosheng. Their supply constituted 28%, 10%, 8%, and 7% of our PRC Stores’ total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that fiscal year, respectively. Top suppliers of our PRC Stores during the six months ended June 30, 2020 included Zhixin Huajia, Jinda, Xinjiang Chiatai Food Co., Ltd., and Fukangyuan. Their supply constituted 26%, 8%, 7%, and 6% of our PRC Stores’ total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that period, respectively.

 

Chanson 23rd Street orders raw materials from suppliers based on its needs, instead of entering into long-term supply agreements with its suppliers. We are able to ensure consistent delivery and competitive pricing because of our long-term business relationships with these suppliers. Suppliers of sugar and flour deliver to Chanson 23rd Street weekly and suppliers of vegetables and fruits do so daily. Top suppliers of Chanson 23rd Street during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 included Dairyland USA Corporation, Baldor, and Paris Gourmet. Their supply constituted 44%, 16.93%, and 15.06% of Chanson 23rd Street’s total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that fiscal year, respectively. Top suppliers of Chanson 23rd Street during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 included Dairyland USA Corporation, Baldor, and Paris Gourmet. Their supply constituted 45.45%, 15.74%, and 13.54% of Chanson 23rd Street’s total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that fiscal year, respectively. Top suppliers of Chanson 23rd Street during the six months ended June 30, 2020 included Dairyland USA Corporation, Paris Gourmet, and Baldor. Their supply constituted 40.09%, 20.82%, and 13.95% of Chanson 23rd Street’s total raw materials in terms of monetary value in that period, respectively.

 

Food Safety

 

Food safety is essential to our success and we have established procedures to help ensure that our customers enjoy safe and quality food.

 

During the procurement of raw materials, our procurement team and compliance team evaluate the quality and applicability of the submitted samples of raw materials, as well as suppliers’ capability to meet deadlines. We re-evaluate those suppliers who we have previously collaborated with on a yearly basis to meet our changing production needs. For suppliers who add additives into the products they supply to us, we require them to warrant that additives in their products comply with food safety requirements and standards according to relevant laws and regulations. We also periodically examine the freshness of all raw materials and make sure that our storage conditions are properly to preserve their freshness.

 

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During the actual production, we have designed and applied rigorous standards and requirements to oversee product formulas, product craftsmanship, and production process. We also regularly organize mandatory firm-wide trainings to teach our employees appropriate ways of applying food safety measures in different scenarios and to enhance their awareness and understanding of food safety as a whole. Without the approval of training managers, employees cannot work on production lines or in kitchens. Our quality-control team also analyzes production sectors that may influence product quality and safety, formulating corresponding methods to prevent potential negative effects. Before transporting or selling our products, we conduct strict final examination on them according to food industry standards to ensure that our products have high quality and are safe to consume.

 

We only sell our bakery products on the day when they are made and our light meals and beverage products on a made-to-order basis, and we make sure that any unsold or leftover products and unused semi-finished products are promptly disposed of, so as to offer our customers the freshest products that conform to stringent food safety standards on a day-to-day basis. We have also established systematic and efficient procedures to swiftly recall any product that imposes potential or existing food safety issues to our customers, whose health and safety are always most important to us. As of the date of this prospectus, we have never had to recall any product. To further improve our quality and safety control, we conduct periodic customer satisfaction surveys to learn about customers’ needs and quality of our products from their perspectives.

 

Inventory Management

 

In our PRC Stores and central factory, we have established policies and management procedures and formed a group of specialists to supervise employees working in the inventory team and to review their job performance. Our specialists also design emergency plans to deal with critical circumstances under which our inventory runs extremely low and conduct monthly reviews to assess differences between inventory accounts and actual amount of remaining inventory through the ERP System. By using an information and expertise-based management method, we are confident that we can effectively reduce costs and production waste.

 

  For packaged bakery products, we adopt a sale-history based method to estimate production quota because it allows us to effectively address the short-lived feature of bakery products, to ensure our customers are presented with fresh bakery products, to maintain flexibility in production planning, and to strengthen our ability to effectively reduce inventory; and
     
  For our made-in-store pastries and birthday cakes, we alternatively adopt a method that combines sale-history based quota estimation and in-time demand. In addition to delivering a certain number of semi-finished products to the stores, we also deliver raw materials to the stores, so store employees can make extra cakes or further decorate delivered cakes if there are excessive or special customer demand on a particular day.

 

In Chanson 23rd Street, our store manager or head chef determines the amount of raw materials to be ordered on a weekly or daily basis based on his or her experience and recent sales trends of our products. We usually keep inventories low and rely on in-time deliveries from suppliers. We take stock of our inventory at the end of each month to understand the amount of raw material used.

 

Marketing and Sale Strategies

 

Pricing and Discounting

 

We determine our product prices on the basis of various factors, including the consumption power of our targeted customer groups, market demand for specific products, product cost, prices of competitive products, and the macroeconomic environment. Such method gives us the space to change prices flexibly if circumstances require us to do so and allows us to better respond to customers’ changing sensitivity to price. This advantageous approach has allowed us, and, we expect will continue, to attract more customers and reinforce and further expand brand loyalty. We plan to further refine our calculation formula to ensure that our product prices accurately and cautiously take into consideration both existing and potential market factors.

 

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On a periodic basis, we design and execute discounting strategies to stimulate sales. We have effectively adopted a number of discounting strategies, including: in our PRC Stores, (i) a member day on which our members enjoy 12% off original prices of all products each week, (ii) discounting activities on third-party digital platform, and (iii) discounting benefits enjoyable only through using credit cards issued by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co., Ltd; and in Chanson 23rd Street, (i) an “All Week Brunch” menu from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. that allows our customers to try our café items and dessert items at the same time at a discounted price, (ii) a “Dessert Tasting” menu with seasonal selections from our dessert bar, and (ii) discounts to employees of nearby corporations, such as Estee Lauder and Tiffany.

 

Social Media

 

We enhance publicity of our products and the effectiveness of our other marketing strategies on major Chinese and U.S. social media platforms and our own websites.

 

For our PRC Stores, we operate an official account on WeChat, which had over 14,300 followers as of March 2021, and regularly post information of our new products, discounting activities, and brand development there. We also promote our products through Weibo and TikTok and had approximately 6,500 followers as of March 2021.

 

For Chanson 23rd Street, we operate two official accounts on Instagram, which had over 38,200 followers in total, and two official Facebook accounts, which had over 26,300 followers, as of March 2021. We regularly post pictures of Chanson 23rd Street and its products with detailed information of our new products and promotion activities, in order to attract potential customers and to promote our image as a modern European-style café and eatery that specializes in the art of dessert-making.

 

Properties

 

Our Properties in the PRC

 

We maintain our headquarters and central factory in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Pursuant to a Premises Use Agreement dated April 30, 2020 and a Supplemental Agreement dated June 18, 2020, Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd., a PRC company controlled by our Chairman, Gang Li, provided approximately 5,382 square feet office space for our headquarters and 10,763 square feet for our central factory without charge. The term of the agreement is from January 1, 2020 to June 25, 2028, unless otherwise terminated by either party.

 

Our central factory has three production lines, which run 40 to 45 hours per week. Equipped with advanced production equipment, including egg-beating machines, proofing cabinets, dough mixers, ovens, hot stoves, and cold-storage facilities, our central factory has an annual production capacity of bakery products worth RMB30 million (approximately $4.43 million). During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, our central factory was at approximately 56.38% of the annual production capacity and produced bakery products and semi-finished products worth RMB16.91 million (approximately $2.45 million). As of the date of this prospectus, we do not have any plan to expand our production capacity by leasing more factories. We are confident that our facilities and factory can satisfy our current production needs.

 

We currently operate 29 stores in Xinjiang, with individual store sizes ranging from 482 square feet to 2,640 square feet and an average monthly rent of RMB23,440 (approximately $3,469). We lease all our store spaces from third-party individuals and corporations, except that the store space of Wenhua is provided by Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd., pursuant to a Premises Use Agreement and a Supplemental Agreement without charge.

 

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The following table shows the information of our PRC Stores as of March 2021:

    Store   City   Size (Square Feet)     Opened
1   Midong   Urumqi     579     April 2017
2   Dehui Wanda   Urumqi     1,111     January 2018
3   Changji Youhao   Changji     1,029     August 2015
4   Changji Huijia   Changji     861     September 2015
5   Hongshan   Urumqi     2,422     November 2017
6   Baisheng   Urumqi     883     October 2018
7   Zhongyangjun   Urumqi     905     October 2016
8   Beimen   Urumqi     942     May 2018
9   Minzhu   Urumqi     1,830     April 2014
10   Riyue Xingguang   Urumqi     1,428     May 2014
11   Wanyancheng   Urumqi     1,152     October 2017
12   Huarun Wanjia   Urumqi     482     January 2015
13   Medical College   Urumqi     990     July 2017
14   Changchun   Urumqi     1,335     March 2014
15   Huijia Third Floor   Urumqi     920     September 2012
16   Baishang   Urumqi     1,276     February 2019
17   Xiaoxigou   Urumqi     1,184     April 2019
18   Railway Bureau   Urumqi     1,830     May 2019
19   Economics Development Wanda   Urumqi     1,253     July 2019
20   Hongshan Lifestyle Store   Urumqi     2,640     November 2019
21   Taigu Town   Urumqi     1,414     January 2020
22   Nanhu   Urumqi     1,507     September 2020
23   Hebei Road Huarun   Urumqi     1,033     October 2020
24   Degang Wanda   Urumqi     1,163     December 2020
25   Shihezi   Shihezi     799     May 2014
26   Tianbai   Urumqi     807     October 2015
27   Wenhua   Urumqi     1,184     October 2012
28   Meimei   Urumqi     1,442     November 2012
29   Ruitai   Urumqi     1,076     May 2015

 

Subject to specific terms of each lease agreement, lease terms range from one to six years. With respect to the payment method of lease fee, some agreements require a minimum rent per month, typically including rent increases after the first year, while the remaining agreements specify a fixed rent per year and requires a first-year deposit in advance. The agreements generally require us to pay insurance, utilities, real estate taxes, and repair and maintenance expenses. The termination clause provides a lessor the right to terminate a lease agreement under different situations, including but not limited to nonpayment of rent, changed purpose of the lease space without the lessor’s permission, and illegal conducts at the lease space. Correspondingly, some lease agreements provide us the right to terminate the agreement if the lessor does not provide access to the leased space upon our payment of lease fee or has not properly repaired broken areas of the leased space. 

Tangible properties of our PRC Stores and central factory include production, transportation, and electronic equipment. 

Our Properties in the U.S. 

Chanson 23rd Street leases 3,900 square feet of store space in New York City from a third party for a lease term of 15 years starting from January 2017, with a monthly rent of $50,000 and an increase in the monthly base rent every year. The agreement requires us to pay insurance, utilities, and repair and maintenance expenses, and acquire all required licenses and permits from governmental authorities. We may extend the lease for an additional five years upon its expiration.

Chanson Greenwich leases 4,140 square feet of store space in New York City from a third party for a lease term of 10 years starting from July 1, 2020, with an annual rent of $385,000 and an increase in the annual base rent starting from the third year. The agreement requires us to pay insurance, utilities, and repair and maintenance expenses, and acquire all required licenses and permits from governmental authorities. We may extend the lease for an additional six years upon its expiration.

Tangible properties of our Chanson 23rd Street include production, transportation, and electronic equipment.

R&D 

A considerable portion of our sales is driven by the introduction of new products, and as a result, product R&D is, and will continue to be, an important component of our business. We take a deliberate approach to new product development, with a primary focus on enhancing the quality, flavor, texture, presentation, and packaging of our products while adjusting product formulas and evolving production methods to meet customers’ demand for healthy, nutritious, and ready-to-eat food. In the realm of experimenting with healthy food concepts, such as low in carb, low in sugar, and high in fiber and vitamins, we have been exploring new product categories, including multi-grain products and products enriched with minerals.

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We maintain an in-house R&D team for our PRC Stores to improve our market research and customer insight capabilities. Currently, our PRC Store R&D team has six employees. Chanson 23rd Street has hired third-party consultants to help develop recipes and train staff. Its consultants include Chef Rory Macdonald, who worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants and is known for his six-course, omakase-style, dessert tasting menus that have earned extensive acclaim. We expect to invest resources to retain more qualified employees. Our R&D team members frequently participate in industry conferences and engage with industry experts to develop product formulas that follow key customer trends and to enhance our product quality. Our management team also regularly attends industry exhibits in Japan, the U.S., and the European countries to learn about the most up-to-date industry trends and developments, deepening their expertise in brand building and product diversification.

 

Our passion and dedication for innovation has been translated into our ability to develop and introduce new products and ramp them into volume with a fast pace, converting our advantage in R&D into our commercial competitive advantage in the bakery industry. Since 2019, we have introduced over 80 types of new products in our PRC Stores and 25 types of new products in Chanson 23rd Street.

Through years of effort, we have also developed a systematic approach to refine product packaging. We seamlessly combine functionality with aesthetics by integrating automatic packaging and packaging techniques with an exceptional heat-sealing feature with stylish graphic designs. 

Intellectual Property 

Trademark  

We have registered our brand name, “George●Chanson,” as our trademark in 10 categories and our logo as our trademark in two categories in the PRC. These registrations allow us to exclusively use the trademark in areas under those categories. We have registered “CHANSON,” “PATISSERIE CHANSON,” and “CHANSON NEW YORKTM” as our trademarks in the U.S. The following tables summarize our trademark registration:

Our Trademarks Registered in the PRC

    Registration Number   Category   Effective Period   Trademark Logo
1   17999111   40   11/07/2016-11/06/2026  
                 
2   17999258   43   11/07/2016-11/06/2026  
                 
3   17999032   31   11/07/2016-11/06/2026  
                 
4   17999068   33   11/14/2016-11/13/2026  
                 
5   17998952   5   11/14/2016-11/13/2026  
                 
6   17998971   29   11/14/2016-11/13/2026  
                 
7   13241648   30   04/14/2015-04/13/2025  
                 
8   13241661   32   04/14/2015-04/13/2025  
                 
9   13241679   39   03/28/2015-03/27/2025  
                 
10   12911052   35   08/07/2017-08/06/2027  
                 
11   39954090   35   10/28/2020-10/27/2030  
                 
12   39954063   30   11/07/2020-11/06/2030  
                 
13   44626303   30   12/07/2020-12/06/2030  
                 
14   44629314   32   12/07/2020-12/06/2030  
                 
15   44623341   33   12/07/2020-12/06/2030  
                 
16   44639541   35   12/21/2020-12/20/2030  

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Our Trademarks Registered in the U.S.

 

    Registration Number   Registration Date   Trademark Logo
1   5785931   June 25, 2019   CHANSONTM
             
2   5768100   June 4, 2019  
             
3   5768096   June 4, 2019  

 

We are also currently registering the trademark “乔治·香颂 GEORGE·CHANSON” in the PRC and the trademark “Thyme Bar” in the U.S.

 

Domain Name

 

We own the internet domain names www.xsong.com.cn in the PRC and www.patisseriechanson.com and www.thymebarnyc.com in the U.S.

 

Patent

 

As of the date of this prospectus, we do not own any patent and have not applied for the registration of patent design or any other means of patent protection. Nevertheless, we plan to actively apply for patent protection with respect to our independently designed packaging methods and production methods.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, we had 272, 269, and 246 employees in the PRC and 18, 27, and 39 employees in the U.S., respectively. The following table sets forth the number of our employees on December 31, 2020 by area of business:

 

Employees based in the PRC

 

    Number of
Employees
 
Management     19  
Finance     13  
Production and R&D     51  
General and Administration     6  
Logistics     9  
Marketing and Sales     174  
Total     272  

 

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Employees based in the U.S.

 

    Number of Employees  
Management     4  
Cooking and Baking     7  
General Store Operation     7  
Total     18  

 

Employment Agreements, Non-competition, and Confidentiality

 

Generally, we enter into standard employment agreements with our officers, managers, and other employees based in the PRC and at-will employment agreements with our employees based in the U.S. According to the non-competition and confidentiality clause in these agreements, we ask senior executives and key employees, especially those with the opportunity to deal with our trade secrets and other intellectual property, to enter into separate non-competition ad confidentiality agreements with us.

 

The non-competition and confidentiality agreements prohibit employees from engaging in any other employment during the period of their employment with us and from soliciting our customers on behalf of themselves or any third party. The agreements restrict employees from making any comments that could defame our reputation. The agreements further prohibit employees from disclosing any information and knowledge about our business, operation, development, and strategies, including trade secrets and our customers’ information, to any third party, as long as they have acquired the information and knowledge during their employment term at the company. Employees of our PRC Stores whose employment agreements are not renewed are prohibited from working for competitors in two years after they leave us. Employees’ obligation to confidentially keep our trade secrets survives beyond the termination or expiration of their employment agreements.

 

Occupational Health and Safety

 

We fulfill our legal responsibility to protect the health and safety of our employees by providing a safe workplace that meets the applicable labor and sanitation standards, controlling risks to health, and ensuring that our plants and machinery are safe and that work safety systems and guidelines are both established and adhered to. We also make sure that dangerous articles and substances are transported, stored, and used safely, provide adequate welfare facilities, provide employees the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to preserve their health and safety, and consult with employees on health and safety matters.

 

In general, we consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

 

Seasonality

 

For bakery products sold by our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street and eat-in services offered by Chanson 23rd Street, we have not experienced obvious seasonal fluctuations in our sales as these products have been commonly consumed on a daily basis by our customers. With respect to beverage products sold by our PRC Stores and Chanson 23rd Street, we have experienced in the past, and expect to continuously experience in the future, higher retail sales during summer as a result of higher customer demand. With respect to seasonal products sold by our PRC Stores, we have experienced in the past, and expect to continuously experience in the future, seasonal fluctuations in our retail sales as a result of customers’ increased demand for these seasonal products as gifts and for person consumption during festival seasons. Historically, we generate almost all the retail sales of our seasonal products during the one or two months before Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, which respectively take place at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter of a year.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

We are currently not a party to any material legal proceeding. From time to time, however, we may be subject to various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business.

 

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REGULATIONS

 

This section sets forth a summary of the principal laws and regulations relevant to our business and operations in the PRC and the U.S.

 

PRC Regulations

 

Regulations on Food Production and Food Business Operation

 

Food Safety

 

The Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the “Food Safety Law,” was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (the “SCNPC”) on February 28, 2009, and amended on April 24, 2015, and December 29, 2018. The Food Safety Law is formulated for the purposes of ensuring food safety and safeguarding the physical health and life of members of the public. Persons engaging in food manufacturing and processing, circulation of food, and storage and transportation of food in the PRC shall comply with this law. Under the Food Safety Law, food manufacturers and food business operators shall be accountable for the safety of food consumers, comply with food safety standards, and satisfy the specific requirements.

 

The Food Safety Law establishes a licensing system for food manufacturing and food business operations, which means persons engaging in food manufacturing, foodstuff sale, and food and beverage services shall obtain a permit. According to the Implementation Regulations for the Food Safety Law, which was promulgated by the State Council of the PRC on July 20, 2009, and amended in 2016, a food production permit shall be valid for three years. The Implementation Regulations for the Food Safety Law were amended in 2019, which stipulates that a food production permit shall be valid for five years starting from December 1, 2019.

 

Food Production Permit and Food Business Permit

 

The Administrative Measures for Food Production Permitting, or the “Food Production Permitting Measures,” were promulgated by the China Food and Drug Administration, or “CFDA,” on August 31, 2015, and were amended on November 7, 2017 and December 23, 2019. Pursuant to the Food Production Permitting Measures, an enterprise shall obtain a food production permit prior to engaging in food production activities within the territory of the PRC. The principle of one permit per enterprise is applied to food production permitting, and the Market Supervision and Management Department implements classified permitting on food production, according to the degree of risk of food. When applying for the food production permit, food manufacturers should have places for raw material handling, places for processing, packaging, and storage of food, and manufacturing equipment or facilities, compatible with the category and quantity of the food under production, and a reasonable equipment layout and production process, and other conditions required by laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiary Xinjiang United Family has obtained a food production permit that allows us to manufacture bakery products. The permit will expire on September 28, 2021, and we will file a renewal request 30 business days prior to the expiration date. In general, as long as a business entity operates legally and in good standing, its renewal request will be approved.

 

The Administrative Measures for Food Business Permitting, or the “Food Business Permitting Measures,” were promulgated by CFDA on August 31, 2015, and were amended on November 7, 2017 and December 23, 2019. According to the Food Business Permitting Measures, an enterprise shall obtain a food business permit prior to engaging in food sale and catering services within the territory of the PRC. The principle of one permit per enterprise is applied to the food business permitting. When applying for the food business permit, food business operators should meet certain conditions in accordance with laws and regulations, including but not limited to requirements on places for food processing, storing, and selling, operational equipment and facilities, food safety management personnel, regulations and rules on food safety assurance, reasonable equipment layout, and technological processes.

 

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The three branch offices of Xinjiang United Family have obtained the food business permits, and although some of the UFG Entities did not have the food business permits at the time of their opening, as of the date of this prospectus, all 25 UFG Entities have obtained the food business permits, which are valid currently, allowing us to retail bakery products and store-made beverages and juice products. Pursuant to the Food Safety Law, the failure of these entities to have the food business permit at the time of opening may result in the confiscation of their illegal income, foodstuffs from the illegal business operations, tools, equipment, and ingredients used in the illegal activities. Where the value of foodstuffs from the illegal operations is less than RMB10,000 (approximately $1,446), a fine ranging from RMB50,000 (approximately $7,231) to RMB100,000 (approximately $14,460) shall be imposed; where the value of foodstuffs is RMB10,000 (approximately $1,446) or more, a fine ranging from 10 to 20 times the value of the foodstuffs shall be imposed. Although we have not received any notice of warning or been subject to penalties or other penalties such as income confiscation from the relevant governmental authorities regarding conducting our business without the above mentioned permits, we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to any penalties in the future. We will file a renewal request 30 business days prior to the expiration date of those permits. In general, as long as a business entity operates legally and is in good standing, its renewal request will be approved, but we cannot assure you that we will be able to renew such permits in the future.

 

Employee Health Examination System and Health Record System

 

Under the Food Safety Law and the Implementation Regulations for the Food Safety Law, food manufacturers and food business operators are required to establish and implement an employee health examination system and a health record system. Persons suffering from diseases that may cause food safety issues as prescribed by the health administrative department of the State Council shall not engage in work in contact with ready-to-eat food. Personnel of food manufacturers and food business operators shall undergo annual health checks and may undertake duties only upon obtaining health certificates. We have established an employee health examination system and a health record system, and our employees have obtained the health certificates as required. Our employee health examination system and health record system are updated once a year and no employee is allowed to work in our PRC Stores or central factory without first obtaining a health certificate, which is valid for a year.

 

Procurement Check Record System and Food Inspection System

 

Under the Food Safety Law and the Implementation Regulations for the Food Safety Law, food manufacturers and food business operators shall examine the relevant licenses and eligibility certification documents of the suppliers when procuring food ingredients, food additives, food-related products, and food. If the relevant eligibility certification documents are unavailable, food ingredients, food additives, food-related products, and food shall be inspected in accordance with food safety standards and shall not be procured or used if they do not meet these standards. Food manufacturers and food business operators are required to establish a record system for inspection of procured food ingredients, food additives, food-related products, and food, and truthfully record the names, specifications, quantities, production date or batch number, shelf life and purchase date, names and contact information of suppliers of food ingredients, food additives, food-related product and food, and retain the relevant certificates. The inspection records for procured food ingredients, food additives, food-related products, and food shall be true and be retained for at least six months after the expiration of the shelf life of the product. If there is no shelf life, the records and certificates shall be kept for at least two years. Food manufacturers are also required to establish a record system for the inspection of food exiting its factory, check its inspection certificate and safety status, and record the information truthfully. We have established a record system and are currently in compliance with the relevant legal requirements.

 

Food Recall System

 

A food recall system has been established in the PRC in accordance with the Food Safety Law and the Implementation Regulations on the Food Safety Law. On March 11, 2015, CFDA promulgated the Administrative Measures for Food Recall, which came into effect on September 1, 2015. The Administrative Measures for Food Recall provides for detailed rules on the food recall system. A food manufacturer shall, upon discovering that the food produced by itself does not comply with the food safety standards, immediately stop production, recall the food from the market, notify the relevant food business operators and consumers, and record information of the recall and notification. A food business operator shall, upon discovering that the food in its business operations does not comply with the food safety standards, immediately cease business operation, notify the relevant food distributors and consumers, and record information of cessation of business operation and notification. Where the food manufacturer deems that recall of the food is necessary, the food shall be recalled immediately. The food manufacturers and food business operators shall carry out innocuous treatment and destruction measures for recalled food to prevent the recalled food from being re-circulated to the market, and report the information of recall and treatment of the food to the local branch of CFDA at or above the county level.

 

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Pollutant Discharge Permit

 

Article 45 of the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, which became effective on January 1, 2015, stipulates that enterprises, institutions, and other producers and operators that implement pollution discharge permit management in China shall discharge pollutants in accordance with the requirements of the pollution discharge license; those who have not obtained the discharge license shall not discharge pollutants. At the same time, according to the relevant regulations of the “the List of Classification Management of Emission Permit for Fixed Source of Pollution (2019 Edition),” key management, simplified management, and registration management of pollutant discharge permit have been implemented. Pollutant discharge units that implement registration management do not need to apply for a pollutant discharge permit, but should fill in the pollutant discharge registration form on the national pollutant discharge permit management information platform. Based on the situation of our central factory, as well as our production equipment and production process, at least a sewage registration is required. As of the date of this prospectus, we are still in the process of applying for a sewage registration. Therefore, we may be subject to administrative penalties by the environmental protection department or other relevant departments for discharging pollutants without obtaining a pollution discharge permit or failing to fill in a pollution discharge registration form.

 

According to Article 63 of the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, if an enterprise, institution, or other producer or business operator, in violation of the provisions of the law, discharges pollutants without obtaining a pollutant discharge license, and is ordered to stop discharging pollutants but refuses to carry out the order, which does not constitute a crime, in addition to punishment in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the Environmental Protection Departments of the People’s Governments at or above the county level or other relevant departments shall transfer the case to the Bureau of Public Security. The person in charge and other persons directly responsible shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days; if the circumstances are relatively minor, they shall be detained for not less than five days but not more than 10 days.

 

Regulations on Product Quality

 

Manufacturers and sellers of defective products in the PRC may incur liability for losses and injuries caused by such products. In accordance with the Product Quality Law of the PRC, or the “Product Quality Law,” promulgated on February 22, 1993, and amended on July 8, 2000, August 27, 2009, and December 29, 2018, manufacturers and sellers are responsible for the product quality.

 

Under the Product Quality Law, manufacturers and sellers shall establish a sound internal product quality control system. Adulteration of, or mixing of improper elements with products produced or sold, selling fake products as genuine products, or selling products of poor quality as high-quality products is prohibited. Substandard products shall not be sold as products that are up to standard. Product shall have no unreasonable danger to personal safety or the safety of property. Where there are national or industry standards for the protection of health, personal safety, and the safety of property, such standards shall be complied with. Manufacturers shall not produce products that the State has determined should be eliminated. Manufacturers shall not falsify the place of origin of products or falsify or imitate the name or address of another factory. Sellers shall adopt measures to maintain the quality of products sold. Sellers shall not sell any products that the State has determined should be eliminated and whose sale has ceased, or any expired products or deteriorated products.

 

The Consumer Protection Law of the PRC, which was promulgated on October 31, 1993, and amended on October 25, 2013, and came into effect on March 15, 2014, has also provided protection for customers regarding food safety. Food business operators shall ensure the requisite quality, function, use, and shelf life of their goods under normal use, except where a consumer is aware of a defect before purchasing the goods, and the defect does not violate the mandatory provisions of the law. Food business operators demonstrating the quality of their goods or services through advertisements, product demonstrations, actual samples or any other methods shall ensure that the actual quality of their goods is consistent with the demonstrated quality.

 

Regulations on Product Liabilities

 

The Tort Liability Law, which was promulgated by the SCNPC on December 26, 2009, and became effective on July 1, 2010, provides that where a product endangers life or property due to its defect, the manufacturers and the distributors shall bear the tort liability.

 

Under the Product Quality Law, if personal injury is caused by a defective product, the manufacturer or seller shall pay for medical expenses, nursing expenses during medical treatment, and lost income due to absence from work to the victim. If the personal injury has resulted in disability, the manufacturer or seller shall also be responsible for the expenses for self-supporting equipment, living allowances, compensations for the disabled person and the living expenses necessary for those supported by the disabled person. If a death is caused by the defect, the manufacturer or seller shall pay for the funeral expenses, compensations, and the living expenses necessary for those supported by the dead. If the defective product causes damage to property, the manufacturer or seller shall restore the property to its original state or compensate for the depreciated price. If the injured party suffers other major losses as a result thereof, the injuring party shall compensate for such losses as well. The authorities shall order suspension of production or sale, confiscate the products illegally produced or sold, impose a fine and confiscate the unlawful proceeds therefrom, if any. Where the case is serious, the business license shall be revoked. Where a criminal offense is constituted, the offenders shall be pursued for criminal liabilities.

 

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Regulations on Internet Advertising

 

The Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising, which was promulgated by the SAIC on July 4, 2016 and came into effect on September 1, 2016, governs all advertisements published on the Internet, including but not limited to advertisements in the form of text, image, audio, and video which are published through websites, web pages, and applications. Internet advertisement operators and publishers (1) shall not design, produce, or provide agency services for or publish any advertisements they know or should have known to be false; (2) shall establish a review and file management system, inspect and verify relevant supporting documents, and check content of advertisements; and (3) shall not design, produce, or provide agency services for or publish any advertisements whose content is untrue or without sufficient supporting documents.

 

Regulations relating to Information Security and Privacy Protection

 

Internet content in China is regulated and restricted from a state security standpoint. On December 28, 2000, the SCNPC enacted the Decisions on Maintaining Internet Security, later amended on August 27, 2009, which subject violators to criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (1) use the Internet to market fake and substandard products or carry out false publicity for any commodity or service; (2) use the Internet for the purpose of damaging the commercial goodwill and product reputation of any other person; (3) use the Internet for the purpose of infringing on the intellectual property of any person; (4) use the Internet for the purpose of fabricating and spreading false information that affects the trading of securities and futures or otherwise jeopardizes the financial order; or (5) create any pornographic website or webpage on the Internet, provide links to pornographic websites, or disseminate pornographic books and magazines, movies, audio-visual products, or images. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for the Security Protection of Computer Information Networks Linked to the Internet, which was promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security (the “MPS”) on December 16, 1997 and later amended and became effective on January 8, 2011, the Internet is prohibited to be used in ways which, among other things, would result in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. On December 13, 2005, the MPS promulgated the Provisions on the Technical Measures for the Protection of the Security of the Internet, which require internet service providers to take proper measures including anti-virus, data back-up, and other related measures, to keep records of certain information about its users (including user registration information, log-in and log-out time, IP address, content, and time of posts by users) for at least 60 days, and to detect illegal information, stop transmission of such information, and keep relevant records. If an Internet information service provider violates these measures, the MPS and the local public security bureaus may recommend that the original certificate examination, approval, and issuing organizations revoke its operating license and shut down its websites. Pursuant to the Circular of the MPS, the State Secrecy Bureau, the State Cipher Code Administration, and the Information Office of the State Council on Printing and Distributing the Administrative Measures for the Graded Protection of Information Security, which was promulgated on June 22, 2007, the state shall, by formulating nationally effective administrative norms and technical standards for the graded protection of information security, organize citizens, legal persons, and other organizations to grade information systems and protect their security, and supervise and administer the graded protection work. The security protection grade of an information system may be classified into the five grades. To newly build an information system of Grade II or above, its operator or user shall, within 30 days after the information system is put into operation, go through the record-filing procedures at the local public security organ at the level of municipality divided into districts or above.

 

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

 

Trademarks

 

Trademarks are protected by the PRC Trademark Law adopted on August 23, 1982, and subsequently amended on February 22, 1993, October 27, 2001, and August 30, 2013, as well as the Implementation Regulation of the PRC Trademark Law adopted by the State Council in August 3, 2002, and amended on April 29, 2014 and April 23, 2019. The PRC Trademark Office under the State Administration of Market Regulation handles trademark registrations and grants a term of 10 years to registered trademarks and another 10 years if requested upon expiration of the first or any renewed 10-year term. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the PRC Trademark Office for record. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration. Where a trademark to be registered is identical or similar to another trademark which has already been registered or been subject to a preliminary examination and approval for use on the same kind of or similar goods or services, the application for registration of such trademark may be rejected. Any person applying for the registration of a trademark may not prejudice the existing right first obtained by others, nor may any person register in advance a trademark that has already been used by another party and has already gained a “sufficient degree of reputation” through such party’s use. After receiving an application, the PRC Trademark Office will make a public announcement if the relevant trademark passes the preliminary examination. During the three months after this public announcement, any person entitled to prior rights and any interested party may file an objection against the trademark. The PRC Trademark Office’s decisions on rejection, objection, or cancellation of an application may be appealed to the PRC Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, whose decision may be further appealed through judicial proceedings. If no objection is filed within three months after the public announcement or if the objection has been overruled, the PRC Trademark Office will approve the registration and issue a registration certificate, at which point the trademark is deemed to be registered and will be effective for a renewable 10-year period, unless otherwise revoked. For licensed use of a registered trademark, the licensor shall file record of the licensing with the PRC Trademark Office, and the licensing shall be published by the PRC Trademark Office. Failure of the licensing of a registered trademark shall not be contested against a good faith third party. As of March 2021, we were holding 16 registered trademarks in the PRC and enjoyed the corresponding rights.

 

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Copyrights

 

In accordance with the Copyright Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC on September 7, 1990, last amended on February 26, 2010, and came into effect on April 1, 2010, Chinese citizens, legal persons, or other entities own the copyright in their works whether published or not, including written works, oral works, music, comedy, arts of talking and singing, dance and acrobatics, work of art and architecture work, photographic works, cinematographic work and work created by the method similar to the film production method, engineering design drawing, product design drawing, map, sketch and other graphic works and model works, computer software, and other works specified by laws and administrative regulations. The rights a copyright owner has include but not limited to the following rights of the person and property rights: the right of publication, right of authorship, right of modification, right of integrity, right of reproduction, distribution right, rental right, right of network communication, translation right, and right of compilation.

 

In accordance with the Regulations on the Protection of Computer Software promulgated by the State Council on December 20, 2001 and last amended on January 30, 2013, Chinese citizens, legal persons, or other entities own the copyright, including the right of publication, right of authorship, right of modification, right of reproduction, distribution right, rental right, right of network communication, translation right, and other rights software copyright owners shall have in software developed by them, regardless of whether the software has been published. In accordance with the Measures for the Registration of Computer Software Copyright promulgated by the National Copyright Administration on April 6, 1992 and last amended on February 20, 2002, software copyrights, exclusive licensing contracts for software copyrights, and software copyright transfer contracts shall be registered, and the National Copyright Administration shall be the competent authority for the administration of software copyright registration and the Copyright Protection Center of China is designated as a software registration authority. The Copyright Protection Center of China shall grant a registration certification to a computer software copyright applicant who complies with relevant regulations.

 

Domain name

 

In accordance with the Measures for the Administration of Internet Domain Names, which was promulgated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (the “MIIT”) on August 24, 2017 and came into effect on November 1, 2017, the Implementing Rules of China Internet Network Information Center on Domain Name Registration, which was promulgated by China Internet Network Information Center (the “CNNIC”) on May 28, 2012 and came into effect on May 29, 2012, and the Measures of the China Internet Network Information Center on Domain Name Dispute Resolution, which was promulgated by CNNIC on September 1, 2014 and came into effect on the same date, domain name registrations are handled through domain name service agencies established under relevant regulations, and an applicant becomes a domain name holder upon successful registration, and domain name disputes shall be submitted to an organization authorized by CNNIC for resolution.

 

In accordance with the Notice from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Regulating the Use of Domain Names in Internet Information Services, which was promulgated by the MIIT on November 27, 2017 and came into effect on January 1, 2018, Internet access service providers shall verify the identity of each Internet information service provider, and shall not provide services to any Internet information service provider which fails to provide real identity information.

 

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Regulations on Patents

 

Pursuant to the Patent Law of the PRC, or the “Patent Law,” promulgated by the SCNPC on March 12, 1984, most recently amended on December 27, 2008, and effective from October 1, 2009, and the Implementation Rules of the Patent Law of the PRC, promulgated by the State Council on June 15, 2001 and most recently amended on January 9, 2010, there are three types of patents in the PRC: invention patent, utility model patent, and design patent. The protection period is 20 years for invention patent and 10 years for utility model patent and design patent, commencing from their respective application dates. Any individual or entity that utilizes a patent or conducts any other activity in infringement of a patent without prior authorization of the patentee shall pay compensation to the patentee and is subject to a fine imposed by relevant administrative authorities and, if the infringement constitutes a crime, shall be held criminally liable. In the event that a patent is owned by two or more co-owners without an agreement regarding the distribution of revenue generated from the exploitation of any co-owner of the patent, such revenue shall be distributed among all the co-owners.

 

Existing patents can become narrowed, invalid, or unenforceable due to a variety of grounds, including lack of novelty, creativity, and deficiencies in patent application. In China, a patent must have novelty, creativity, and practical applicability. Under the Patent Law, novelty means that before a patent application is filed, no identical invention or utility model has been publicly disclosed in any publication in China or overseas or has been publicly used or made known to the public by any other means, whether in or outside of China, nor has any other person filed with the patent authority an application that describes an identical invention or utility model and is recorded in patent application documents or patent documents published after the filing date. Creativity means that, compared with existing technology, an invention has prominent substantial features and represents notable progress, and a utility model has substantial features and represents any progress. Practical applicability means an invention or utility model can be manufactured or used and may produce positive results. Patents in China are filed with the State Intellectual Property Office, or the “SIPO.” Normally, the SIPO publishes an application for an invention patent within 18 months after the filing date, which may be shortened at the request of applicant. The applicant must apply to the SIPO for a substantive examination within three years from the date of application.

 

Regulations on Company Establishment

 

The establishment, operation, and management of companies in the PRC is governed by the PRC Company Law, or the “Company Law,” as promulgated by the SCNPC on December 29, 1993, effective on July 1, 1994, and subsequently amended in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2013, and 2018. According to the Company Law, companies established in the PRC are either limited liability companies or joint stock limited liability companies. The Company Law applies to both domestic companies and foreign-invested companies.

 

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC, or the “Foreign Investment Law,” which came into effect on January 1, 2020, repealing simultaneously the Law of the PRC on Sino-foreign Equity Joint Ventures, the Law of the PRC on Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprises, and the Law of the PRC on Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Ventures. The Foreign Investment Law adopts the management system of pre-establishment national treatment and negative list for foreign investment. Policies in support of enterprises shall apply equally to foreign-funded enterprises according to laws and regulations. Foreign investment enterprises shall be guaranteed that they could equally participate in the setting of standards, and the compulsory standards formulated by the State shall be equally applied. Fair competition for foreign investment enterprises to participate in government procurement activities shall be protected. The Foreign Investment Law also stipulates the protection on intellectual property rights and trade secrets. In addition, Regulations for the Implementation of the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC came into effect as of January 1, 2020.

 

Notice on the Implementation of Foreign Investment Law and the Registration of Foreign-funded Enterprises was issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation on December 31, 2019. According to such notice, the State Administration for Market Regulation conducts business registration, and the applicant shall apply for the registration of foreign-funded enterprises through the enterprise registration system. The registration authority shall conduct formal examination on relevant application materials. Where a foreign investor or enterprise with foreign investment invests in a field other than those in the negative list, it shall register in accordance with the principle of consistency of domestic and foreign investment.

 

The Measures for Reporting Foreign Investment Information were adopted by MOFCOM on December 19, 2019, approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation, and became effective on January 1, 2020. According to such measures, when a foreign investor directly or indirectly conducts investment activities in China, the foreign investor or foreign-invested enterprise shall submit investment information to the competent department of commerce in accordance with the measures.

 

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Regulation on Foreign Investment

 

Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors were principally governed by the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, promulgated and as amended from time to time by MOFCOM and National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”), which was later divided into two legal documents, including the Catalog of Industries for Encouraged Foreign Investment, or the “Encouraged Catalog,” and the Special Administrative Measures for Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List), or the “Negative List.” The current Encouraged Catalog and Negative List were both promulgated by MOFCOM and NDRC on June 30, 2019, and became effective on July 30, 2019. Industries listed in the Negative List are divided into two categories: restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Negative List are generally constituted “permitted,” and are open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations. For restricted industries, some are limited to equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases Chinese partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, restricted category projects are subject to higher-level government approvals. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category. The latest Negative List was released by MOFCOM and NDRC on June 30, 2020 and became effective on July 23, 2020. Pursuant to the current and the updated Negative Lists, manufacturing and selling bakery products is an encouraged industry for foreign investment access.

 

Regulations on Foreign Exchange 

 

General Administration of Foreign Exchange

 

According to the Foreign Exchange Control Regulations of the PRC, which were promulgated by the State Council on January 29, 1996, came into effect on April 1, 1996, and were amended on January 14, 1997, and August 1, 2008 (which amendment came into effect on August 5, 2008), payments for transactions that take place within the PRC must be made in Renminbi. PRC companies or individuals may repatriate foreign exchange receipts received overseas or deposit overseas. Renminbi is freely convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of the PRC, unless prior approval is obtained from SAFE and prior registration with SAFE is made. Foreign exchange proceeds under the current accounts may be either retained or sold to a financial institution engaged in settlement and sale of foreign exchange. For foreign exchange proceeds under the capital accounts, approval from SAFE is generally required for the retention or sale of such proceeds to a financial institution engaged in settlement and sale of foreign exchange.

 

Foreign Investment

 

According to Provisions on Foreign Exchange Control on Direct Investments in China by Foreign Investors, which were promulgated on May 10, 2013, by SAFE, upon establishment of a foreign investment enterprise pursuant to the law, registration formalities shall be completed with SAFE. In the event of subsequent changes in the capital of the foreign investment enterprise such as increase in capital, capital reduction, and equity transfer, registration change formalities shall be completed with SAFE. 

 

Pursuant to the Circular of SAFE on Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment, or the “SAFE Circular No. 59,” promulgated by SAFE on November 19, 2012, and was further amended on May 4, 2015, as well as October 10, 2018 and December 30, 2019, approval is not required for opening a foreign exchange account and depositing foreign exchange into the account relating to the direct investments. SAFE Circular No. 59 also simplified foreign exchange-related registration required for the foreign investors to acquire the equity interests of Chinese companies and further improve the administration on foreign exchange settlement for foreign investment enterprises.

 

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The Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Mode of Management of Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-Funded Enterprises, or the “SAFE Circular No.19,” which was promulgated by SAFE on March 30, 2015, and became effective on June 1, 2015, provides that a foreign investment enterprise may, according to its actual business needs, settle with a bank the portion of the foreign exchange capital in its capital account for which the relevant foreign exchange administration has confirmed monetary capital contribution rights and interests (or for which the bank has registered the injection of the monetary capital contribution into the account). Pursuant to the SAFE Circular No.19, for the time being, foreign investment enterprises are allowed to settle 100% of their foreign exchange capitals on a discretionary basis; a foreign-invested enterprise shall truthfully use its capital for its own operational purposes within the scope of business; where an ordinary foreign-invested enterprise makes domestic equity investment with the amount of foreign exchanges settled, the invested enterprise shall first go through domestic re-investment registration and open a corresponding account for foreign exchange settlement pending payment with the foreign exchange administration or the bank at the place where it is registered.

 

Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-Trip Investment

 

Under SAFE Circular 37 issued by SAFE and effective on July 4, 2014, PRC residents are required to register with the local SAFE branch prior to the establishment or control of an offshore SPV, which is defined as offshore enterprises directly established or indirectly controlled by PRC residents for offshore equity financing of the enterprise assets or interests they hold in the PRC. An amendment to registration or subsequent filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required if there is any change in basic information of the offshore company or any material change with respect to the capital of the offshore company. At the same time, SAFE has issued the Operation Guidance for the Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration over Round-trip Investment regarding the procedures for SAFE registration under SAFE Circular 37, which became effective on July 4, 2014, as an attachment of SAFE Circular 37, and provided operational guidance in detail on how to complete the required registration under SAFE Circular 37. Pursuant to the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Currency Management Policy on Direct Investment, or the “SAFE Circular No. 13,” which was promulgated by SAFE and effective from June 1, 2015, the administrative approvals of foreign exchange registration of direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment are canceled and the procedure of foreign exchange-related registration are simplified. The investors shall register with banks for direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, all of our beneficial shareholders who are PRC residents have completed registrations in accordance with SAFE Circular 37.

 

Dividend Distribution

 

Under the Company Law, the Foreign Investment Law, and Implementation Regulations of Foreign Investment Law, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with China accounting standards and regulations. According to the Foreign Investment Law and Implementation Regulations of Foreign Investment Law, foreign investors’ investment, profits, capital gains, assets disposal income, intellectual property license fees, compensation or indemnification obtained according to law, and income from liquidation, among other things, may be freely remitted in or out of China in RMB or foreign currency. In addition, under the Company Law, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. Wholly foreign-owned enterprises may, at their discretion, allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on China accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC—Our PRC subsidiary is subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.”

 

Regulations on Mergers & Acquisitions

 

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the China Securities Regulatory Commission, MOFCOM, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the SAT, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce and SAFE, adopted the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006, and were amended on June 22, 2009. Foreign investors shall comply with the M&A Rules when they purchase equity interests of a domestic company or subscribe the increased capital of a domestic company, and thus changing the nature of the domestic company into a foreign-invested enterprise, when the foreign investors establish a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC, purchase the assets of a domestic company and operate the assets, or when the foreign investors purchase the assets of a domestic company, establish a foreign-invested enterprise by injecting such assets, and operate the assets. As for merger and acquisition of a domestic company with a related party relationship by a domestic company, enterprise or natural person in the name of an overseas company legitimately incorporated or controlled by the domestic company, enterprise of natural person, such merger and acquisition shall be subject to examination and approval of MOFCOM. The parties involved shall not use domestic investment by foreign investment enterprises or other methods to circumvent the requirement of examination and approval.

 

Pursuant to the Manual of Guidance on Administration for Foreign Investment Access, which was issued and became effective on December 18, 2008 by MOFCOM, notwithstanding the fact that (i) the domestic shareholder is connected with the foreign investor or not, or (ii) the foreign investor is the existing shareholder or the new investor, the M&A Rules shall not apply to the transfer of an equity interest in an incorporated foreign-invested enterprise from the domestic shareholder to the foreign investor.

 

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Regulations on Taxation

 

Enterprise Income Tax

 

According to the EIT Law, which was promulgated by the SCNPC on March 16, 2007, and became effective on January 1, 2008, and then amended on February 24, 2017 as well as December 29, 2018, and the Implementation Rules for the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the Implementation Rules, which were promulgated by the State Council on December 6, 2007, and became effective on January 1, 2008, enterprises are divided into resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. Resident enterprises pay enterprise income tax on their incomes obtained in and outside the PRC at the rate of 25%. Non-resident enterprises setting up institutions in the PRC pay enterprise income tax on the incomes obtained by such institutions in and outside the PRC at the rate of 25%. Non-resident enterprises with no institutions in the PRC, and non-resident enterprises with income having no substantial connection with their institutions in the PRC, pay enterprise income tax on their income obtained in the PRC at a reduced rate of 10%. An enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management bodies” located within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a PRC domestic enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. The Implementing Rules of the EIT Law define a “de facto management body” as a managing body that in practice exercises “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. It is more likely than not that the Company and its offshore subsidiary would be treated as a non-resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. Please see “Material Income Tax Consideration—People’s Republic of China Enterprise Taxation.”

 

During the year ended December 31, 2018, Xinjiang United Family and two branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises, and during the year ended December 31, 2019, Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises. Based on the EIT Law, and according to the Notice on Further Expanding the Scope of Income Tax Preferential Policies for Small Low Profit Enterprises issued by the Ministry of Finance, or the “MOF,” and the SAT on July 11, 2018, for the year ended December 31, 2018, once an enterprise meets certain requirements and is identified as a small-scale minimal profit enterprise, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. According to the Announcement on Issues Related to the Implementation of Inclusive Income Tax Reduction and Exemption Policy for Small and Low Profit Enterprises issued by the SAT on January 18, 2019, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 5% and the portion between RMB1 million and RMB3 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%.

 

Individual Income Tax of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households

 

The UFG Entities are individually-owned businesses, which are not subject to the EIT Law. The Measures for Individual Income Tax Calculation of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households, or the “Measures,” was adopted by the SAT on December 19, 2014 and promulgated on December 27, 2014. According to Article 7 of the Measures, for the income from production and operation of individually-owned businesses, the amount of taxable income shall be the balance of the total income of each tax year after deducting costs, expenses, taxes, losses and other expenditures, and allowable compensation for losses in previous years, which is generally levied at a fixed-rate income tax at a certain percentage of a deemed Taxable Net Income (“TNI”) as assessed by the local tax authority. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, eight of the UFG Entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,600 per month. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, eight of the UFG Entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,000 per month. The rest of the UFG Entities were exempted from paying income tax.

 

Value-Added Tax

 

Pursuant to the Provisional Regulations on Value-added Tax of the PRC, or the “VAT Regulations,” which were promulgated by the State Council on December 13, 1993, and took effect on January 1, 1994, and were amended on November 10, 2008, February 6, 2016, and November 19, 2017, respectively, and the Rules for the Implementation of the Provisional Regulations on Value-added Tax of the PRC, which were promulgated by the MOF on December 25, 1993, and were amended on December 15, 2008, and October 28, 2011, respectively, entities and individuals that sell goods or labor services of processing, repair or replacement, sell services, intangible assets, or immovables, or import goods within the territory of the People’s Republic of China are taxpayers of value-added tax. The VAT rate is 17% for taxpayers selling goods, labor services, or tangible movable property leasing services or importing goods, except otherwise specified; 11% for taxpayers selling transport services, postal services, basic telecommunications services, construction services, or real property leasing services, selling real property, transferring the land use right, or selling or importing the goods within specified scope listed, except otherwise specified; 6% for taxpayers selling services or intangible assets and not falling within the scope as specified in other items.

 

According to the Notice on the Adjustment to the Value-added Tax Rates issued by the SAT and the MOF on April 4, 2018, where taxpayers make VAT taxable sales or import goods, the applicable tax rates shall be adjusted from 17% to 16% and from 11% to 10%, respectively. Subsequently, the Notice on Policies for Deepening Reform of Value-added Tax was issued by SAT, the MOF, and the General Administration of Customs on March 20, 2019, and took effective on April 1, 2019, which further adjusted the applicable tax rates for taxpayers making VAT taxable sales or import goods. The applicable tax rates shall be adjusted from 16% to 13% and from 10% to 9%, respectively.

 

Before April 2019, Xinjiang United Family and its branch offices were paying VAT at the rate of 16% for manufacturing and selling bakery products. Currently, Xinjiang United Family and its branch offices are paying VAT at the rate of 13% for manufacturing and selling bakery products. One of the UFG Entities is currently paying VAT at the rate of 3% and the rest of the UFG Entities are exempted from paying income tax.

 

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Additional Taxes

 

Before September 1, 2021, the Provisional Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Urban Maintenance and Construction Tax, or the “Provisional Regulations,” promulgated by the State Council on February 8, 1985 and revised on January 8, 2011 governs the payment of urban maintenance and construction tax. According to the Provisional Regulations, all units and individuals paying consumption tax, VAT, and business tax are taxpayers of urban maintenance and construction tax, and shall pay urban maintenance and construction tax in accordance with the provisions of these regulations. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed the Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China on Urban Maintenance and Construction on August 11, 2020, which will become effective after September 1, 2021. According to this law, the urban maintenance and construction tax is based on VAT and consumption tax actually paid by taxpayers. Therefore, if VAT is exempted, urban construction tax will also be exempted.

 

The Interim Provisions on Levying Educational Surcharges, or the “Interim Provisions,” was issued by the State Council on April 28, 1986 and revised on June 7, 1990, August 20, 2005, and January 8, 2011. According to the Interim Provisions, the educational surcharges shall be calculated and levied on the basis of the actual VAT, business tax, and consumption tax paid by various units and individuals. The education surcharges rate is 3%, which shall be paid at the same time as the VAT, business tax, and consumption tax.

 

The Notice on Expanding the Exemption Scope of Relevant Government Funds, or “The Notice,” was issued by the MOF and the SAT on January 29, 2016 and implemented from February 1, 2016. According to The Notice, with the approval of the State Council, the scope of exemption from education surcharges, local education surcharges, and water conservancy construction funds shall be expanded from the payers whose monthly sales volume or turnover does not exceed RMB30,000 (quarterly sales or turnover paid on a quarterly basis shall not exceed RMB90,000) to RMB100,000 (quarterly sales or turnover paid on a quarterly basis shall not exceed RMB300,000).

 

Currently, Xinjiang United Family and its branch offices and one of the UFG Entities are paying urban maintenance and construction tax at the rate of 7%, educational surcharges at the rate of 3%, and local education surcharges at 2%. The rest of the UFG Entities are exempted from paying such additional taxes.

 

Dividend Withholding Tax

 

The EIT Law provides that since January 1, 2008, an income tax rate of 10% will normally be applicable to dividends declared to non-PRC resident investors which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or which have such establishment or place of business but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC.

 

Pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied the relevant conditions and requirements under such Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable laws, the 10% withholding tax on the dividends the Hong Kong resident enterprise receives from a PRC resident enterprise may be reduced to 5%. However, based on the SAT Circular 81 issued on February 20, 2009 by the SAT, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. According to the Circular on Several Questions regarding the “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties, which was issued on February 3, 2018, by the SAT and took effect on April 1, 2018, when determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests, or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation, whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in 12 months to residents in third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the counterparty country or region to the tax treaties does not levy any tax or grant tax exemption on relevant incomes or levy tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and it will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases. This circular further provides that applicants who intend to prove his or her status of the “beneficial owner” shall submit the relevant documents to the relevant tax bureau according to the Announcement on Issuing the Measures for the Administration of Non-Resident Taxpayers’ Enjoyment of the Treatment under Tax Agreements.

 

Regulations on Employment and Social Welfare

 

Labor Law of the PRC

 

The Labor Law of the PRC, or the “Labor Law,” was promulgated on July 5, 1994, and most recently amended on December 29, 2018. The Labor Law stipulates the provisions on the establishment and annulment of employment relationship, essential contents of employment contracts, working hours, remuneration, labor safety and hygiene, social insurance and other welfare, and liabilities for violating the Labor Law. The Labor Contract Law, which was promulgated on January 1, 2008, and amended on December 28, 2012, is primarily aimed at regulating the rights and obligations of employers and employees, including the establishment, performance, and termination of labor contracts. Pursuant to the Labor Contract Law, labor contracts shall be in writing if labor relationships are to be or have been established between employers and the employees. Employers are prohibited from forcing employees to work above certain time limit and employers shall pay employees for overtime work in accordance to national regulations. In addition, employee wages shall be no lower than local standards on minimum wages and shall be paid to employees timely. Xinjiang United Family and its branch offices and the UFG Entities have entered into written employment contracts with all employees and performed its obligations required under the relevant PRC laws and regulations.

 

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Social Insurance and Housing Fund

 

As required under the Regulation of Insurance for Labor Injury implemented on January 1, 2004, and amended in 2010, the Provisional Measures for Maternity Insurance of Employees of Corporations implemented on January 1, 1995, the Decisions on the Establishment of a Unified Program for Pension Insurance of the State Council issued on July 16, 1997, the Decisions on the Establishment of the Medical Insurance Program for Urban Workers of the State Council promulgated on December 14, 1998, the Unemployment Insurance Measures promulgated on January 22, 1999, the Interim Regulations Concerning the Collection and Payment of Social Insurance Premiums implemented on January 22, 1999, and the Social Insurance Law of the PRC implemented on July 1, 2011, employers are required to provide their employees in the PRC with welfare benefits covering pension insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, labor injury insurance, and medical insurance. These payments are made to local administrative authorities and any employer that fails to contribute may be fined and ordered to make up within a prescribed time limit. Xinjiang United Family has not deposited the social insurance fees in full for all the employees in compliance with the relevant regulations.

 

In accordance with the Regulations on the Management of Housing Fund, which were promulgated by the State Council in 1999 and amended in 2002, employers must register at the designated administrative centers and open bank accounts for depositing employees’ housing funds. Employer and employee are also required to pay and deposit housing funds, with an amount no less than 5% of the monthly average salary of the employee in the preceding year in full and on time. Xinjiang United Family has not yet paid housing funds for all employees.

 

See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC—Our PRC Affiliated Entities have not made adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions for all employees as required by PRC regulations, which may subject us to penalties.”

 

U.S. Regulations

 

Government Regulations on Food Production and Store Operation

 

Chanson 23rd Street is subject to extensive and varied federal, state, and local government regulations, including regulations relating, among others, to public and occupational health and safety, healthcare, environment, sanitation, and fire prevention. We operate Chanson 23rd Street in accordance with standards and procedures designed to comply with applicable codes and regulations. However, an inability to obtain or retain health department or other licenses would adversely affect the operations of Chanson 23rd Street. Although we have not experienced, and do not anticipate, any significant difficulties, delays, or failures in obtaining required licenses, permits, or approvals, any such problem could delay or prevent the opening of, or adversely impact the viability of, a particular store or group of stores. Additionally, difficulties, delays, or failures to retain or renew licenses, permits, or approvals, or increased compliance costs due to changed regulations, could adversely affect operations at Chanson 23rd Street.

 

In addition, in order to develop and construct additional stores, we must comply with applicable zoning, land use, and environmental regulations. Federal and state environmental regulations have not had a material effect on our operations to date, but more stringent and varied requirements of local governmental bodies with respect to zoning, land use, and environmental factors could delay or even prevent construction and increase development costs for new stores. We are also required to comply with the accessibility standards mandated by the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act, which generally prohibits discrimination in accommodation or employment based on disability. We may in the future have to modify stores, for example, by adding access ramps or redesigning certain architectural fixtures, to provide service to or make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons. While these expenses could be material, the current expectation is that any such actions will not require us to expend substantial funds.

 

A small amount of the sales in Chanson 23rd Street is attributable to the sale of alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverage control regulations require us to apply to the New York State Liquor Authority for a license that must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. Alcoholic beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of daily operations of Chanson 23rd Street, including minimum age of patrons and employees, hours of operation, advertising, trade practices, wholesale purchasing, other relationships with alcohol manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, inventory control and handling, storage, and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. We are also subject in certain states to “dram shop” statutes, which generally provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Chanson 23rd Street carries liquor liability coverage as part of its existing comprehensive general liability insurance. Currently, Chanson 23rd Street holds a liquor license.

 

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Further, Chanson 23rd Street is subject to the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and various other federal and state laws governing similar matters including minimum wages, overtime, workplace safety, and other working conditions. Significant numbers of the food service and preparation personnel employed by Chanson 23rd Street are paid at rates related to the applicable minimum wage, and further increases in the minimum wage or other changes in these laws could increase its labor costs. The ability of Chanson 23rd Street to respond to minimum wage increases by increasing menu prices will depend on the responses of its competitors and guests. The suppliers of Chanson 23rd Street also may be affected by higher minimum wage and benefit standards, which could result in higher costs of goods and services supplied by Chanson 23rd Street. Chanson 23rd Street may also be subject to lawsuits from its employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or others alleging violations of federal and state laws regarding workplace and employment matters, discrimination, and similar matters.

 

There has been increased regulation of certain food establishments in the U.S., we cannot assure you that Chanson 23rd Street will not have to expend additional time and resources to comply with new food safety requirements either required by current or future federal food safety regulation or legislation. Additionally, the suppliers of Chanson 23rd Street may initiate or otherwise be subject to food recalls that may impact the availability of certain products, result in adverse publicity or require Chanson 23rd Street to take actions that could be costly for it or otherwise harm its business.

 

Environmental Matters

 

Chanson 23rd Street is subject to federal, state, and local environment laws and regulations concerning waste disposal, pollution, protection of the environment, and the presence, discharge, storage, handing, release, and disposal of, or exposure to, hazardous or toxic substances. These environmental laws can provide for significant fines and penalties for non-compliance and liabilities for remediation, sometimes without regard to whether the owner or operator of the property knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of the hazardous or toxic substances. Third parties may also make claims against owners or operators of properties for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of, or actual or alleged exposure to, such substances. We are not aware of any environmental laws that will materially affect the earnings or competitive position of Chanson 23rd Street, or result in material capital expenditures relating to Chanson 23rd Street. However, we cannot predict what environmental laws will be enacted in the future, how existing or future environmental laws will be administered, interpreted, or enforced, or the amount of future expenditures that we may need to make to comply with, or to satisfy claims relating to, environmental laws. It is possible that Chanson 23rd Street will become subject to environmental liabilities at its properties, and any such liabilities could materially affect its business, financial condition, or results of operation.

 

Other Regulations

 

Chanson 23rd Street is also subject to laws and regulations relating to advertising, information security, privacy, cashless payments, online payments, gift cards and consumer credit, protection and fraud, and food delivery, and any failure or perceived failure to comply with these laws could harm its reputation or lead to litigation, which could adversely affect its business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

Furthermore, Chanson 23rd Street is subject to import laws and tariffs which could impact its ability to source and secure food products, other suppliers, and equipment necessary to its operations.

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MANAGEMENT

 

Set forth below is information concerning our directors and executive officers.

 

Name   Age   Position(s)
Gang Li   54   Chairman
Cheng Chen   35   Chief Executive Officer and Director
Jihong Cai   50   Chief Financial Officer
Yong Du   48   Independent Director Appointee*
Zhiyuan Wang   36   Independent Director Appointee*
Shouhua Nie   40   Independent Director Appointee*
Yuchen Liu   29   Independent Director Appointee*

 

* Yong Du, Zhiyuan Wang, Shouhua Nie, and Yuchen Liu have accepted appointments to be our directors, effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of our registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

The following is a brief biography of each of the executive officers and directors or director appointees listed above:

 

Mr. Gang Li has been our Chairman since September 2020 and our director since July 2019, and the chief executive officer of Xinjiang United Family since October 2012. Mr. Li has been the chief executive officer of Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd. since July 2011 and the chief executive officer of Urumqi Marie Gynecological and Obstetrical Hospital (Limited) since August 2009, responsible for the operations and investment of the companies. Mr. Li received his bachelor’s degree in Chinese Literature from Xinjiang University in 1989.

 

Mr. Cheng Chen has been our chief executive officer and director since September 2020. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Chen served as a vice president and senior relationship manager at the corporate banking department of China Merchants Bank New York Branch from February 2018 to September 2020, successively as an analyst, associate, and vice president in fixed income sales and trading of TD Securities from January 2012 to February 2018, and as an associate at the quantitative analytics research group of Standard & Poor’s from May 2011 to December 2011. Mr. Chen received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering from China Agricultural University in 2008, his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in 2009, and his master’s degree in Computational Finance from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon in 2011.

 

Ms. Jihong Cai has been our chief financial officer since September 2020. Ms. Cai has served as the chief financial officer of Xinjiang United Family since September 2018. Prior to joining Xinjiang United Family, Ms. Cai served as the chief financial officer of Xinjiang Dongbao Group from June 2016 to August 2018, as the chief financial officer of Xinjiang Fudiyuan Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. from June 2011 to May 2016, and as the chief financial officer of Xinjiang Osman Biotechnology Co., Ltd. from July 2002 to January 2011. Ms. Cai is a Chinese Certified Tax Agent, accountant, and financial planner. Ms. Cai received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Hubei University in 1991.

 

Mr. Yong Du will serve as our independent director starting immediately prior to the effectiveness of our registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Du has been an accounting professor, doctorial supervisor, and academic leader in the field of accounting and the director of the New Economics and Management Research Institute at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies South China Business College since September 2019. His research focuses in areas such as accounting and investor protection, budget management, capital market accounting and finance, and capital market auditing. From July 2004 to August 2019, Mr. Du taught at Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics and had been an accounting professor since December 2017, a doctorial supervisor since August 2018, and the academic leader in the field of accounting since March 2019. From October 2013 to November 2015, Mr. Du served as a postdoctoral researcher of Peking University. Mr. Du has served as an expert on the Academic Committee of Silk Road Economics and Management Research Institute at Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics since March 2019, an expert on the Academic Committee of the Commerce Economy Association of China since June 2017, a senior researcher of the Audit Research Institute of WUYIGE Certified Public Accountants LLP since July 2016, a part-time researcher of Financial Analysis and Investment Research Center at Peking University, a researcher of Beijing State-Owned Asset Management and Innovation Center, and a special researcher of Accounting and Investor Protection Research Center at Beijing Technology and Business University since October 2013. Mr. Du received his doctoral degree in Accounting from Central University of Finance and Economics in 2011.

 

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Mr. Zhiyuan Wang will serve as our independent director starting immediately prior to the effectiveness of our registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Wang founded Sheng De Han Hua (Beijing) Human Resource Limited Corporation, a human resource online service firm, and has served as its chief executive officer and director since January 2020. Mr. Wang founded Beijing Unique Way Technology Limited Corporation, a company providing customized travel planning, management, and advisory services, served as its chief executive officer from January 2013 to December 2019, and has served as its director since January 2013. From July 2007 to October 2013, Mr. Wang served as a manager at China Development Bank. Mr. Wang has served as a director of Beijing Mission Ding Dong Management Consulting Center (L.P.) since January 2020. Mr. Wang received his bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2007.

 

Mr. Shouhua Nie will serve as our independent director starting immediately prior to the effectiveness of our registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Nie is a founding partner of Shenzhen Hanrong Investment Management Co., Ltd., an investment management company, and has served as its chief executive officer since April 2019. Prior to founding Shenzhen Hanrong Investment Management Co., Ltd., Mr. Nie served as a portfolio manager and head of the Derivatives Department of Zhejiang Egret Asset Management Co., Ltd., a hedge fund, from January 2018 to January 2019, and as a portfolio manager at the Quantitative Investment Group of First Seafront Fund Management Co., Ltd., an investment management company. Mr. Nie also worked at BNP Paribas (OTCMKTS: BNPQY), a French international banking group, serving as an interest rate trader from November 2013 to September 2015 and as a quantitative analyst from June 2010 to November 2013. Mr. Nie received his bachelor’s degree in Physics from Fudan University in 2003, his Ph.D. in Physics from Florida State University in 2008, and his master’s degree in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, in 2009.

 

Mr. Yuchen Liu will serve as our independent director starting immediately prior to the effectiveness of our registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Liu has been an angel investor of Chenxin Technology Co., Ltd since April 2020, an angel investor of Beijing Xuanyi Technology Limited Corporation since August 2018, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Beijing Dongyishengda Investment Limited Corporation (Farrington International Pre-School) since June 2018, and an angel investor and partner of ICZOOM Electronic Components Exchange since December 2017. Mr. Liu received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Beijing Technology and Business University in 2015 and his Master in Science in Financial Management from Boston University in 2017.

 

Our officers are appointed by and serve at the discretion of our board of directors and the shareholders voting by ordinary resolution. Our directors are not subject to a set term of office and hold office until the next general meeting called for the election of directors and until their successor is duly appointed or such time as they die, resign, or are removed from office by a shareholders’ ordinary resolution. The office of a director will be vacated automatically if, among other things, the directors resigns in writing, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors generally, or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind.

 

For additional information, see “Description of Share Capital—Directors.”

 

Family Relationships

 

None of our directors or executive officers has a family relationship as defined in Item 401 of Regulation S-K.

 

Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings

 

To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or executive officers has, during the past 10 years, been involved in any legal proceedings described in subparagraph (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K.

 

Controlled Company

 

Upon completion of this offering, our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, will beneficially own approximately 86.62% of the aggregate voting power of our issued and outstanding Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares as a group assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, or 86.03% assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option. As a result, we will be deemed a “controlled company” for the purpose of the Nasdaq listing rules. As a controlled company, we are permitted to elect to rely on certain exemptions from the obligations to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

 

  the requirement that our director nominees be selected or recommended solely by independent directors; and
     
  the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee and a compensation committee that are composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the purposes and responsibilities of the committees.

 

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Although we do not intend to rely on the controlled company exemptions under the Nasdaq listing rules even if we are deemed a controlled company, we could elect to rely on these exemptions in the future, and if so, you would not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.

 

Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors will consist of six directors upon closing of this offering. Our board of directors have determined that our four independent director appointees, Yong Du, Zhiyuan Wang, Shouhua Nie, and Yuchen Liu satisfy the “independence” requirements of the Nasdaq corporate governance rules.

 

Duties of Directors

 

Under Cayman Islands law, all of our directors owe three types of duties to us: (i) statutory duties, (ii) fiduciary duties, and (iii) common law duties. The Companies Act (2021 Revision) of the Cayman Islands imposes a number of statutory duties on a director. A Cayman Islands director’s fiduciary duties are not codified, however the courts of the Cayman Islands have held that a director owes the following fiduciary duties: (a) a duty to act in what the director bona fide considers to be in the best interests of the company, (b) a duty to exercise their powers for the purposes they were conferred, (c) a duty to avoid fettering his or her discretion in the future and (d) a duty to avoid conflicts of interest and of duty. The common law duties owed by a director are those to act with skill, care and diligence that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and, also, to act with the skill, care and diligence in keeping with a standard of care commensurate with any particular skill they have which enables them to meet a higher standard than a director without those skills. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time. We have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by any of our directors is breached.

 

The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:

 

  appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers;
     
  exercising the borrowing powers of the company and mortgaging the property of the company; and
     
  maintaining or registering a register of mortgages, charges, or other encumbrances of the company.

 

Terms of Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our officers are appointed by and serve at the discretion of our board of directors and the shareholders voting by ordinary resolution. Our directors are not subject to a set term of office and hold office until the next general meeting called for the election of directors and until their successor is duly appointed or such time as they die, resign, or are removed from office by a shareholders’ ordinary resolution. The office of a director will be vacated automatically if, among other things, the directors resign in writing, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors generally, or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind.

 

Qualification

 

There is currently no shareholding qualification for directors, although a shareholding qualification for directors may be fixed by our shareholders by ordinary resolution.

 

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Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

 

We will enter into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Pursuant to employment agreements, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Registration Statement, we agree to employ each of our executive officers for a specified time period, which may be renewed upon both parties’ agreement 30 days before the end of the current employment term. We may terminate the employment for cause, at any time, without notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, including but not limited to the commitments of any serious or persistent breach or non-observance of the terms and conditions of the employment, conviction of a criminal offense, willful disobedience of a lawful and reasonable order, fraud or dishonesty, receipt of bribery, or severe neglect of his or her duties. An executive officer may terminate his or her employment at any time with a one-month prior written notice. Each executive officer agrees to hold, both during and after the employment agreement expires, in strict confidence and not to use or disclose to any person, corporation or other entity without written consent, any confidential information.

 

We will also enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our Company.

 

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, we paid an aggregate of $227,159 as compensation to our executive officers and directors. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement, or other similar benefits to our directors and executive officers. Our PRC Affiliated Entities are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee’s salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund.

 

Insider Participation Concerning Executive Compensation

 

Our two directors, Mr. Gang Li and Mr. Cheng Chen, are currently making all determinations regarding executive officer compensation. When our Compensation Committee is set up, it will be making all determination regarding executive officer compensation (please see below).

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

We will establish three committees under the board of directors prior to the closing of this offering: an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Our independent directors will serve on each of the committees. The appointment to the committees will be effective immediately prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We will adopt a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee’s members and functions are described below.

 

Audit Committee. Our audit committee will consist of our three independent director appointees, Yong Du, Shouhua Nie, and Zhiyuan Wang. Yong Du will be the chairperson of our audit committee. We have determined that each of our independent director appointees also satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act. Our board also has determined that Yong Du qualifies as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of the SEC rules or possesses financial sophistication within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing rules. The audit committee will oversee our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our Company. The audit committee will be responsible for, among other things:

 

  appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;
     
  reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response;
     
  discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;
     
  reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;
     
  reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions;

 

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  meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and
     
  monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

  

Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee will consist of our three independent director appointees, Yong Du, Shouhua Nie, and Zhiyuan Wang. Shouhua Nie will be the chairperson of our compensation committee. The compensation committee will assist the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:

 

  reviewing and approving the total compensation package for our most senior executive officers;
     
  approving and overseeing the total compensation package for our executives other than the most senior executive officers;
     
  reviewing and recommending to the board with respect to the compensation of our directors;
     
  reviewing periodically and approving any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans;
     
  selecting compensation consultants, legal counsel or other advisors after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management; and
     
  reviewing programs or similar arrangements, annual bonuses, employee pension and welfare benefit plans.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of our three independent director appointees, Yong Du, Shouhua Nie, and Zhiyuan Wang. Zhiyuan Wang will be the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee will assist the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee will be responsible for, among other things:

 

  identifying and recommending nominees for election or re-election to our board of directors or for appointment to fill any vacancy;
     
  reviewing annually with our board of directors its current composition in light of the characteristics of independence, age, skills, experience and availability of service to us;
     
  identifying and recommending to our board the directors to serve as members of committees;
     
  advising the board periodically with respect to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to our board of directors on all matters of corporate governance and on any corrective action to be taken; and
     
  monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

Our board of directors has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, which is filed as Exhibit 99.1 of this registration statement and applicable to all of our directors, officers, and employees. We will make our code of business conduct and ethics publicly available on our website prior to the closing of this offering.

 

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership, within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered in this offering for:

 

  each of our directors and executive officers; and
     
 

each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

Beneficial ownership includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Except as indicated below, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shown as beneficially owned by them. Percentage of beneficial ownership of each listed person prior to this offering is based on 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares outstanding (reflecting a 1,000-for-1 forward split of our ordinary shares approved by our shareholders and board of directors on March 27, 2021, which will become effective upon the acceptance by the Cayman Registrar of the filing of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) as of the date of this prospectus. Percentage of beneficial ownership of each listed person after this offering is based on 6,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming no exercise of over-allotment option, and 6,510,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares assuming full exercise of over-allotment option.

 

Information with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each director, officer, or beneficial owner of 5% or more of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally requires that such person have voting or investment power with respect to securities. In computing the number of Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by a person listed below and the percentage ownership of such person, Class A Ordinary Shares underlying options, warrants, or convertible securities, including Class B Ordinary Shares, held by each such person that are exercisable or convertible within 60 days of the date of this prospectus are deemed outstanding, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other person. As of the date of the prospectus, we have five shareholders of record, two of whom are located in the U.S. We will be required to have at least 300 unrestricted round lot shareholders at closing in order to satisfy the Nasdaq listing rules.

 

    Class A
Ordinary
Shares
Beneficially
Owned Prior to
this Offering
    Class B
Ordinary
Shares
Beneficially
Owned Prior to
this Offering
    Class A
Ordinary
Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
this Offering
(Over-allotment
option not
exercised)
    Class A
Ordinary
Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
this Offering
(Over-allotment
option fully
exercised)
    Class B
Ordinary
Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
this Offering
    Voting Power
After this
Offering
(Over-allotment
option not
exercised)*
    Voting Power
After this
Offering
(Over-allotment
option fully
exercised)*
 
    Number     %     Number     %     Number     %     Number     %     Number     %     %     %  
Directors and Executive Officers(1):                                                                        
Gang Li (2)     2,700,000       88.24 %     5,400,000       90.91 %     2,700,000       44.55 %     2,700,000       41.47 %     5,400,000       90.91 %     86.62 %     86.03 %
Cheng Chen(3)                 270,000       4.55 %                             270,000       4.55 %     4.12 %     4.10 %
Jihong Cai (4)                 270,000       4.55 %                             270,000       4.55 %     4.12 %     4.10 %
Yong Du                                                                        
Zhiyuan Wang                                                                        
Shouhua Nie                                                                        
Yuchen Liu                                                                        
All directors and executive officers as a group (seven individuals):                                                                                                
      2,700,000       93.75 %     5,942,222       97.06 %     2,700,000       45.92 %     2,700,000       42.65 %     5,940,000       97.06 %     92.59 %     91.96 %
5% Shareholders:                                                                                                
Danton Global Limited(2)     2,700,000       88.24 %     5,400,000       90.91 %     2,700,000       44.55 %     2,700,000       41.47 %     5,400,000       90.91 %     86.62 %     86.03 %
Yvan Global Limited(5)     180,000       5.88 %     0       0 %     180,000       2.97 %     180,000       2.76 %     0       0 %     0.27 %     0.27 %
Yetta Global Limited(6)     180,000       5.88 %     0       0 %     180,000       2.97 %     180,000       2.76 %     0       0 %     0.27 %     0.27 %

 

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(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
   
(2) The number of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares beneficially owned prior to this offering represents 2,700,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,400,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Danton Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, which is 100% owned by Mr. Gang Li. The registered address of Danton Global Limited is 3rd Floor, J & C Building, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110.
   
(3) The number of Class B Ordinary Shares beneficially owned prior to this offering represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by C&C Capital Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is 100% owned by Mr. Cheng Chen. The registered address of C&C Capital Investments LLC is One Commerce Center, 1201 N. Orange St., Suite 762, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801.
   
(4) The number of Class B Ordinary Shares beneficially owned prior to this offering represents 270,000 Class B Ordinary Shares held by Haily Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, which is 100% owned by Ms. Jihong Cai. The registered address of Haily Global Limited is 3rd Floor, J & C Building, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110.
   
(5) The number of Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned prior to this offering represents 180,000 Class A Ordinary Shares held by Yvan Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, which is 100% owned by Ms. Xinxia Hu. The registered address of Yvan Global Limited is 3rd Floor, J & C Building, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110.
   
(6) The number of Class A Ordinary Shares beneficially owned prior to this offering represents 180,000 Class A Ordinary Shares held by Yetta Global Limited, a British Virgin Islands company, which is 100% owned by Ms. Hui Wang. The registered address of Yvan Global Limited is 3rd Floor, J & C Building, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, 88.24% of our outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and 95.46% of our outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares are held by two record holders, Mr. Gang Li and Mr. Cheng Chen, in the U.S.

 

We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our Company.

 

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Contractual Arrangements with the UFG Entities and the UFG Operators

 

See “Corporate History and Structure.”

 

Employment Agreements

 

See “Management—Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements.”

 

Material Transactions with Related Parties

 

The relationship and the nature of related party transactions are summarized as follows:

 

Name of Related Party   Relationship to Us
Gang Li   Our Chairman
Cheng Chen   Our Chief Executive Officer
Jihong Cai   Our Chief Financial Officer
Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.   Controlled by our Chairman

 

Share Issuances to Related Parties

 

On July 26, 2019, we transferred one Ordinary Share and issued 94 Ordinary Shares (bringing our total issued and outstanding shares to 100 Ordinary Shares) indirectly to some of our executive officers and directors in connection with the formation of the Company, in a private transaction under the Cayman Islands laws, including 92 Ordinary Shares issued to Danton Global Limited (which, together with the transfer of the original subscriber share, brought the number of Ordinary Shares held by Danton Global Limited to 93), an entity 100% controlled by Mr. Gang Li, our Chairman, for a consideration of $92, and three Ordinary Shares issued to Haily Global Limited, an entity 100% controlled by Ms. Jihong Cai, our chief financial officer, for a consideration of $3.

 

On March 27, 2021, our board of directors approved the issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares to some of our executive officers and directors, subject to the acceptance by the Cayman Registrar of the filing of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, to increase the number of total ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of this offering, including 2,610,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 5,400,000 Class B Ordinary Shares to Danton Global Limited for a consideration of $8,010, 267,000 Class B Ordinary Shares to Haily Global Limited for a consideration of $267, and 267,000 Class B Ordinary Shares to C&C Capital Investments LLC, an entity 100% controlled by Mr. Cheng Chen, our chief executive officer, for a consideration of $267.

 

See “Description of Share Capital—History of Share Issuances.”

 

Premises Use Agreement

 

Pursuant to a Premises Use Agreement dated April 30, 2020 and a Supplemental Agreement dated June 18, 2020, Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd., a PRC company controlled by our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, provided approximately 5,382 square feet office space for our headquarters and 10,763 square feet for our central factory without charge. The term of the agreement is from January 1, 2020 to June 25, 2028, unless otherwise terminated by either party.

 

Due from a Related Party

 

As of December 31, 2018, due from a related party in the amount of $1,924,910 represented cash advanced to our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, mainly as the initial working capital in relation to the opening of five new UFG Entities, such as prepaid rental, renovation, and other start-up expenses in 2019. Such advances were non-interest bearing and were fully utilized or collected by us in 2019. As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $0.2 million due from a related party, representing cash advanced to Mr. Gang Li, mainly as initial working capital, such as prepaid rental, renovation, and other start-up expenses, for the opening of a newly established bakery store, Chanson Greenwich, in New York. Such advances were non-interest bearing and were fully utilized or collected by us in January 2021. See also “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Investing Activities.”

 

Due to a Related Party

 

As of December 31, 2019 and June 30, 2020, due to a related party in the amount of $797,352 and $57,920, respectively, represented advances provided by our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, to fund the Company’s operations. These payables are unsecured, non-interest bearing, and due on demand. The amount due to a related party has been fully repaid as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Guarantees by Related Parties

 

Our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, together with his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong, provided guarantees in connection with Xinjiang United Family’s loans borrowed from Huaxia Bank in 2018, 2019, and 2020. See “Note 7—Short-term Bank Loans” of our consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Assignment of Limited Liability Company Interest

 

On September 28, 2020, our Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, assigned his 100% membership interests in Chanson Greenwich to Chanson NY for a consideration of $10. After the transfer, Chanson Greenwich became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson NY.

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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

 

The following description of our share capital and provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association are summaries and do not purport to be complete. Reference is made to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective upon or before the completion of this offering, copies of which are filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part (and which is referred to in this section as, respectively, the “memorandum” and the “articles”).

 

We were incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act (2021 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, or the “Cayman Companies Act,” on July 26, 2019. A Cayman Islands exempted company:

 

  is a company that conducts its business mainly outside the Cayman Islands;
     
  is prohibited from trading in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the exempted company carried on outside the Cayman Islands (and for this purpose can effect and conclude contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercise in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands);
     
  does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
     
  does not have to make its register of members open to inspection by shareholders of that company;
     
  may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation;
     
  may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
     
  may register as a limited duration company; and
     
  may register as a segregated portfolio company.

 

Ordinary Shares

 

Upon the acceptance by the Cayman Registrar of the filing of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our authorized share capital will be $50,000 divided into 44,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.001 per share, and 6,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, par value $0.001 per share. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. In respect of matters requiring a shareholder vote, each holder of Class A Ordinary Shares will be entitled to one vote per one Class A Ordinary Share and each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares will be entitled to 10 votes per one Class B Ordinary Share. The Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into shares of any other class. The Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time after issuance at the option of the holder on a one-to-one basis.

 

All of our issued and outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares are issued in registered form, and are issued when registered in our register of members. Unless the board of directors determine otherwise, each holder of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will not receive a certificate in respect of such shares. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. We may not issue shares or warrants to bearer.

 

Subject to the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act and our articles regarding redemption and purchase of the shares, the directors have general and unconditional authority to allot (with or without confirming rights of renunciation), grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued shares to such persons, at such times and on such terms and conditions as they may decide. Such authority could be exercised by the directors to allot shares which carry rights and privileges that are preferential to the rights attaching to Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. No share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act. The directors may refuse to accept any application for shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason.

 

At the completion of this offering, there will be 6,060,000 (if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 6,510,000 (if the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is fully exercised)Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding held by at least 300 unrestricted round lot shareholders and beneficial owners which is the minimum requirement by the Nasdaq Capital Market, and 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding. Class A Ordinary Shares sold in this offering will be delivered against payment from the Underwriter upon the closing of the offering in New York, New York, on or about [●].

 

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Listing

 

We will apply to list our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CHSN.”

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

The transfer agent and registrar for our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares is Transhare Corporation, at 2849 Executive Drive, Suite 200, Clearwater, FL 33762.

 

Dividends

 

Subject to the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act and any rights attaching to any class or classes of shares under and in accordance with the articles:

 

  (a) the directors may declare dividends or distributions out of our funds which are lawfully available for that purpose; and

 

  (b) our shareholders may, by ordinary resolution, declare dividends but no such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the directors.

 

Subject to the requirements of the Cayman Companies Act regarding the application of a company’s share premium account and with the sanction of an ordinary resolution, dividends may also be declared and paid out of any share premium account. The directors when paying dividends to shareholders may make such payment either in cash or in specie.

 

Unless provided by the rights attached to a share, no dividend shall bear interest.

 

Voting Rights

 

On a poll, every shareholder who is present in person and every person representing a shareholder by proxy shall have one vote for each Class A Ordinary Share and 10 votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he or the person represented by proxy is the holder. In addition, all shareholders holding shares of a particular class are entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of that class of shares. Votes may be given either personally or by proxy.

 

Conversion Rights

 

Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible. Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, into Class A Ordinary Shares on a one-to-one basis. 

 

Variation of Rights of Shares

 

Whenever our capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attaching to any class of share (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied either with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the holders of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of shares of that class.

 

Unless the terms on which a class of shares was issued state otherwise, the rights conferred on the shareholder holding shares of any class shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with the existing shares of that class.

 

Alteration of Share Capital

 

Subject to the Cayman Companies Act, we may, by ordinary resolution:

 

  (a) increase our share capital by new shares of the amount fixed by that ordinary resolution and with the attached rights, priorities and privileges set out in that ordinary resolution;
     
  (b) consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than our existing shares;
     
  (c) convert all or any of our paid up shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid up shares of any denomination;
     

 

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  (d) sub-divide our shares or any of them into shares of an amount smaller than that fixed, so, however, that in the sub-division, the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; and
     
  (e) cancel shares which, at the date of the passing of that ordinary resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled or, in the case of shares without nominal par value, diminish the number of shares into which our capital is divided.

 

Subject to the Cayman Companies Act and to any rights for the time being conferred on the shareholders holding a particular class of shares, we may, by special resolution, reduce our share capital in any way.

 

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture

 

Subject to the terms of allotment, the directors may make calls on the shareholders in respect of any monies unpaid on their shares including any premium and each shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least 14 clear days’ notice specifying when and where payment is to be made), pay to us the amount called on his shares. Shareholders registered as the joint holders of a share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the share. If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the share or in the notice of the call or if no rate is fixed, at the rate of ten percent per annum. The directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part.

 

We have a first and paramount lien on all shares (whether fully paid up or not) registered in the name of a shareholder (whether solely or jointly with others). The lien is for all monies payable to us by the shareholder or the shareholder’s estate:

 

  (a) either alone or jointly with any other person, whether or not that other person is a shareholder; and
     
  (b) whether or not those monies are presently payable.

 

At any time the directors may declare any share to be wholly or partly exempt from the lien on shares provisions of the articles.

 

We may sell, in such manner as the directors may determine, any share on which the sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, if due notice that such sum is payable has been given (as prescribed by the articles) and, within 14 days of the date on which the notice is deemed to be given under the articles, such notice has not been complied with.

 

Unclaimed Dividend

 

A dividend that remains unclaimed for a period of six years after it became due for payment shall be forfeited to, and shall cease to remain owing by, our Company.

 

Forfeiture or Surrender of Shares

 

If a shareholder fails to pay any call, the directors may give to such shareholder not less than 14 clear days’ notice requiring payment and specifying the amount unpaid including any interest which may have accrued, any expenses which have been incurred by us due to that person’s default and the place where payment is to be made. The notice shall also contain a warning that if the notice is not complied with, the shares in respect of which the call is made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

If such notice is not complied with, the directors may, before the payment required by the notice has been received, resolve that any share the subject of that notice be forfeited (which forfeiture shall include all dividends or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited share and not paid before such forfeiture).

 

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A forfeited share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the directors determine and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the directors think fit.

 

A person whose shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a shareholder in respect of the forfeited shares, but shall, notwithstanding such forfeiture, remain liable to pay to us all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to us in respect of the shares, together with all expenses and interest from the date of forfeiture or surrender until payment, but his liability shall cease if and when we receive payment in full of the unpaid amount.

 

A declaration, whether statutory or under oath, made by a director or the secretary shall be conclusive evidence that the person making the declaration is a director or secretary and that the particular shares have been forfeited or surrendered on a particular date.

 

Subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer, if necessary, the declaration shall constitute good title to the shares.

 

Share Premium Account

 

The directors shall establish a share premium account and shall carry the credit of such account from time to time to a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any share or capital contributed or such other amounts required by the Cayman Companies Act.

 

Redemption and Purchase of Own Shares

 

Subject to the Cayman Companies Act and any rights for the time being conferred on the shareholders holding a particular class of shares, we may by action of our directors:

 

  (a) issue shares that are to be redeemed or liable to be redeemed, at our option or the shareholder holding those redeemable shares, on the terms and in the manner our directors determine before the issue of those shares;
     
  (b) with the consent by special resolution of the shareholders holding shares of a particular class, vary the rights attaching to that class of shares so as to provide that those shares are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at our option on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such variation; and
     
  (c) purchase all or any of our own shares of any class including any redeemable shares on the terms and in the manner which the directors determine at the time of such purchase.

 

We may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own shares in any manner authorized by the Cayman Companies Act, including out of any combination of capital, our profits and the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares.

 

When making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of shares, the directors may make the payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other) if so authorized by the terms of the allotment of those shares or by the terms applying to those shares, or otherwise by agreement with the shareholder holding those shares.

 

Transfer of Shares

 

Provided that a transfer of Class A Ordinary Shares complies with applicable rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, a shareholder may transfer Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares to another person by completing an instrument of transfer in a common form or, with respect to Class A Ordinary Shares, in a form prescribed by Nasdaq, or in any other form approved by the directors, executed:

 

  (a) where the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares are fully paid, by or on behalf of that shareholder; and
     
  (b) where the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares are partly paid, by or on behalf of that shareholder and the transferee.

 

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The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Class A Ordinary Share or Class B Ordinary Share until the name of the transferee is entered into the register of members of the Company.

 

Where the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares in question are not listed on or subject to the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any Class A Ordinary Share or Class B Ordinary Share that has not been fully paid up or is subject to a company lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of such Class A Ordinary Share or Class B Ordinary Share unless:

 

  (a) the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate for the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;
     
  (b) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;
     
  (c) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;
     
  (d) the Class A Ordinary Share or Class B Ordinary Share transferred is fully paid and free of any lien in favor of us;
     
  (e) any fee related to the transfer has been paid to us; and
     
  (f) the transfer is not to more than four joint holders.

 

If our directors refuse to register a transfer, they are required, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, to send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

 

The registration of transfers may, on 14 calendar days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and our register of members closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine. The registration of transfers, however, may not be suspended, and the register may not be closed, for more than 30 days in any year.

 

Inspection of Books and Records

 

Holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares will have no general right under the Cayman Companies Act to inspect or obtain copies of our register of members or our corporate records.

 

General Meetings

 

As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obligated by the Cayman Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings; accordingly, we may, but shall not be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as an annual general meeting. Any annual general meeting held shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our board of directors. All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

The directors may convene general meetings whenever they think fit. General meetings shall also be convened on the written requisition of one or more of the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at our general meetings who (together) hold not less than ten percent of the rights to vote at such general meeting in accordance with the notice provisions in the articles, specifying the purpose of the meeting and signed by each of the shareholders making the requisition. If the directors do not convene such meeting for a date not later than 21 clear days’ after the date of receipt of the written requisition, those shareholders who requested the meeting may convene the general meeting themselves within three months after the end of such period of 21 clear days in which case reasonable expenses incurred by them as a result of the directors failing to convene a meeting shall be reimbursed by us.

 

At least 14 days’ notice of an extraordinary general meeting and 21 days’ notice of an annual general meeting shall be given to shareholders entitled to attend and vote at such meeting. The notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of that business. In addition, if a resolution is proposed as a special resolution, the text of that resolution shall be given to all shareholders. Notice of every general meeting shall also be given to the directors and our auditors.

 

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Subject to the Cayman Companies Act and with the consent of the shareholders who, individually or collectively, hold at least 90 percent of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote at a general meeting, a general meeting may be convened on shorter notice.

 

A quorum shall consist of the presence (whether in person or represented by proxy) of one or more shareholders holding shares that represent not less than one-third of the outstanding shares carrying the right to vote at such general meeting.

 

If, within 15 minutes from the time appointed for the general meeting, or at any time during the meeting, a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of shareholders, shall be cancelled. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same time and place seven days or to such other time or place as is determined by the directors.

 

The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present, adjourn the meeting. When a meeting is adjourned for seven days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with the articles.

 

At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before, or on, the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman of the meeting or by at least two shareholders having the right to vote on the resolutions or one or more shareholders present who together hold not less than ten percent of the voting rights of all those who are entitled to vote on the resolution. Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman as to the result of a resolution and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting, shall be conclusive evidence of the outcome of a show of hands, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favor of, or against, that resolution.

 

If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall not be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

Directors

 

We may by ordinary resolution, from time to time, fix the maximum and minimum number of directors to be appointed. Under the Articles, we are required to have a minimum of one director and the maximum number of directors shall be unlimited.

 

A director may be appointed by ordinary resolution or by the directors. Any appointment may be to fill a vacancy or as an additional director.

 

Unless the remuneration of the directors is determined by the shareholders by ordinary resolution, the directors shall be entitled to such remuneration as the directors may determine.

 

The shareholding qualification for directors may be fixed by our shareholders by ordinary resolution and unless and until so fixed no share qualification shall be required.

 

Unless removed or re-appointed, each director shall be appointed for a term expiring at the next-following annual general meeting, if one is held. At any annual general meeting held, our directors will be elected by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. At each annual general meeting, each director so elected shall hold office for a one-year term and until the election of their respective successors in office or removed.

 

A director may be removed by ordinary resolution.

 

A director may at any time resign or retire from office by giving us notice in writing. Unless the notice specifies a different date, the director shall be deemed to have resigned on the date that the notice is delivered to us.

 

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Subject to the provisions of the articles, the office of a director may be terminated forthwith if:

 

  (a) he is prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands from acting as a director;

 

  (b) he is made bankrupt or makes an arrangement or composition with his creditors generally;

 

  (c) he resigns his office by notice to us;

 

  (d) he only held office as a director for a fixed term and such term expires;

 

  (e) in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner by whom he is being treated he becomes physically or mentally incapable of acting as a director;

 

  (f) he is given notice by the majority of the other directors (not being less than two in number) to vacate office (without prejudice to any claim for damages for breach of any agreement relating to the provision of the services of such director);

 

  (g) he is made subject to any law relating to mental health or incompetence, whether by court order or otherwise; or

 

  (h) without the consent of the other directors, he is absent from meetings of directors for continuous period of six months.

 

Each of the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee shall consist of at least three directors and the majority of the committee members shall be independent within the meaning of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules. The audit committee shall consist of at least three directors, all of whom shall be independent within the meaning of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules and will meet the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3 or Rule 10C-1 of the Exchange Act.

 

Powers and Duties of Directors

 

Subject to the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our business shall be managed by the directors, who may exercise all our powers. No prior act of the directors shall be invalidated by any subsequent alteration of our memorandum or articles of association. To the extent allowed by the Cayman Companies Act, however, shareholders may by special resolution validate any prior or future act of the directors which would otherwise be in breach of their duties.

 

The directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more persons who need not be shareholders and may include non-directors so long as the majority of those persons are directors; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the directors. Upon the closing of this offering, our board of directors will have established an audit committee, compensation committee, and nomination and corporate governance committee.

 

The board of directors may establish any local or divisional board of directors or agency and delegate to it its powers and authorities (with power to sub-delegate) for managing any of our affairs whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere and may appoint any persons to be members of a local or divisional board of directors, or to be managers or agents, and may fix their remuneration.

 

The directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney or in any other manner they determine appoint any person, either generally or in respect of any specific matter, to be our agent with or without authority for that person to delegate all or any of that person’s powers.

 

The directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney or in any other manner they determine appoint any person, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the directors, to be our attorney or our authorized signatory and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit. The powers, authorities and discretions, however, must not exceed those vested in, or exercisable, by the directors under the articles.

 

The board of directors may remove any person so appointed and may revoke or vary the delegation.

 

The directors may exercise all of our powers to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets both present and future and uncalled capital or any part thereof, to issue debentures and other securities whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of ours or our parent undertaking (if any) or any subsidiary undertaking of us or of any third party.

 

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A director shall not, as a director, vote in respect of any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal in which he has an interest which (together with any interest of any person connected with him) is a material interest (otherwise than by virtue of his interests, direct or indirect, in shares or debentures or other securities of, or otherwise in or through, us) and if he shall do so his vote shall not be counted, nor in relation thereto shall he be counted in the quorum present at the meeting, but (in the absence of some other material interest than is mentioned below) none of these prohibitions shall apply to:

 

  (a) the giving of any security, guarantee or indemnity in respect of:
     
  (i) money lent or obligations incurred by him or by any other person for our benefit or any of our subsidiaries; or
     
  (ii) a debt or obligation of ours or any of our subsidiaries for which the director himself has assumed responsibility in whole or in part and whether alone or jointly with others under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security;
     
  (b) where we or any of our subsidiaries is offering securities in which offer the director is or may be entitled to participate as a holder of securities or in the underwriting or sub-underwriting of which the director is to or may participate;
     
  (c) any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal affecting any other body corporate in which he is interested, directly or indirectly and whether as an officer, shareholder, creditor or otherwise howsoever, provided that he (together with persons connected with him) does not to his knowledge hold an interest representing one percent or more of any class of the equity share capital of such body corporate (or of any third body corporate through which his interest is derived) or of the voting rights available to shareholders of the relevant body corporate;
     
  (d) any act or thing done or to be done in respect of any arrangement for the benefit of the employees of us or any of our subsidiaries under which he is not accorded as a director any privilege or advantage not generally accorded to the employees to whom such arrangement relates; or
     
  (e) any matter connected with the purchase or maintenance for any director of insurance against any liability or (to the extent permitted by the Cayman Companies Act) indemnities in favor of directors, the funding of expenditure by one or more directors in defending proceedings against him or them or the doing of anything to enable such director or directors to avoid incurring such expenditure.

 

A director may, as a director, vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal in which he has an interest which is not a material interest or as described above.

 

Capitalization of Profits

 

The directors may resolve to capitalize:

 

  (a) any part of our profits not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not those profits are available for distribution); or
     
  (b) any sum standing to the credit of our share premium account or capital redemption reserve, if any.

 

The amount resolved to be capitalized must be appropriated to the shareholders who would have been entitled to it had it been distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions.

 

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Liquidation Rights

 

If we are wound up, the shareholders may, subject to the articles and any other sanction required by the Cayman Companies Act, pass a special resolution allowing the liquidator to do either or both of the following:

 

  (a) to divide in specie among the shareholders the whole or any part of our assets and, for that purpose, to value any assets and to determine how the division shall be carried out as between the shareholders or different classes of shareholders; and
     
  (b) to vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of shareholders and those liable to contribute to the winding up.

 

The directors have the authority to present a petition for our winding up to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on our behalf without the sanction of a resolution passed at a general meeting.

 

Register of Members

 

Under the Cayman Companies Act, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:

 

  the names and addresses of the members of the company, a statement of the shares held by each member, which: distinguishes each share by its number (so long as the share has a number); confirms the amount paid, or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; confirms the number and category of shares held by each member; and confirms whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the Articles, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;
     
  the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
     
  the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

 

For these purposes, “voting rights” means rights conferred on shareholders, including the right to appoint or remove directors, in respect of their shares to vote at general meetings of the company on all or substantially all matters. A voting right is conditional where the voting right arises only in certain circumstances.

 

Under the Cayman Companies Act, the register of members of our Company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (that is, the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a shareholder registered in the register of members is deemed as a matter of the Cayman Companies Act to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the completion of this offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to record and give effect to the issuance of shares by us to the custodian or its nominee. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name.

 

If the name of any person is incorrectly entered in or omitted from our register of members, or if there is any default or unnecessary delay in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a shareholder of our company, the person or shareholder aggrieved (or any shareholder of our Company or our Company itself) may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.

 

Differences in Corporate Law

 

The Cayman Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England and Wales but does not follow recent United Kingdom statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Cayman Companies Act and the current Companies Act of England and Wales. In addition, the Cayman Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Cayman Companies Act applicable to us and the comparable laws applicable to companies incorporated in the State of Delaware in the United States.

 

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Mergers and Similar Arrangements

 

The Cayman Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property, and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The plan must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company, and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the shareholders and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

 

A merger between a Cayman Islands parent company and its Cayman Islands subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders. For this purpose, a subsidiary is a company of which at least 90% of the issued shares entitled to vote are owned by the parent company.

 

The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.

 

Except in certain limited circumstances, a dissenting shareholder of a Cayman Islands constituent company is entitled to payment of the fair value of his or her shares upon dissenting from a merger or consolidation. The exercise of such dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, except for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.

 

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must, in addition, represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

 

  (a) the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;

 

  (b) the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;

 

  (c) the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and

 

  (d) the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Cayman Companies Act.

 

When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

 

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If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, or if a takeover offer is made and accepted, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

 

Shareholders’ Suits

 

In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company, and as a general rule, a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English law authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge:

 

  (a) an act which is illegal or ultra vires with respect to the company and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders;

 

  (b) an act which, although not ultra vires, requires authorization by a qualified (or special) majority (that is, more than a simple majority) which has not been obtained; and

  

  (c) an act which constitutes a “fraud on the minority” where the wrongdoers are themselves in control of the company.

 

Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability

 

The Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our articles of association provide to the extent permitted by law, we shall indemnify each existing or former secretary, director (including alternate director), and any of our other officers (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against:

 

  (a) all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages, or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer in or about the conduct of our business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary’s or officer’s duties, powers, authorities, or discretions; and

 

  (b) without limitation to paragraph (a) above, all costs, expenses, losses, or liabilities incurred by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning us or our affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

No such existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty.

 

To the extent permitted by law, we may make a payment, or agree to make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan, or otherwise, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or any of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on condition that the director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer must repay the amount paid by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the director (including alternate director), the secretary, or that officer for those legal costs.

 

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This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation. In addition, we intend to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that will provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our articles of association.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions in Our Articles

 

Some provisions of our articles of association may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue shares at such times and on such terms and conditions as the board of directors may decide without any further vote or action by our shareholders.

 

Under the Cayman Companies Act, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our articles of association for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company and for a proper purpose.

 

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties

 

Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He or she must not use his or her corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interests of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer, or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

 

As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director owes three types of duties to the company: (i) statutory duties, (ii) fiduciary duties, and (iii) common law duties. The Cayman Companies Act imposes a number of statutory duties on a director. A Cayman Islands director’s fiduciary duties are not codified, however the courts of the Cayman Islands have held that a director owes the following fiduciary duties (a) a duty to act in what the director bona fide considers to be in the best interests of the company, (b) a duty to exercise their powers for the purposes they were conferred, (c) a duty to avoid fettering his or her discretion in the future, and (d) a duty to avoid conflicts of interest and of duty. The common law duties owed by a director are those to act with skill, care, and diligence that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and, also, to act with the skill, care, and diligence in keeping with a standard of care commensurate with any particular skill they have which enables them to meet a higher standard than a director without those skills. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time. We have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by any of our directors is breached.

 

Shareholder Proposals

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. The Delaware General Corporation Law does not provide shareholders an express right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, but in keeping with common law, Delaware corporations generally afford shareholders an opportunity to make proposals and nominations provided that they comply with the notice provisions in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

 

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The Cayman Companies Act provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our articles of association provide that general meetings shall be convened on the written requisition of one or more of the shareholders entitled to attend and vote at our general meetings who (together) hold not less than 10 percent of the rights to vote at such general meeting in accordance with the notice provisions in the articles of association, specifying the purpose of the meeting and signed by each of the shareholders making the requisition. If the directors do not convene such meeting for a date not later than 21 clear days’ after the date of receipt of the written requisition, those shareholders who requested the meeting may convene the general meeting themselves within three months after the end of such period of 21 clear days in which case reasonable expenses incurred by them as a result of the directors failing to convene a meeting shall be reimbursed by us. Our articles of association provide no other right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obligated by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

 

Cumulative Voting

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. As permitted under the Cayman Companies Act, our articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

  

Removal of Directors

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Subject to the provisions of our articles of association (which include the removal of a director by ordinary resolution), the office of a director may be terminated forthwith if (a) he is prohibited by the laws of the Cayman Islands from acting as a director, (b) he is made bankrupt or makes an arrangement or composition with his creditors generally, (c) he resigns his office by notice to us, (d) he only held office as a director for a fixed term and such term expires, (e) in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner by whom he is being treated he becomes physically or mentally incapable of acting as a director, (f) he is given notice by the majority of the other directors (not being less than two in number) to vacate office (without prejudice to any claim for damages for breach of any agreement relating to the provision of the services of such director), (g) he is made subject to any law relating to mental health or incompetence, whether by court order or otherwise, or (h) without the consent of the other directors, he is absent from meetings of directors for continuous period of six months.

 

Transactions with Interested Shareholders

 

The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation or bylaws that is approved by its shareholders, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting stock or who or which is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and owned 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

 

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The Cayman Companies Act has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although the Cayman Companies Act does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, under Cayman Islands law such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

 

Dissolution; Winding Up

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board of directors.

 

Under the Cayman Companies Act and our articles of association, the Company may be wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders, or if the winding up is initiated by our board of directors, by either a special resolution of our members or, if our company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of our members. In addition, a company may be wound up by an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

 

Variation of Rights of Shares

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under the Cayman Companies Act and our articles of association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, the rights attaching to any class of share (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be varied either with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the holders of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at a separate general meeting of the holders of shares of that class.

 

Amendment of Governing Documents

 

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may be amended only if adopted and declared advisable by the board of directors and approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, and the bylaws may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote and may, if so provided in the certificate of incorporation, also be amended by the board of directors. Under the Cayman Companies Act, our articles of association may only be amended by special resolution of our shareholders.

 

Anti-money Laundering—Cayman Islands

 

In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering, we may be required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures and may require subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we may also delegate the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable person.

 

We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber. In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.

 

We also reserve the right to refuse to make any redemption payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment of redemption proceeds to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.

 

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If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reason for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or is involved with terrorism or terrorist property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of their business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) a nominated officer (appointed in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands) or the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised), if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering or (ii) to a police constable or a nominated officer (pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands) or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised), if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and terrorist property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.

 

Data Protection in the Cayman Islands – Privacy Notice

 

This privacy notice explains the manner in which we collect, process, and maintain personal data about investors of the Company pursuant to the Data Protection Law, 2017 of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time and any regulations, codes of practice, or orders promulgated pursuant thereto (the “DPL”).

 

We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with the DPL. In our use of personal data, we will be characterized under the DPL as a “data controller,” whilst certain of our service providers, affiliates, and delegates may act as “data processors” under the DPL. These service providers may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.

 

By virtue of your investment in the Company, we and certain of our service providers may collect, record, store, transfer, and otherwise process personal data by which individuals may be directly or indirectly identified.

 

Your personal data will be processed fairly and for lawful purposes, including (a) where the processing is necessary for us to perform a contract to which you are a party or for taking pre-contractual steps at your request, (b) where the processing is necessary for compliance with any legal, tax, or regulatory obligation to which we are subject, or (c) where the processing is for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us or by a service provider to whom the data are disclosed. As a data controller, we will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will contact you.

 

We anticipate that we will share your personal data with our service providers for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. We may also share relevant personal data where it is lawful to do so and necessary to comply with our contractual obligations or your instructions or where it is necessary or desirable to do so in connection with any regulatory reporting obligations. In exceptional circumstances, we will share your personal data with regulatory, prosecuting, and other governmental agencies or departments, and parties to litigation (whether pending or threatened), in any country or territory including to any other person where we have a public or legal duty to do so (e.g. to assist with detecting and preventing fraud, tax evasion, and financial crime or compliance with a court order).

 

Your personal data shall not be held by the Company for longer than necessary with regard to the purposes of the data processing.

 

We will not sell your personal data. Any transfer of personal data outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPL. Where necessary, we will ensure that separate and appropriate legal agreements are put in place with the recipient of that data.

 

We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPL, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction, or damage to the personal data.

 

If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation to your investment into the Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should inform such individuals of the content.

 

You have certain rights under the DPL, including (a) the right to be informed as to how we collect and use your personal data (and this privacy notice fulfils our obligation in this respect), (b) the right to obtain a copy of your personal data, (c) the right to require us to stop direct marketing, (d) the right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected, (e) the right to withdraw your consent and require us to stop processing or restrict the processing, or not begin the processing of your personal data, (f) the right to be notified of a data breach (unless the breach is unlikely to be prejudicial), (g) the right to obtain information as to any countries or territories outside the Cayman Islands to which we, whether directly or indirectly, transfer, intend to transfer, or wish to transfer your personal data, general measures we take to ensure the security of personal data, and any information available to us as to the source of your personal data, (h) the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman of the Cayman Islands, and (i) the right to require us to delete your personal data in some limited circumstances.  

 

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If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with our responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by calling +1 (345) 946-6283 or by email at info@ombudsman.ky.

 

History of Share Issuances

 

The following is a summary of our share issuances since incorporation.

 

As part of the Reorganization, we undertook the following corporate actions:

 

On July 26, 2019, we issued the following ordinary shares to certain founding shareholders of Chanson International:

 

Purchaser   Date of Issuance   Number of Ordinary Shares  
Danton Global Limited   July 26, 2019     93  
Haily Global Limited   July 26, 2019     3  
Yetta Global Limited   July 26, 2019     2  
Yvan Global Limited   July 26, 2019     2  

 

 

On March 27, 2021, our shareholders and board of directors approved (i) a forward split of our outstanding ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share, and (ii) the creation of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. On March 29, 2021, we filed our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association with the Cayman Registrar to effect such corporate actions, which filing is currently being processed by the Cayman Registrar.

 

On March 27, 2021, our shareholders approved the re-designation of already issued ordinary shares into Class A Ordinary Shares as set out in the table below:

 

Shareholder   Number of
Class A
Ordinary
Shares
 
Danton Global Limited     90,000  
Yetta Global Limited     2,000  
Yvan Global Limited     2,000  

 

On March 27, 2021, our shareholders approved the re-designation of already issued ordinary shares into Class B Ordinary Shares as set out in the table below:

 

Shareholder   Number of
Class B
Ordinary
Shares
 
Haily Global Limited     3,000  
C&C Capital Investments LLC     3,000  

 

On March 27, 2021, our board of directors approved the issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares to the following shareholders, subject to the acceptance by the Cayman Registrar of the filing of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, to increase the number of total ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of this offering from 100,000 to 9,000,000:

 

Purchaser   Securities   Number of Securities  
Danton Global Limited   Class A Ordinary Shares     2,610,000  
Danton Global Limited   Class B Ordinary Shares     5,400,000  
Haily Global Limited   Class B Ordinary Shares     267,000  
Yetta Global Limited   Class A Ordinary Shares     178,000  
Yvan Global Limited   Class A Ordinary Shares     178,000  
C&C Capital Investments LLC   Class B Ordinary Shares     267,000  

  

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

Before our initial public offering, there has not been a public market for our Class A Ordinary Shares, and although we expect to make an application for the Class A Ordinary Shares to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, a regular trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares may not develop. Future sales of substantial amounts of shares of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the public market after our initial public offering, or the possibility of these sales occurring, could cause the prevailing market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares to fall or impair our ability to raise equity capital in the future. Upon completion of this offering, we will have outstanding Class A Ordinary Shares held by public shareholders representing approximately 49.50% of our Class A Ordinary Shares in issue if the Underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, and approximately 53.00% of our Class A Ordinary Shares in issue if the Underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full. All of the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in this offering will be freely transferable by persons other than our “affiliates” without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act.

 

Lock-Up Agreements

 

Each of our directors, executive officers, and shareholders owning 5% or more of our Class A Ordinary Shares has agreed, for a period of six months from the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell, transfer, or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any of our Class A Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A Ordinary Shares, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter.

 

We are not aware of any plans by any significant shareholders to dispose of significant numbers of our Class A Ordinary Shares. However, one or more existing shareholders or owners of securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for our Class A Ordinary Shares may dispose of significant numbers of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the future. We cannot predict what effect, if any, future sales of our Class A Ordinary Shares, or the availability of Class A Ordinary Shares for future sale, will have on the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A Ordinary Shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Rule 144

 

All of our Class A Ordinary Shares outstanding prior to the closing of this offering are “restricted securities” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold publicly in the U.S. only if they are subject to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirement such as those provided by Rule 144 and Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a person who is not deemed to have been our affiliate at any time during the three months preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for more than six months would be entitled to sell an unlimited number of those shares, subject only to the availability of current public information about us. A non-affiliate who has beneficially owned restricted securities for at least one year from the later of the date these shares were acquired from us or from our affiliate would be entitled to freely sell those shares.

 

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A person who is deemed to be an affiliate of ours and who has beneficially owned “restricted securities” for at least six months would be entitled to sell, within any three-month period, a number of shares that is not more than the greater of:

 

  1% of the number of Class A Ordinary Shares then outstanding, in the form of Class A Ordinary Shares or otherwise, which will equal approximately 6,060,000 shares immediately after this offering, assuming the Underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option; or
     
  the average weekly trading volume of the Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to such sale.

 

Sales under Rule 144 by our affiliates or persons selling shares on behalf of our affiliates are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

 

Rule 701

 

In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants, or advisors who purchases our Class A Ordinary Shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock plan or other written agreement executed prior to the completion of this offering is eligible to resell those Class A Ordinary Shares in reliance on Rule 144, but without compliance with some of the restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144. However, the Rule 701 shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.

 

Regulation S

 

Regulation S provides generally that sales made in offshore transactions are not subject to the registration or prospectus-delivery requirements of the Securities Act.

 

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MATERIAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATION

 

People’s Republic of China Enterprise Taxation

 

The following brief description of Chinese enterprise income taxation is designed to highlight the enterprise-level taxation on our earnings, which will affect the amount of dividends, if any, we are ultimately able to pay to our shareholders. See “Dividend Policy.”

 

According to the EIT Law, which was promulgated by the SCNPC on March 16, 2007, became effective on January 1, 2008, amended on February 24, 2017, and most recently amended on December 29, 2018, and the Implementation Rules of the EIT Law, which were promulgated by the State Council on December 6, 2007, and became effective on January 1, 2008, enterprises are divided into resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. Resident enterprises pay enterprise income tax on their incomes obtained in and outside the PRC at the rate of 25%. Non-resident enterprises setting up institutions in the PRC pay enterprise income tax on the incomes obtained by such institutions in and outside the PRC at the rate of 25%. Non-resident enterprises with no institutions in the PRC, and non-resident enterprises with income having no substantial connection with their institutions in the PRC, pay enterprise income tax on their income obtained in the PRC at a reduced rate of 10%.

 

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and we gain substantial income by way of dividends paid to us from our PRC subsidiary. The EIT Law and its implementation rules provide that China-sourced income of foreign enterprises, such as dividends paid by a PRC subsidiary to its equity holders that are non-resident enterprises, will normally be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential tax rate or a tax exemption.

 

Under the EIT Law, an enterprise established outside of China with a “de facto management body” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,” which means that it is treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. Although the implementation rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management body” as a managing body that in practice exercises “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise, the only official guidance for this definition currently available is set forth in SAT Notice 82, which provides guidance on the determination of the tax residence status of a PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, defined as an enterprise that is incorporated under the laws of a foreign country or territory and that has a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as its primary controlling shareholder. Although Chanson International does not have a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as our primary controlling shareholder and is therefore not a PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise within the meaning of SAT Notice 82, in the absence of guidance specifically applicable to us, we have applied the guidance set forth in SAT Notice 82 to evaluate the tax residence status of Chanson International and its subsidiaries organized outside the PRC.

 

According to SAT Notice 82, a PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only if all of the following criteria are met: (i) the places where senior management and senior management departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management of the enterprise perform their duties are mainly located within the territory of China; (ii) financial decisions (such as money borrowing, lending, financing and financial risk management) and personnel decisions (such as appointment, dismissal and salary and wages) are decided or need to be decided by organizations or persons located within the territory of China; (iii) main property, accounting books, corporate seal, the board of directors and files of the minutes of shareholders’ meetings of the enterprise are located or preserved within the territory of China; and (iv) one half (or more) of the directors or senior management staff having the right to vote habitually reside within the territory of China.

 

We believe that we do not meet some of the conditions outlined in the immediately preceding paragraph. For example, as a holding company, the key assets and records of Chanson International, including the resolutions and meeting minutes of our board of directors and the resolutions and meeting minutes of our shareholders, are located and maintained outside the PRC. For the same reasons, we believe our other entities outside China are not PRC resident enterprises either. In addition, we are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities. Accordingly, we believe that Chanson International and its offshore subsidiaries should not be treated as a “resident enterprise” for PRC tax purposes if the criteria for “de facto management body” as set forth in SAT Notice 82 were deemed applicable to us. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body” as applicable to our offshore entities, we will continue to monitor our tax status.

 

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The implementation rules of the EIT Law provide that, (i) if an enterprise that distributes dividends is domiciled in the PRC or (ii) if gains are realized from transferring equity interests of enterprises domiciled in the PRC, then such dividends or gains are treated as PRC-sourced income. It is not clear how “domicile” may be interpreted under the EIT Law, and it may be interpreted as the jurisdiction where the enterprise is a tax resident. Therefore, if we are considered as a PRC tax resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders which are non-resident enterprises as well as gains realized by such shareholders from the transfer of our shares may be regarded as PRC-sourced income and as a result become subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. Dentons, our PRC counsel, is unable to provide a “will” opinion because it believes that it is more likely than not that we and our offshore subsidiaries would be treated as non-resident enterprises for PRC tax purposes because we do not meet some of the conditions outlined in SAT Notice 82. In addition, Dentons is not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities as of the date of the prospectus. Therefore, Dentons believes that it is possible but highly unlikely that income received by our overseas shareholders will be regarded as PRC-sourced income.

 

See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC—Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC ‘resident enterprise’ for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.”

 

If the PRC tax authorities determine that Chanson International is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we will be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax on our world-wide income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Finally, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders may be subject to a 10% PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends or gains obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends or gains, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. It is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of Chanson International would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that Chanson International is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

 

Hong Kong Taxation

 

Entities incorporated in Hong Kong are subject to profits tax in Hong Kong at the rate of 16.5%.

 

British Virgin Islands Taxation

 

The British Virgin Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the Government of the British Virgin Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the British Virgin Islands on the issue of shares by, or any transfers of shares of, British Virgin Islands companies (except those which hold interests in land in the British Virgin Islands). The British Virgin Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by us. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the British Virgin Islands.

 

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will not be subject to taxation in the British Virgin Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, as the case may be, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares be subject to British Virgin Islands income or corporation tax.

 

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Cayman Islands Taxation

 

The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares. The discussion is a general summary of the present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive changes. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.

 

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the Government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the Cayman Islands on the issue of shares by, or any transfers of shares of, Cayman Islands companies (except those which hold interests in land in the Cayman Islands). There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

 

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares, as the case may be, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

  

U.S. Federal Income Taxation

 

The following does not address the tax consequences to any particular investor or to persons in special tax situations such as:

 

  banks;
     
  financial institutions;
     
  insurance companies;
     
  regulated investment companies;
     
  real estate investment trusts;
     
  broker-dealers;
     
  persons that elect to mark their securities to market;
     
  U.S. expatriates or former long-term residents of the U.S.;
     
  governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
     
  tax-exempt entities;
     
  persons liable for alternative minimum tax;
     
  persons holding our Class A Ordinary Shares as part of a straddle, hedging, conversion or integrated transaction;
     
  persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our voting power or value (including by reason of owning our Class A Ordinary Shares);

 

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  persons who acquired our Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as compensation;
     
  persons holding our Class A Ordinary Shares through partnerships or other pass-through entities;
     
  beneficiaries of a Trust holding our Class A Ordinary Shares; or
     
  persons holding our Class A Ordinary Shares through a Trust.

 

The discussion set forth below is addressed only to U.S. Holders that purchase Class A Ordinary Shares in this offering. Prospective purchasers are urged to consult their own tax advisors about the application of the U.S. federal income tax rules to their particular circumstances as well as the state, local, foreign and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

Material Tax Consequences Applicable to U.S. Holders of Our Class A Ordinary Shares

 

The following sets forth the material U.S. federal income tax consequences related to the ownership and disposition of our Class A Ordinary Shares. It is directed to U.S. Holders (as defined below) of our Class A Ordinary Shares and is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This description does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to ownership and disposition of our Class A Ordinary Shares or U.S. tax laws, other than the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as the tax consequences under non-U.S. tax laws, state, local and other tax laws.

 

The following brief description applies only to U.S. Holders (as defined below) that hold Class A Ordinary Shares as capital assets and that have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. This brief description is based on the federal income tax laws of the U.S. in effect as of the date of this prospectus and on U.S. Treasury regulations in effect or, in some cases, proposed, as of the date of this prospectus, as well as judicial and administrative interpretations thereof available on or before such date. All of the foregoing authorities are subject to change, which change could apply retroactively and could affect the tax consequences described below.

 

The brief description below of the U.S. federal income tax consequences to “U.S. Holders” will apply to you if you are a beneficial owner of Class A Ordinary Shares and you are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes,

 

  an individual who is a citizen or resident of the U.S.;
     
  a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized under the laws of the U.S., any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
     
  an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
     
  a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the U.S. and the control of one or more U.S. persons for all substantial decisions or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

 

If a partnership (or other entities treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our Class A Ordinary Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships and partners of a partnership holding our Class A Ordinary Shares are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

An individual is considered a resident of the U.S. for federal income tax purposes if he or she meets either the “Green Card Test” or the “Substantial Presence Test” described as follows:

 

The Green Card Test: You are a lawful permanent resident of the United States, at any time, if you have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws of the United States, of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant. You generally have this status if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued you an alien registration card, Form I-551, also known as a “green card.”

 

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The Substantial Presence Test: If an alien is present in the United States on at least 31 days of the current calendar year, he or she will (absent an applicable exception) be classified as a resident alien if the sum of the following equals 183 days or more (See §7701(b)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code and related Treasury Regulations):

 

1. The actual days in the United States in the current year; plus
2. One-third of his or her days in the United States in the immediately preceding year; plus
3. One-sixth of his or her days in the United States in the second preceding year.

 

Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A Ordinary Shares

 

Subject to the PFIC (as defined below) rules discussed below, the gross amount of distributions made by us to you with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares (including the amount of any taxes withheld therefrom) will generally be includable in your gross income as dividend income on the date of receipt by you, but only to the extent that the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). With respect to corporate U.S. Holders, the dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.

 

With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individual U.S. Holders, dividends will be taxed at the lower capital gains rate applicable to qualified dividend income, provided that (1) the Class A Ordinary Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S., or we are eligible for the benefits of an approved qualifying income tax treaty with the U.S. that includes an exchange of information program, (2) we are not a PFIC (as defined below) for either our taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. Because there is no income tax treaty between the U.S. and the Cayman Islands, clause (1) above can be satisfied only if the Class A Ordinary Shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. Under U.S. Internal Revenue Service authority, Class A Ordinary Shares are considered for purpose of clause (1) above to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. if they are listed on certain exchanges, which presently include the NYSE and the Nasdaq Stock Market. You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to our Class A Ordinary Shares, including the effects of any change in law after the date of this prospectus.

 

Dividends will constitute foreign source income for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. If the dividends are taxed as qualified dividend income (as discussed above), the amount of the dividend taken into account for purposes of calculating the foreign tax credit limitation will be limited to the gross amount of the dividend, multiplied by the reduced rate divided by the highest rate of tax normally applicable to dividends. The limitation on foreign taxes eligible for credit is calculated separately with respect to specific classes of income. For this purpose, dividends distributed by us with respect to our Class A Ordinary Shares will constitute “passive category income” but could, in the case of certain U.S. Holders, constitute “general category income.”

 

To the extent that the amount of the distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), it will be treated first as a tax-free return of your tax basis in your Class A Ordinary Shares, and to the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds your tax basis, the excess will be taxed as capital gain. We do not intend to calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles. Therefore, a U.S. Holder should expect that a distribution will be treated as a dividend even if that distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain under the rules described above.

 

Taxation of Dispositions of Class A Ordinary Shares

 

Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, you will recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of a share equal to the difference between the amount realized (in U.S. dollars) for the share and your tax basis (in U.S. dollars) in the Class A Ordinary Shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss. If you are a non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual U.S. Holder, who has held the Class A Ordinary Shares for more than one year, you will generally be eligible for reduced tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss that you recognize will generally be treated as U.S. source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes which will generally limit the availability of foreign tax credits.

 

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Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”)

 

A non-U.S. corporation is considered a PFIC, as defined in Section 1297(a) of the US Internal Revenue Code, for any taxable year if either:

 

  at least 75% of its gross income for such taxable year is passive income; or
     
  at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”).

 

Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, at least 25% (by value) of the stock. In determining the value and composition of our assets for purposes of the PFIC asset test, (1) the cash we raise in this offering will generally be considered to be held for the production of passive income and (2) the value of our assets must be determined based on the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares from time to time, which could cause the value of our non-passive assets to be less than 50% of the value of all of our assets (including the cash raised in this offering) on any particular quarterly testing date for purposes of the asset test.

 

Based on our operations and the composition of our assets we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC under the current PFIC rules. We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC, however, and there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. Depending on the amount of cash we raise in this offering, together with any other assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for our current taxable year or for any subsequent taxable year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets held for the production of passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we are treating the UFG Entities as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we control their management decisions, but also because we are entitled to the economic benefits associated with the UFG Entities, and as a result, we are treating the UFG Entities as our wholly-owned subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are not treated as owning the UFG Entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would likely be treated as a PFIC. In addition, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined based on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and because cash is generally considered to be an asset held for the production of passive income, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and the amount of cash we raise in this offering. Accordingly, fluctuations in the market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares may cause us to become a PFIC. In addition, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in this offering. We are under no obligation to take steps to reduce the risk of our being classified as a PFIC, and as stated above, the determination of the value of our assets will depend upon material facts (including the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares from time to time and the amount of cash we raise in this offering) that may not be within our control. If we are a PFIC for any year during which you hold Class A Ordinary Shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold Class A Ordinary Shares. If we cease to be a PFIC and you did not previously make a timely “mark-to-market” election as described below, however, you may avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “purging election” (as described below) with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

If we are a PFIC for your taxable year(s) during which you hold Class A Ordinary Shares, you will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that you receive and any gain you realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of the Class A Ordinary Shares, unless you make a “mark-to-market” election as discussed below. Distributions you receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions you received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or your holding period for the Class A Ordinary Shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

 

the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over your holding period for the Class A Ordinary Shares;

 

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  the amount allocated to your current taxable year, and any amount allocated to any of your taxable year(s) prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income, and
     
  the amount allocated to each of your other taxable year(s) will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.

 

The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the Class A Ordinary Shares cannot be treated as capital, even if you hold the Class A Ordinary Shares as capital assets.

 

A U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election under Section 1296 of the US Internal Revenue Code for such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. If you make a mark-to-market election for first taxable year which you hold (or are deemed to hold) Class A Ordinary Shares and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, you will include in your income each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the Class A Ordinary Shares as of the close of such taxable year over your adjusted basis in such Class A Ordinary Shares, which excess will be treated as ordinary income and not capital gain. You are allowed an ordinary loss for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the Class A Ordinary Shares over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. Such ordinary loss, however, is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the Class A Ordinary Shares included in your income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in your income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the Class A Ordinary Shares, are treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment also applies to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the Class A Ordinary Shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such Class A Ordinary Shares. Your basis in the Class A Ordinary Shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If you make a valid mark-to-market election, the tax rules that apply to distributions by corporations which are not PFICs would apply to distributions by us, except that the lower applicable capital gains rate for qualified dividend income discussed above under “—Taxation of Dividends and Other Distributions on our Class A Ordinary Shares” generally would not apply.

 

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market (as defined in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations), including the Nasdaq Capital Market. If the Class A Ordinary Shares are regularly traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market and if you are a holder of Class A Ordinary Shares, the mark-to-market election would be available to you were we to be or become a PFIC.

 

Alternatively, a U.S. Holder of stock in a PFIC may make a “qualified electing fund” election under Section 1295(b) of the US Internal Revenue Code with respect to such PFIC to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A U.S. Holder who makes a valid qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC will generally include in gross income for a taxable year such holder’s pro rata share of the corporation’s earnings and profits for the taxable year. The qualified electing fund election, however, is available only if such PFIC provides such U.S. Holder with certain information regarding its earnings and profits as required under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. We do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable you to make a qualified electing fund election. If you hold Class A Ordinary Shares in any taxable year in which we are a PFIC, you will be required to file U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form 8621 in each such year and provide certain annual information regarding such Class A Ordinary Shares, including regarding distributions received on the Class A Ordinary Shares and any gain realized on the disposition of the Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

If you do not make a timely “mark-to-market” election (as described above), and if we were a PFIC at any time during the period you hold our Class A Ordinary Shares, then such Class A Ordinary Shares will continue to be treated as stock of a PFIC with respect to you even if we cease to be a PFIC in a future year, unless you make a “purging election” for the year we cease to be a PFIC. A “purging election” creates a deemed sale of such Class A Ordinary Shares at their fair market value on the last day of the last year in which we are treated as a PFIC. The gain recognized by the purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, you will have a new basis (equal to the fair market value of the Class A Ordinary Shares on the last day of the last year in which we are treated as a PFIC) and holding period (which new holding period will begin the day after such last day) in your Class A Ordinary Shares for tax purposes.

 

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IRC Section 1014(a) provides for a step-up in basis to the fair market value for our Class A Ordinary Shares when inherited from a decedent that was previously a holder of our Class A Ordinary Shares. However, if we are determined to be a PFIC and a decedent that was a U.S. Holder did not make either a timely qualified electing fund election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) our Class A Ordinary Shares, or a mark-to-market election and ownership of those Class A Ordinary Shares are inherited, a special provision in IRC Section 1291(e) provides that the new U.S. Holder’s basis should be reduced by an amount equal to the Section 1014 basis minus the decedent’s adjusted basis just before death. As such if we are determined to be a PFIC at any time prior to a decedent’s passing, the PFIC rules will cause any new U.S. Holder that inherits our Class A Ordinary Shares from a U.S. Holder to not get a step-up in basis under Section 1014 and instead will receive a carryover basis in those Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

You are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to your investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares and the elections discussed above.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

Dividend payments with respect to our Class A Ordinary Shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be subject to information reporting to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and possible U.S. backup withholding under Section 3406 of the US Internal Revenue Code with at a current flat rate of 24%. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes any other required certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide such certification on U.S. Internal Revenue Service Form W-9. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. information reporting and backup withholding rules.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, and you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and furnishing any required information. We do not intend to withhold taxes for individual shareholders. Transactions effected through certain brokers or other intermediaries, however, may be subject to withholding taxes (including backup withholding), and such brokers or intermediaries may be required by law to withhold such taxes.

 

Under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, certain U.S. Holders are required to report information relating to our Class A Ordinary Shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for Class A Ordinary Shares held in accounts maintained by certain financial institutions), by attaching a complete Internal Revenue Service Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, with their tax return for each year in which they hold Class A Ordinary Shares. Failure to report such information could result in substantial penalties. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your obligation to file a Form 8938.

 

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UNDERWRITING

 

We expect to enter into an underwriting agreement with Univest Securities, LLC, as the Underwriter named therein, with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares in this offering. Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, the Underwriter has agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, 3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

The Underwriter is offering the Class A Ordinary Shares subject to its acceptance of the Class A Ordinary Shares from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the Underwriter to pay for and accept delivery of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by its counsel and to other conditions. The Underwriter is obligated to take and pay for all of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus if any such Class A Ordinary Shares are taken. However, the Underwriter is not required to take or pay for the Class A Ordinary Shares covered by the Underwriter’s option to purchase additional Class A Ordinary Shares described below.

 

We have granted the Underwriter an option, exercisable during the 45-day period after the closing of this offering, to purchase up to 450,000 additional Class A Ordinary Shares at the initial public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts. The Underwriter may exercise this option solely for the purpose of cover over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering contemplated by this prospectus.

 

The Underwriter will offer the Class A Ordinary Shares to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus and to selected dealers at the initial public offering price less a selling concession not in excess of $[●] per Class A Ordinary Share. After this offering, the initial public offering price, concession, and reallowance to dealers may be reduced by the Underwriter. No change in those terms will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The securities are offered by the Underwriter as stated herein, subject to receipt and acceptance by it and subject to its right to reject any order in whole or in part.

 

Discounts and Expenses

 

The underwriting discounts are equal to 8% of the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

The following table shows the per Class A Ordinary Share and total initial public offering price, underwriting discounts, and proceeds before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the Underwriter’s option to purchase up to additional 450,000 Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

    Per
Share
    Total
Without
Exercise of
Over-
Allotment
Option
    Total With
Full
Exercise of
Over-
Allotment
Option
 
Initial public offering price                                                            
Underwriting discounts to be paid by us                        
Proceeds, before expenses, to us                        

 

We have agreed to reimburse the Underwriter up to a maximum of $200,000 for out-of-pocket accountable expenses, including but not limited to reasonable fees and expenses of its legal counsel, due diligence and background check expenses, and reasonable cost for roadshows.

  

We paid an advanced expense of $75,000 to the Underwriter upon the execution of the engagement agreement between us and the Underwriter for the Underwriter’s anticipated out-of-pocket expenses; any advanced expense will be returned to us to the extent the Underwriter’s out-of-pocket accountable expenses are not actually incurred in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(C).

 

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We have agreed to pay expenses relating to the offering, including: (i) all filing fees and communication expenses relating to the registration of the Class A Ordinary Shares to be sold in this offering with the SEC and the filing of the offering materials with FINRA; (ii) all reasonable travel and lodging expenses incurred by the Underwriter or its counsel in connection with visits to, and examinations of, our Company; (iii) translation costs for due diligence purpose; (iv) all fees, expenses, and disbursements relating to the registration or qualification of such Class A Ordinary Shares under the “blue sky” securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Underwriter may reasonably designate (including, without limitation, all filing and registration fees, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of Underwriter’s counsel); (v) the costs of all mailing and printing of the placement documents, registration statements, prospectuses, and all amendments, supplements, and exhibits thereto, and as many preliminary and final prospectuses as the Underwriter may reasonably deem necessary; (vi) the costs of preparing, printing, and delivering certificates representing the Class A Ordinary Shares and the fees and expenses of the transfer agent for such Class A Ordinary Shares; and (vii) the reasonable cost for road show meetings and preparation of a power point presentation.

 

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding the underwriting discounts, will be approximately $929,467, including a maximum aggregate reimbursement of $200,000 of Underwriter’s accountable expenses.

 

We will apply to list our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CHSN.” There is no assurance that such application will be approved, and if our application is not approved, this offering may not be completed.

 

Underwriter’s Warrants

 

In addition, we have agreed to issue warrants to the Underwriter to purchase a number of Class A Ordinary Shares equal to 6% of the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in this offering, excluding any Class A Ordinary Shares sold as a result of the exercise of the Underwriter’s over-allotment option. The Underwriter’s warrants will be exercisable upon issuance and until such warrants expire five years after the date of commencement of sales of this offering. The Underwriter’s warrants and the underlying Class A Ordinary Shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1). In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2), and except as otherwise permitted by FINRA rules, neither the Underwriter’s warrants nor any of our Class A Ordinary Shares issued upon exercise of the Underwriter’s warrants may be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities by any person, for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of this offering.

 

We will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, other than underwriting commissions incurred and payable by the holders. The exercise price and number of Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances, including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary cash dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger, or consolidation. The warrant exercise price and/or underlying shares may also be adjusted for issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares at a price below the warrant exercise price.

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Class A Ordinary Shares. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiations between us and the Underwriter. In determining the initial public offering price, we and the Underwriter expect to consider a number of factors, including:

 

  the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representatives;
     
  our prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;
     
  an assessment of our management;
     
  our prospects for future earnings;
     
  the general condition of the securities markets at the time of this offering;

 

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  the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded securities of generally comparable companies; and
     
  other factors deemed relevant by the Underwriter and us.

 

The estimated initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this preliminary prospectus is subject to change as a result of market conditions and other factors. Neither we nor the Underwriter can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our Class A Ordinary Shares, or that the shares will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

 

Right of First Refusal

 

We have agreed, provided that this offering is completed, that until February 25, 2022, the Underwriter shall have a right of first refusal to act as a manager for any underwritten public offering or private placement of our securities or of our subsidiaries’ securities or other financings, merger, business combination, recapitalization, or sale of some or all of the equity or assets of the Company; provided, however, that such right shall be subject to FINRA Rule 5110(g).

 

Indemnification

 

We have agreed to indemnify the Underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we will contribute to payments that the Underwriter may be required to make for these liabilities.

 

Lock-Up Agreements 

 

Except as disclosed below, each of our officers, directors, and shareholders owning 5% or more of our Class A Ordinary Shares have agreed with the Underwriter not to offer, issue, sell, contract to sell, encumber, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of any Class A Ordinary Shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Ordinary Shares for a period of six months from the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the Underwriter.

 

The Underwriter may in its sole direction and at any time without notice release some or all of the shares subject to lock-up agreements prior to the expiration of the lock-up period. When determining whether or not to release shares from the lock-up agreements, the Underwriter will consider, among other factors, the security holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of shares for which the release is being requested, and market conditions at the time.

 

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Class A Ordinary Shares

 

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the Underwriter. In addition, Class A Ordinary Shares may be sold by the Underwriter to securities dealers who resell Class A Ordinary Shares to online brokerage account holders. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the Underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by the Underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the Underwriter in its capacity as Underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

  

Price Stabilization, Short Positions, and Penalty Bids

 

In connection with this offering, the Underwriter may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. Specifically, the Underwriter may sell more Class A Ordinary Shares than it is obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a short position. A short sale is covered if the short position is no greater than the number of Class A Ordinary Shares available for purchase by the Underwriter under option to purchase additional Class A Ordinary Shares. The Underwriter can close out a covered short sale by exercising the option to purchase additional Class A Ordinary Shares or purchasing Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market. In determining the source of Class A Ordinary Shares to close out a covered short sale, the Underwriter will consider, among other things, the open market price of Class A Ordinary Shares compared to the price available under the option to purchase additional Class A Ordinary Shares. The Underwriter may also sell Class A Ordinary Shares in excess of the option to purchase additional Class A Ordinary Shares, creating a naked short position. The Underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the Underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

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The Underwriter may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular Underwriter or dealer repays selling concessions allowed to it for distributing our Class A Ordinary Shares in this offering because such Underwriter repurchases those Class A Ordinary Shares in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

 

Finally, the Underwriter may bid for, and purchase, our Class A Ordinary Shares in market making transactions, including “passive” market making transactions as described below.

 

These activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares at a price that is higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the absence of these activities. The Underwriter is not required to engage in these activities, and may discontinue any of these activities at any time without notice. These transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq Capital Market, in the over-the-counter market, or otherwise. 

 

Passive Market Making

 

In connection with this offering, the Underwriter may engage in passive market making transactions in our Class A Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act, during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of the Class A Ordinary Shares and extending through the completion of the distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, then that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

 

Potential Conflicts of Interest

 

The Underwriter and its affiliates may, from time to time, engage in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of its business for which it may receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses. In the ordinary course of its various business activities, the Underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for its own accounts and for the accounts of its customers and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of our Company. The Underwriter and its affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

Stamp Taxes

 

If you purchase Class A Ordinary Shares offered in this prospectus, you may be required to pay stamp taxes and other charges under the laws and practices of the country of purchase, in addition to the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

Offer restrictions outside the U.S.

 

Other than in the U.S., no action has been taken by us or the Underwriter that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

 

Australia. This prospectus is not a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other type of disclosure document for the purposes of Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth of Australia) (the “Act”) and does not purport to include the information required of a product disclosure statement, prospectus or other disclosure document under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act. No product disclosure statement, prospectus, disclosure document, offering material or advertisement in relation to the offer of the shares has been or will be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Australian Securities Exchange.

 

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Accordingly, (1) the offer of the shares under this prospectus may only be made to persons: (i) to whom it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D.2 of the Act under one or more exemptions set out in Section 708 of the Act, and (ii) who are “wholesale clients” as that term is defined in section 761G of the Act, (2) this prospectus may only be made available in Australia to persons as set forth in clause (1) above, and (3) by accepting this offer, the offeree represents that the offeree is such a person as set forth in clause (1) above, and the offeree agrees not to sell or offer for sale any of the shares sold to the offeree within 12 months after their issue except as otherwise permitted under the Act.

 

Canada. The shares may not be offered, sold or distributed, directly or indirectly, in any province or territory of Canada other than the provinces of Ontario and Quebec or to or for the benefit of any resident of any province or territory of Canada other than the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and only on a basis that is pursuant to an exemption from the requirement to file a prospectus in such province, and only through a dealer duly registered under the applicable securities laws of such province or in accordance with an exemption from the applicable registered dealer requirements.

 

Cayman Islands. This prospectus does not constitute a public offer of the shares, whether by way of sale or subscription, in the Cayman Islands. Each Underwriter has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any shares to any member of the public in the Cayman Islands.

 

European Economic Area. In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, or a Relevant Member State, from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, or the Relevant Implementation Date, an offer of the shares to the public may not be made in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and the competent authority in that Relevant Member State has been notified, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of the Class A Ordinary Share to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time,

 

  a project capital fund (defined as an entity primarily involved in investments in companies which, at the time of investment, (i) are primarily engaged in R&D or manufacture of new technological products or processes and (ii) involve above-average risk);
     
  an entity primarily engaged in capital markets activities in which all of the equity owners meet one or more of the above criteria;
     
  an entity, other than an entity formed for the purpose of purchasing the shares in this offering, in which the shareholders equity (including pursuant to foreign accounting rules, international accounting regulations and U.S. generally accepted accounting rules, as defined in the Securities Law Regulations (Preparation of Annual Financial Statements), 1993) is in excess of NIS 250 million.

 

provided that no such offer of shares shall result in a requirement for the publication by the Company of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

 

For purposes of the above provision, the expression “an offer of shares to the public” in relation to any shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the shares, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

 

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Hong Kong. The shares may not be offered or sold by means of this document or any other document other than (i) in circumstances that do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong) or the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances that do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), that is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

 

Japan. The Underwriter will not offer or sell any of the shares directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except, in each case, pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

 

People’s Republic of China. This prospectus may not be circulated or distributed in the PRC and the shares may not be offered or sold, and will not offer or sell to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any resident of the PRC except pursuant to applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. For the purpose of this paragraph, PRC does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

 

Singapore. This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

 

Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person that is: (a) a corporation (that is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust shall not be transferable for six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor (for corporations, under 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, (2) debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; (3) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or (4) where the transfer is by operation of law.

 

South Korea. The Class A Ordinary Shares may not be offered, sold and delivered directly or indirectly, or offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in South Korea or to any resident of South Korea except pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of South Korea, including the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act and the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and the decrees and regulations thereunder. The Class A Ordinary Shares have not been registered with the Financial Services Commission of South Korea for public offering in South Korea. Furthermore, the Class A Ordinary Shares may not be re-sold to South Korean residents unless the purchaser of the shares complies with all applicable regulatory requirements (including but not limited to government approval requirements under the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and its subordinate decrees and regulations) in connection with their purchase.

 

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Taiwan. The shares have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that require a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer or sell the shares in Taiwan.

 

United Kingdom. An offer of the shares may not be made to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of Section 102B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or the FSMA, except to legal entities that are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities or otherwise in circumstances that do not require the publication by the company of a prospectus pursuant to the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Services Authority, or the FSA.

 

An invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of FSMA) may only be communicated to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which Section 21 of FSMA does not apply to the company.

 

All applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by the Underwriter in relation to the shares must be complied with in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

 

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EXPENSES RELATING TO THIS OFFERING

 

Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts that we expect to incur in connection with this offering. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, and the Nasdaq Capital Market listing fee, all amounts are estimates.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee   $ 2,388  
Nasdaq Capital Market Listing Fee   $ 50,000  
FINRA Filing Fee   $ 3,784  
Legal Fees and Expenses   $ 391,786  
Accounting Fees and Expenses   $ 96,973  
Printing and Engraving Expenses   $ 20,000  
Transfer Agent Expenses   $ 19,000  
Underwriter Out-of-Pocket Accountable Expenses   $ 200,000  

Investor Relations Fee

  $ 80,770  
Miscellaneous Expenses   $ 64,766  
Total Expenses   $ 929,467  

 

These expenses will be borne by us. Underwriting discounts will be borne by us in proportion to the numbers of Class A Ordinary Shares sold in the offering.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

 

We are being represented by Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the Class A Ordinary Shares offered in this offering and certain other legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Ogier, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law. Legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Dentons Law Offices, LLP (Guangzhou). Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP is acting as counsel to the Underwriter.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, included in this prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report of Friedman LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting. The office of Friedman LLP is located at One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, Floor 21, New York, NY 10006.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-1, including relevant exhibits and schedules under the Securities Act, covering the Class A Ordinary Shares offered by this prospectus. You should refer to our registration statements and their exhibits and schedules if you would like to find out more about us and about the Class A Ordinary Shares. This prospectus summarizes material provisions of contracts and other documents that we refer you to. Since the prospectus may not contain all the information that you may find important, you should review the full text of these documents.

 

Immediately upon the completion of this offering, we will be subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we will be required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F, and other information with the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules of the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements to shareholders under the federal proxy rules contained in Sections 14(a), (b) and (c) of the Exchange Act, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

The registration statements, reports and other information so filed can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference rooms. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov. The information on that website is not a part of this prospectus.

 

No dealer, salesperson, or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

 

159

 

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Consolidated Financial Statements  
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 F-4
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-7 – F-30

 

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements  
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 F-31 
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 F-32
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 F-33
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 F-34
Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements F-35 – F-59

 

  F-1  

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of

Chanson International Holding

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Chanson International Holding and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statement. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

  

/s/ Friedman LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.

 

New York, New York

September 30, 2020, except for Notes 1, 2 and 13, as to which the date is January 27, 2021, and notes 8 and 15, as to which the date is March 27, 2021

 

  F-2  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
    2019     2018  
ASSETS            
CURRENT ASSETS:            
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 3,874,288     $ 546,584  
Accounts receivable, net     455,668       672,548  
Inventory, net     351,095       319,451  
Due from a related party     -       1,924,910  
Deferred offering costs     193,256       -  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     286,634       278,573  
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     5,160,941       3,742,066  
                 
Property and equipment, net     3,165,211       3,097,301  
Operating lease right-of-use assets     8,346,190       7,323,228  
Restricted cash     11,003       11,003  
Long term security deposits     589,741       581,707  
Long term prepaid expenses     174,639       -  
TOTAL  ASSETS   $ 17,447,725     $ 14,755,305  
                 
CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
Short-term bank loans   $ 2,138,962     $ 2,166,460  
Accounts payable     677,732       896,755  
Due to a related party     797,352       -  
Deferred revenue     3,410,303       2,979,547  
Taxes payable     126,404       67,252  
Operating lease liabilities, current     901,797       514,789  
Other current liabilities     353,577       600,710  
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     8,406,127       7,225,513  
                 
Operating lease liabilities, non-current     6,770,538       6,177,413  
TOTAL LIABILITIES     15,176,665       13,402,926  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                 
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 9,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:*     100       100  
Class A ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 44,000,000 shares authorized; 3,060,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively     3,060       3,060  
Class B ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 6,000,000 shares authorized; 5,940,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively     5,940       5,940  
Additional paid-in capital     869,400       869,400  
Statutory reserve     447,231       369,775  
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)     761,623       (106,389 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income     183,806       210,593  
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY     2,271,060       1,352,379  
                 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   $ 17,447,725     $ 14,755,305  

 

* Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-3  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

    For the Years Ended
December 31,
 
    2019     2018  
             
REVENUE   $ 12,577,135     $ 11,963,674  
COST OF REVENUE     5,903,456       6,032,502  
GROSS PROFIT     6,673,679       5,931,172  
                 
OPERATING EXPENSES                
Selling expenses     3,152,341       2,917,083  
General and administrative expenses     2,454,375       2,171,623  
Total operating expenses     5,606,716       5,088,706  
                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS     1,066,963       842,466  
                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)                
Interest expense, net     (148,902 )     (110,007 )
Other income, net     87,093       84,665  
Total other expenses, net     (61,809 )     (25,342 )
                 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION     1,005,154       817,124  
                 
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES     59,686       58,151  
                 
NET INCOME     945,468       758,973  
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)     (26,787 )     49,032  
                 
TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME   $ 918,681     $ 808,005  
                 
Earnings per ordinary share - basic and diluted   $

0.11

    $ 0.08  
Weighted average shares - basic and diluted*     9,000,000      

9,000,000

 

 

* Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-4  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 AND 2018

 

    Ordinary Shares*     Additional         Retained
Earnings
    Accumulated
Other
    Total  
    Class A
Shares
    Amount     Class B
 Shares
    Amount     Paid-in
Capital
    Statutory
Reserve
    (Accumulated
Deficit)
    Comprehensive
Income
    Shareholders’
Equity
 
                                                       
Balance, December 31, 2017   $ 3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 149,685     $ (645,272 )   $ 161,561     $ 544,374  
                                                                         
Net income for the year     -       -       -       -       -       -       758,973       -       758,973  
Appropriation of statutory reserve     -       -       -       -       -       220,090       (220,090 )     -       -  
Foreign currency translation gain     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       49,032       49,032  
                                                                         
Balance, December 31, 2018     3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 369,775     $ (106,389 )   $ 210,593     $ 1,352,379  
                                                                         
Net income for the year     -       -       -       -       -       -       945,468       -       945,468  
Appropriation of statutory reserve     -       -       -       -       -       77,456       (77,456 )     -       -  
Foreign currency translation loss     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (26,787 )     (26,787 )
                                                                         
Balance, December 31, 2019     3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 447,231     $ 761,623     $ 183,806     $ 2,271,060  

 

* Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-5  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the Years Ended
December 31,
 
    2019     2018  
Cash flows from operating activities:            
Net Income   $ 945,468     $ 758,973  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:                
Depreciation and amortization     459,886       416,888  
Gain from disposal of  equipment     (16,582 )     -  
Amortization of operating lease right-of-use assets     1,786,147       1,358,808  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
Accounts receivable, net     210,407       (213,722 )
Inventory, net     (35,869 )     (196,243 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     28,680       (120,199 )
Long term Security deposit     (9,818 )     (70,858 )
Prepaid expenses, non-current     (176,221 )     -  
Accounts payable     (209,782 )     172,058  
Deferred revenue     473,946       353,389  
Taxes payable     60,463       47,669  
Other current liabilities     (243,034 )     (29,449 )
Operating lease liabilities     (1,840,174 )     (1,873,154 )
Net cash provided by operating activities     1,433,517       604,160  
                 
Cash flows from investing activities:                
Purchase of property and equipment     (636,499 )     (424,043 )
Proceeds from disposal of equipment     58,275       -  
Collection of amount due from (advances made to) a related party     1,896,008       (1,897,394 )
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     1,317,784       (2,321,437 )
                 
Cash flows from financing activities:                
Proceeds from short-term bank loans     2,172,000       2,271,000  
Repayments of short-term bank loans     (2,171,180 )     (227,115 )
Advances received from a related party     813,352       -  
Payments made for deferred offering costs     (194,282 )     -  
Net cash provided by financing activities     619,890       2,043,885  
                 
Effect of exchange rate fluctuation on cash and cash equivalents     (43,487 )     (19,360 )
                 
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash     3,327,704       307,248  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year     557,587       250,339  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of year   $ 3,885,291     $ 557,587  
                 
Supplemental cash flow information                
Cash paid for income taxes   $ 6,730     $ 5,860  
Cash paid for interest   $ 143,878     $ 114,197  
                 
Non-cash investing and financing activities                
Right of use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities   $ 2,278,883     $ 184,352  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-6  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

 

RON Holding Limited (the “Company”) was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 26, 2019 as a holding company. Effective on December 18, 2020, the Company changed its name to Chanson International Holding (“Chanson International”). Chanson International owns 100% of the equity interests of Deen Global Limited (“Deen Global”), a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) on August 13, 2019. Deen Global owns 100% of the equity interests of Jenyd Holdings Limited (“Jenyd”), a business company incorporated in accordance with the laws and regulations of Hong Kong on September 13, 2019.

 

Chanson International, Deen Global, and Jenyd are currently not engaging in any active business operations and merely acting as holding companies.

 

Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. (“Xinjiang United Family”), is a company incorporated on August 7, 2009 in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), with a registered capital of RMB6 million (approximately $0.88 million). On September 27, 2019, the original shareholders of Xinjiang United Family signed a share transfer agreement and transferred their 100% ownership interest in Xinjiang United Family to Jenyd, and accordingly Xinjiang United Family became a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jenyd.

 

Xinjiang United Family operates a bakery chain in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region under the brand name of “George●Chanson.” The chain currently consists of four directly-owned high-end bakery stores in the City of Urumqi and 23 bakery stores organized as individually-owned businesses known as the United Family Group (each a “UFG entity” and, collectively, the “UFG entities”) in Xinjiang region. There are 21 UFG entities operating under Xinjiang United Family as of December 31, 2019 and two new UFG entities established in January 2020 and June 2020, respectively. The UFG entities are owned by the original shareholders of Xinjiang United Family but operated under a series of contractual agreements signed between the owners of these UFG entities and Xinjiang United Family.

 

On April 17, 2015, Xinjiang United Family incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary, George Chanson (NY) Corp. (“Chanson NY”), in the State of New York, which owns and operates Chanson 23rd Street LLC (“Chanson 23rd Street”), a modern European-style café and eatery that specializes in the art of dessert making in the heart of Manhattan’s Flatiron District. On February 20, 2020, the Company’s Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, formed Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC, a New York limited liability company (“Chanson Greenwich”), and subsequently assigned his membership interests in Chanson Greenwich to Chanson NY on September 28, 2020. After the transfer, Chanson Greenwich became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson NY. Chanson Greenwich is another boutique café in Manhattan currently under renovation for an opening planned in the Spring 2021.

 

Reorganization

 

In connection with its initial public offering, the Company has undertaken a reorganization of its legal structure (the “Reorganization”). The Reorganization involved the incorporation of Chanson International, Deen Global, and Jenyd, the entry into a Share Transfer Agreement to transfer the ownership interest in Xinjiang United Family from its original shareholders to Jenyd, and the signing of a series of contractual agreements between Xinjiang United Family and the owners of the UFG entities. After the Reorganization, Chanson International becomes the ultimate holding company of Xinjiang United Family and has the effective control over the UFG entities.

 

On May 2, 2020, Xinjiang United Family entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the owners of the 22 UFG entities, and on June 17, 2020, Xinjiang United Family entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the owner of the newly established UFG entity. These agreements include Exclusive Service Agreements, Pledge Agreements, Call Option Agreements, Operating Rights Proxy and Powers of Attorney Agreements and Spousal Consents (collectively, the “VIE Agreements”). Pursuant to the above VIE Agreements, Xinjiang United Family has the exclusive right to provide the UFG entities with consulting services related to business operations including operational and management consulting services. All the above contractual arrangements obligate Xinjiang United Family to absorb all of the risk of loss from business activities of these UFG entities and entitle Xinjiang United Family to receive all of their residual returns. In essence, Xinjiang United Family has gained effective control over the UFG entities. Therefore, the Company believes that these UFG entities should be considered as Variable Interest Entities (“VIE”) under the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810 “Consolidation.” Hereinafter, the four bakery stores directly owned by Xinjiang United Family and the UFG entities controlled through the VIE Agreements are collectively referred to as the “PRC Stores.”

 

  F-7  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

Reorganization (continued)

 

The Company, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries and VIEs, is effectively controlled by the same shareholders before and after the Reorganization and therefore the Reorganization is considered under common control. The consolidation of the Company and its subsidiaries and VIEs has been accounted for at historical cost as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

After the Reorganization, the consolidated financial statements of the Company include the following entities:

 

Name of Entity   Date of
Incorporation
  Place of
Incorporation
    % of 
Ownership
  Principal Activities
Chanson International   July 26, 2019   Cayman Islands     Parent, 100%   Investment holding
                   
Deen Global   August 13, 2019   British Virgin Islands     100%   Investment holding
                   
Jenyd   September 13, 2019   Hong Kong     100%   Investment holding
                   
Xinjiang United Family   August 7, 2009   PRC     100%   Consultancy and information technology support; sells bakery products to customers
                   
23 UFG entities   2012 to 2020   PRC     VIEs   Sells bakery products to customers
                   
Chanson NY   April 17, 2015   New York     100%   Holding company. Consultancy and information technology support
                   
Chanson 23rd Street   December 18, 2015   New York     100%  

Offers eat-in services and sells bakery products and beverage products to customers

                   
Chanson Greenwich   February 20, 2020   New York     100%  

Offers eat-in services and sells bakery products and beverage products to customers. Newly incorporated – not in operation yet

 

  F-8  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

The VIE contractual arrangements

 

The UFG entities are controlled by the Company through contractual arrangements in lieu of direct equity ownership by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

 

A VIE is an entity that either has a total equity investment that is insufficient to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, or whose equity investors lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest, such as through voting rights, right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity, or obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity. The variable interest holder, if any, that has a controlling financial interest in a VIE is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of, and must consolidate, the VIE.

 

Xinjiang United Family is deemed to have a controlling financial interest in and be the primary beneficiary of the UFG entities because it has both of the following characteristics:

 

  The power to direct activities at the UFG entities that most significantly impact such entities’ economic performance, and

 

  The obligation to absorb losses of, and the right to receive benefits from, the UFG entities that could potentially be significant to such entities.

 

Pursuant to the contractual arrangements with the UFG entities, the UFG entities pay service fees equal to all of their net profit after tax payments to Xinjiang United Family. At the same time, Xinjiang United Family is obligated to absorb all of their losses. Such contractual arrangements are designed so that the operation of the UFG entities is for the benefit of Xinjiang United Family and, ultimately, the Company.

 

Risks associated with the VIE structure

 

The Company believes that the contractual arrangements with its VIEs and their respective owners are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations and are legally enforceable. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce such contractual arrangements. If the legal structure and contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government could:

 

revoke the business and operating licenses of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs;

 

discontinue or restrict the operations of any related-party transactions between the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs;

 

limit the Company’s business expansion in China by way of entering into contractual arrangements;

 

impose fines or other requirements with which the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs may not be able to comply;

 

require the Company or the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations; or

 

restrict or prohibit the Company’s use of the proceeds from its public offering to finance the Company’s business and operations in China.

 

  F-9  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

The Company’s ability to conduct its consulting services business may be negatively affected if the PRC government were to carry out of any of the aforementioned actions. As a result, the Company may not be able to consolidate its VIEs in its consolidated financial statements as it may lose the ability to exert effective control over the VIEs and their respective owners and it may lose the ability to receive economic benefits from the VIEs. The Company, however, does not believe such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of the Company and its PRC subsidiary and VIEs. The financial position, operation, and cash flow of the Company’s VIEs, the UFG entities, are material to total assets and liabilities presented on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and revenue, expenses, and net income presented on the Consolidated Statement of Income and Other Comprehensive Income as well as the cash flows from operating investing and financing activities presented on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The Company has not provided any financial support to the VIEs for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The following financial statement amounts and balances of the VIEs were included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements after elimination of intercompany transactions and balances:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Current assets   $ 1,331,795     $ 914,301  
Non-current assets     3,779,962       2,117,068  
Total assets   $ 5,111,757     $ 3,031,369  
Current liabilities   $ 2,860,762     $ 2,230,372  
Non-current liabilities     1,279,682       563,179  
Total liabilities   $ 4,140,444     $ 2,793,551  

 

   

For the Years Ended

December 31,

 
    2019     2018  
Net revenue   $ 6,711,182     $ 6,465,324  
Net income   $ 1,681,854     $ 1,597,817  

 

  F-10  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of presentation and principles of consolidation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and VIEs. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

 

Uses of estimates

 

In preparing the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates are based on information as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. Significant estimates required to be made by management include, but are not limited to, the valuation of accounts receivable, useful lives of property and equipment, the recoverability of long-lived assets, provision necessary for contingent liabilities, and revenue recognition. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

Cash includes currency on hand and deposits held by banks that can be added or withdrawn without limitation. The Company maintains a significant amount of its bank accounts in the PRC. Cash balances in bank accounts in PRC are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or other programs. Cash balances in banks in the U.S. are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation subject to certain limitations. The Company considers all highly liquid investment instruments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

 

Restricted cash

 

Restricted cash represents funds set aside and placed with the bank and serves as the security deposit which is not available to fund general liquidity needs of the Company.

 

Accounts receivable

 

Accounts receivable are recognized and carried at original invoiced amount less an estimated allowance for uncollectible accounts.

 

The Company determines the adequacy of reserves for doubtful accounts based on individual account analysis and historical collection trend. The Company establishes a provision for doubtful receivables when there is objective evidence that the Company may not be able to collect amounts due. The allowance is based on management’s best estimate of specific losses on individual exposures, as well as a provision on historical trends of collections. The provision is recorded against accounts receivable balances, with a corresponding charge recorded in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Actual amounts received may differ from management’s estimate of credit worthiness and the economic environment. Delinquent account balances are written-off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there was no allowance recorded as the Company considers all of the accounts receivable fully collectible.

 

  F-11  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Leases

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which is effective for annual reporting periods (including interim periods) beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted the Topic 842 on January 1, 2018 using a modified retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard to leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the consolidated financial statements.

 

The Company leases office spaces, bakery store facilities, and employee dormitories, which are classified as operating leases in accordance with Topic 842. Under Topic 842, lessees are required to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases, usually with initial term of 12 months or less) on the commencement date: (i) lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (ii) right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term.

 

At the commencement date, the Company recognizes the lease liability at the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, the Company’s incremental borrowing rate for the same term as the underlying lease. The right-of-use asset is recognized initially at cost, which primarily comprises the initial amount of the lease liability, plus any initial direct costs incurred, consisting mainly of brokerage commissions, less any lease incentives received. All right-of-use assets are reviewed for impairment annually. There was no impairment for right-of-use lease assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

Inventories, net

 

Inventories of the Company consist of ingredient materials, finished goods, packing materials, and other materials. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, on a weighted average basis. Costs include the cost of ingredient materials, direct labor, and related production overhead. Any excess of the cost over the net realizable value of each item of inventories is recognized as a provision for diminution in the value of inventories. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the normal course of business less any costs to complete and sell products. The Company periodically evaluates inventories for their net realizable value adjustments, and reduces the carrying value of those inventories that are obsolete or in excess of the forecasted usage to their estimated net realizable value based on various factors including aging and expiration dates, as applicable, taking into consideration historical and expected future product sales. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, no inventory reserve was recorded because no slow-moving, obsolete, or damaged inventory was identified.

 

  F-12  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Property and equipment

 

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment are provided using the straight-line method over their expected useful lives, as follows:

 

    Useful life
Bakery production equipment   5-8 years
Office equipment and furniture   4-5 years
Transportation vehicles   5 years
Leasehold improvement   Lesser of useful life and lease term

 

Expenditures for maintenance and repair, which do not materially extend the useful lives of the assets, are charged to expenses as incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets retired or sold are removed from the respective accounts, and any gain or loss is recognized in the consolidated statements of income and other comprehensive income in other income or expenses.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

Long-lived assets with finite lives, primarily property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the estimated cash flows from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are below the asset’s carrying value, then the asset is deemed to be impaired and written down to its fair value. There were no impairments of these assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

Revenue recognition

 

The Company adopted ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach.

 

ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, establishes principles for reporting information about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts to provide goods or services to customers. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that it expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services recognized, as performance obligations are satisfied.

 

  F-13  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Revenue recognition (continued)

 

The Company currently generates its revenue through its bakery/café stores as well as through online sales. The Company recognizes revenue from bakery/café sales upon delivery of the related food and other products to the customer and fulfillment of all performance obligations. Revenue is recognized net of any discounts, sales incentives, sales taxes, and value-added taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to the taxing authorities.

 

In the PRC Stores, the Company sells membership cards that do not have an expiration date and from which the Company does not deduct non-usage fees from outstanding card balances. Membership cards are reloadable and redeemable at any of the Company’s store locations. Amounts loaded into these cards are initially recorded as deferred revenue. When membership cards are used at stores upon redemption for payment, the Company recognizes revenue and reduces the deferred revenue. While the Company continues to honor all membership cards presented for payments, management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote for certain cards with long periods of inactivity (“breakage”), which is over five years after the last usage based upon Company-specific historical redemption patterns. Membership card breakage is recorded as revenue in the consolidated statements of income. Membership card breakage was immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

In the PRC Stores, the Company maintains a customer loyalty program in which customers earn free cash vouchers when purchasing or reloading membership cards at certain amount. These cash vouchers typically do not expire, except for certain vouchers given out at special occasions, which usually state an expiration date and can only be exchanged for certain seasonal products or specialty cakes. The Company establishes corresponding liabilities in deferred revenue for the membership cards and the free cash vouchers upon issuance. The Company allocates the consideration received for membership card purchasing or reloading with free cash vouchers proportionately between the membership cards and cash vouchers based on their face values. Revenue is recognized at the allocated amount upon redemption of membership cards and cash vouchers for payment, at which point the Company delivers products to customers and reduces the deferred revenue. Unredeemed cash vouchers will be recognized as revenue upon their expiration dates, if any, or five years after their issuance if there are no stated expiration dates, when management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote.

 

Contract balances and remaining performance obligations

 

Contract balances typically arise when a difference in timing between the transfer of control to the customer and receipt of consideration occurs. The Company did not have contract assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. The Company’s contract liabilities, which are reflected in its consolidated balance sheets as deferred revenue of $3,410,303 and $2,979,547 as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, consist primarily of customer payments for the membership cards and the fair value of the cash vouchers under the Company’s customer loyalty programs. These amounts represent the Company’s unsatisfied performance obligations as of the balance sheet dates. The amount of revenue recognized in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 that was included in the opening deferred revenue was $1,864,535 and $1,740,797, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, the aggregate amount of unredeemed membership cards and cash vouchers was $3,410,303. The Company will recognize revenue when customers make purchases with membership cards or cash vouchers, and a significant portion of the balance is expected to occur during the first two years after December 31, 2019 and the remaining balance between the third and fifth year.

 

Disaggregation of revenue

 

The Company disaggregates its revenue by geographic areas, as the Company believes its best depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of the revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. The Company’s disaggregation of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 is disclosed in Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-14  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

 

Level 1 — inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

Level 2 — inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted market prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

 

Level 3 — inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable.

 

Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash, accounts receivable, due from a related party, prepaid expenses and other current assets, short-term bank loans, accounts payable, due to a related party, deferred revenue, taxes payable, and accrued expenses and other current liabilities, approximate the fair value of the respective assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 based upon the short-term nature of the assets and liabilities.

 

Foreign currency translation

 

The functional currency of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs is the Chinese Yuan (“RMB”) and the functional currency of the Company’s U.S. subsidiaries is the U.S. Dollars (“US$”). RMB amounts in the Company’s consolidated financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency US$. Assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income. Because cash flows are translated based on the average translation rate, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheet. Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the results of operations.

 

RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at the rates used in translation.

 

The following table outlines the currency exchange rates that were used in creating the consolidated financial statements in this report:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Year-end spot rate     US$1=RMB6.9680       US$1=RMB6.8776  
Average rate     US$1=RMB6.9088       US$1=RMB6.6163  

 

  F-15  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Income taxes

 

The Company accounts for current income taxes in accordance with the laws of the relevant tax authorities. Deferred income taxes are recognized when temporary differences exist between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period including the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the “more likely than not” test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. No penalties or interest relating to income taxes were incurred during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The Company does not believe there was any uncertain tax provision at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

The Company’s operating subsidiary in China is subject to the income tax laws of the PRC. The Company’s operating subsidiary in United States is subject to the tax law of the United States. As of December 31, 2019, the tax years ended December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2019 for the Company’s PRC subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by PRC tax authorities, and the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2019 for the Company’s United States subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by U.S. tax authorities.

 

Value added tax (“VAT”)

 

The Company’s subsidiary Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices are general tax payers. Before April 1, 2019, the applicable VAT rate was 16%, and after April 1, 2019, the applicable VAT rate is 13% based on the new Chinese tax law. VAT is reported as a deduction to revenue when incurred. Entities that are VAT general taxpayers are allowed to offset qualified input VAT paid to suppliers against their output VAT liabilities. The UFG entities were formed as individually-owned businesses, which are generally subject to a lower VAT rate of 3% and the local PRC tax authority has the jurisdiction to assess and determine their VAT obligation or exemption on a case-by-case basis. 13 of the UFG entities are currently exempted from paying VAT while eight of these UFG entities are currently subject to VAT rate of 3% as determined by the local tax authority. Their VAT eligibility is subject to periodical reassessment, and they may lose or regain the exemption status as determined by the tax authorities on a case-by-case basis. The VAT status of the newly set-up UFG entity in January 2020 is still pending for the assessment by the local authority.

 

Earnings per share

 

The Company computes earnings per share (“EPS”) in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings per Share” (“ASC 260”). ASC 260 requires companies with complex capital structures to present basic and diluted EPS. Basic EPS is measured as net income divided by the weighted average common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted presents the dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common shares (e.g., convertible securities, options, and warrants) as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented, or issuance date, if later. Potential common shares that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no dilutive shares.

 

  F-16  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Comprehensive income

 

Comprehensive income consists of two components, net income and other comprehensive income (loss). The foreign currency translation gain or loss resulting from the translation of the financial statements expressed in RMB to US$ is reported in other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

 

Risks and uncertainties

 

Political and economic risk

 

The operations of the Company are located in the PRC and United States. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations may be influenced by political, economic, and legal environments in the PRC and United States, as well as by the general state of the PRC and United States economy. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in the political, regulatory, and social conditions in the PRC and United States. Although the Company has not experienced losses from these situations and believes that it is in compliance with existing laws and regulations including its organization and structure disclosed in Note 1, such experience may not be indicative of future results.

 

Foreign currency exchange risk

 

A majority of the Company’s revenue and expense transactions are denominated in RMB and most of the Company and its subsidiaries’ assets and liabilities are denominated in RMB. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. In the PRC, certain foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”). Remittances in currencies other than RMB by the Company in China must be processed through the PBOC or other China foreign exchange regulatory bodies which require certain supporting documentation in order to effect the remittance.

 

Credit risk

 

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, $2,243,810 and $329,925 of the Company’s cash was on deposit at financial institutions in the PRC where there currently is no rule or regulation requiring such financial institutions to maintain insurance to cover bank deposits in the event of bank failure. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, $1,594,587 and $145,792 of the Company’s cash was on deposit at financial institutions in the U.S. which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation subject to certain limitations. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company’s substantial assets were located in the PRC and the Company’s substantial revenue was derived from its subsidiary and VIEs located in the PRC.

 

Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and derived from revenue earned from customers, thereby exposed to credit risk. The risk is mitigated by the Company’s assessment of its customers’ creditworthiness and its ongoing monitoring of outstanding balances.

 

  F-17  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Risks and uncertainties (continued)

 

Concentrations

 

No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, one customer accounted for 10.7% and another customer accounted for 21.2% of the Company’s total accounts receivable balance, respectively.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, one supplier accounted for approximately 20.9% and 14.3% of the Company’s total purchases, respectively.

 

Recent accounting pronouncements

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This ASU is intended to improve financial reporting by requiring timelier recording of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments held by financial institutions and other organizations. This ASU requires the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This ASU requires enhanced disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses, as well as the credit quality and underwriting standards of the Company’s portfolio. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements that provide additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities that meet the definition of an SEC filer, excluding entities eligible to be Smaller Reporting Companies, or SRC, as defined by the SEC, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years; and for all other entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 and the adoption of this ASU did not have any material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

  F-18  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Recent accounting pronouncements (continued)

 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement,” to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in the notes to financial statements related to recurring or nonrecurring fair value measurements by removing amounts and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, policies for timing of transfers between different levels for fair value measurements, and the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements. The new standard requires disclosure of the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. The amendments in this update are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 and the adoption of this ASU did not have any material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740) Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards (the Simplification Initiative). The objective of the Simplification Initiative is to identify, evaluate, and improve areas of U.S. GAAP for which cost and complexity can be reduced while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. The specific areas of potential simplification in this ASU were submitted by stakeholders as part of the Simplification Initiative. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2021 and the adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

 

Except for the above-mentioned pronouncements, there are no new recently issued accounting standards that will have material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, statements of operations, and cash flows.

 

NOTE 3 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET

 

The Company’s accounts receivable primarily include balance due from selling bakery products to local corporate customers, billed but has not been collected as of the balance sheet dates. Accounts receivable consisted of the following:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Accounts receivable   $ 455,668     $ 672,548  
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts     -       -  
Accounts receivable, net   $ 455,668     $ 672,548  

 

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there was no allowance recorded as the Company considers all of the accounts receivable fully collectible. The balance of December 31, 2019 had been subsequently fully collected as of July 31, 2020.

 

  F-19  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 4 INVENTORIES, NET

 

Inventories, net, consisted of the following:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Ingredient materials   $ 296,741     $ 293,945  
Package and other materials     28,461       7,597  
Finished goods     25,893       17,909  
Subtotal     351,095       319,451  
Less: inventory allowances     -       -  
Inventories, net   $ 351,095     $ 319,451  

 

NOTE 5 LEASES

 

The Company leases office spaces, bakery store facilities, and employee dormitories under non-cancelable operating leases, with terms ranging from 1 to 15 years. The Company considers those renewal or termination options that are reasonably certain to be exercised in the determination of the lease term and initial measurement of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. Lease expense for lease payment is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Leases with initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet.

 

The Company determines whether a contract is or contains a lease at inception of the contract and whether that lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease. When available, the Company uses the rate implicit in the lease to discount lease payments to present value; however, most of the Company’s leases do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate. Therefore, the Company discounts lease payments based on an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate.

 

The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

 

The table below presents the operating lease related assets and liabilities recorded on the balance sheets.

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Right-of-use lease assets   $ 8,346,190     $ 7,323,228  
                 
Operating lease liabilities – current   $ 901,797     $ 514,789  
Operating lease liabilities – non-current     6,770,538       6,177,413  
Total operating lease liabilities   $ 7,672,335     $ 6,692,202  

 

  F-20  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 5 LEASES (continued)

 

The weighted average remaining lease terms and discount rates for all of operating leases were as follows as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Remaining lease term and discount rate:            
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)     9.93       12.75  
Weighted average discount rate *     4.81 %     4.12 %

 

* The Company used incremental borrowing rate of 6.98% and 3.75% for its lease contracts in the PRC and United States, respectively.

 

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company incurred total operating lease expenses of $1,835,263 and $1,430,551, respectively.

 

The following is a schedule, by years, of maturities of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2019:

 

2020   $ 1,159,847  
2021     1,109,458  
2022     947,492  
2023     764,814  
2024     756,981  
Thereafter     4,666,381  
Total lease payments     9,404,973  
Less: imputed interest     (1,732,638 )
Present value of lease liabilities   $ 7,672,335  

 

NOTE 6 PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

 

Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Bakery production equipment   $ 774,925     $ 700,037  
Automobiles     29,596       28,393  
Office equipment and furniture     389,188       371,804  
Leasehold improvements     3,110,918       2,828,090  
Subtotal     4,304,627       3,928,324  
Less: accumulated depreciation     (1,139,416 )     (831,023 )
Property and equipment, net   $ 3,165,211     $ 3,097,301  

 

Depreciation expense was $459,886 and $416,888 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

In connection with the Company’s RMB15 million short-term loan from Huaxia Bank as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company pledged its fixed assets with net book values of $284,025 and $176,663, respectively, as collateral for this loan (see Note 7).

 

  F-21  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 7 SHORT-TERM BANK LOANS

 

On April 18, 2018, the Company’s subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family, entered into a loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million ($2,166,460 as of December 31, 2018) as working capital for one year, with a maturity date of April 18, 2019. The loan bore a fixed interest rate of 6.8295%. This loan was subsequently repaid in full upon maturity. This loan was guaranteed by Ms. Baolin Wang, the legal representative of Xinjiang United Family, and a third-party guaranty company, Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd. (“XJ Financing Guaranty”). In order for XJ Financing Guaranty to endorse the guarantee with the bank, Ms. Baolin Wang and the minority shareholder of Xinjiang United Family, Ms. Xinxia Hu, jointly pledged their 100% ownership interests in Xinjiang United Family as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. In addition, Xinjiang United Family pledged all its equipment in PRC and the operating rights of two bakery stores as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. The Company’s controlling shareholder Mr. Gang Li, together with his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong, and the legal representative of the Company, Ms. Baolin Wang, jointly signed personal guarantee agreement with XJ Financing Guaranty. Three affiliated entities controlled by Mr. Gang Li also signed guarantee agreements with XJ Financing Guaranty.

 

On April 11, 2019, Xinjiang United Family renewed the loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million ($2,138,962 as of December 31, 2019) as working capital for another year, with a maturity date of April 11, 2020. The loan bore a fixed interest rate of 6.98%. The loan was subsequently repaid in full upon maturity. In addition, on May 11, 2020, Xinjiang United Family signed a new loan agreement of the same amount with Huaxia Bank for one year (see Note 13). These two loans were guaranteed by Ms. Baolin Wang, the legal representative of Xinjiang United Family, and XJ Financing Guaranty. In order for XJ Financing Guaranty to endorse the guarantee with the bank, the Company’s controlling shareholder Mr. Gang Li and his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong jointly signed a personal guarantee agreement with XJ Financing Guaranty and pledged their residential property as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. In addition, Xinjiang United Family pledged all its equipment in PRC and the operating rights of two bakery stores as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. Three affiliated entities controlled by Mr. Gang Li also signed guarantee agreements with XJ Financing Guaranty.

 

For the above mentioned loans, the Company incurred interest expenses of $152,382 and $114,197 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

NOTE 8 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

a. Due from a related party

 

As of December 31, 2018, due from a related party in the amount of $1,924,910 represented cash advanced to the chief executive officer of Xinjiang United Family and the Company’s controlling shareholder, Mr. Gang Li, used as the initial working capital in relation to the opening of five new UFG entities which were later transferred to the Company, such as prepaid rental, renovation, and other start-up expenses in 2019. Such advances were non-interest bearing and were fully utilized by the Company or repaid to the Company in 2019. The Company closely monitored the utilization of the advances, and all expenses and liabilities incurred on behalf of the Company by Mr. Gang Li were recorded in the Company’s consolidated financial statements in a timely manner and the unused balance was recorded as due from a related party.

 

b. Due to a related party

 

As of December 31, 2019, due to a related party in the amount of $797,352 represented advances provided by Mr. Gang Li to fund the Company’s operations. These payables are unsecured, non-interest bearing, and due on demand.

 

c. Other related party transactions

 

Several related parties provided guarantees in connection with the Company’s loans borrowed from Huaxia Bank (see Note 7).

 

  F-22  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 TAXES

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”)

 

Cayman Islands

 

Under the current tax laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company is not subject to tax on its income or capital gains. In addition, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed upon the payment of dividends by the Company to its shareholders.

 

British Virgin Islands

 

Deen Global is incorporated in the BVI as an offshore holding company and is not subject to tax on income or capital gain under the laws of BVI.

 

Hong Kong

 

Jenyd is incorporated in Hong Kong and is subject to profit taxes in Hong Kong at a rate of 16.5%. However, Jenyd did not generate any assessable profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and accordingly no provision for Hong Kong profits tax was made in these periods.

 

PRC

 

Under the Enterprise Income Tax (“EIT”) Law of the PRC, domestic enterprises and Foreign Investment Enterprises (the “FIE”) are usually subject to a unified 25% enterprise income tax rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays, or exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. The Company’s subsidiary Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices are incorporated in the PRC. During the year ended December 31, 2018, Xinjiang United Family and two branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises, and during the year ended December 31, 2019, Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises. Based on the EIT Law of PRC, and according to the Notice on Further Expanding the Scope of Income Tax Preferential Policies for Small Low Profit Enterprises issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on July 11, 2018, for the year ended December 31, 2018, once an enterprise meets certain requirements and is identified as a small-scale minimal profit enterprise, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%. According to the Announcement on Issues Related to the Implementation of Inclusive Income Tax Reduction and Exemption Policy for Small and Low Profit Enterprises issued by the State Administration of Taxation on January 18, 2019, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 5% and the portion between RMB1 million and RMB3 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%.

 

The UFG entities are individually-owned businesses, which are not subject to the EIT Law of the PRC. The Measures for Individual Income Tax Calculation of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households, or the “Measures,” was adopted by the State Administration of Taxation on December 19, 2014 and promulgated on December 27, 2014. According to Article 7 of the Measures, for the income from production and operation of individually-owned businesses, the amount of taxable income shall be the balance of the total income of each tax year after deducting costs, expenses, taxes, losses and other expenditures, and allowable compensation for losses in previous years. Income tax for an individually-owned business is generally levied as a fixed-rate income tax at a certain percentage of a deemed Taxable Net Income (“TNI”) as assessed by the local tax authority. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, eight of these UFG entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,600 per month. The rest of these UFG entities were exempted from paying income tax. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the total tax exemption of the UFG entities were $5,501 and $4,583, respectively. Along with the continuing growth of business, the Company expects that the tax rates of these UFG entities are likely to increase in the future in the annual assessment based on the past performance.

 

United States

 

The Company’s subsidiaries in the U.S. are subject to a U.S. federal corporate income tax rate of 21%.

 

  F-23  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 TAXES (continued)

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”) (continued)

 

The components of the income tax provision were as follows:

 

   

For the Years Ended

December 31,

 
    2019     2018  
Current tax provision            
Cayman Islands   $        -     $       -  
BVI     -       -  
Hong Kong     -       -  
PRC     59,686       58,151  
United States     -       -  
    $ 59,686     $ 58,151  
Deferred tax provision                
Cayman Islands   $ -     $ -  
BVI     -       -  
Hong Kong     -       -  
PRC     -       -  
United States     -       -  
      -       -  
Income tax provision   $ 59,686     $ 58,151  

 

The Company’s deferred tax assets were comprised of the following:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Net operating loss   $ 1,138,512     $ 908,112  
Total deferred tax assets     1,138,512       908,112  
Valuation allowance     (1,138,512 )     (908,112 )
Deferred tax assets   $ -     $ -  

 

The Company’s operations in the U.S. incurred a cumulative net operating loss (“NOL”) which may reduce future federal taxable income. As of December 31, 2018, the cumulative NOL was $4,324,344. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the U.S. operations incurred an additional NOL of $1,097,142, resulting in a cumulative NOL of $5,421,486 as of December 31, 2019, among which approximately $2,882,465 will expire in 2037 and the remaining balance carried forward indefinitely.

 

The Company periodically evaluates the likelihood of the realization of deferred tax assets, and reduces the carrying amount of the deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance to the extent it believes a portion will not be realized. Management considers new evidence, both positive and negative, that could affect the Company’s future realization of deferred tax assets including its recent cumulative earnings experience, expectation of future income, the carry forward periods available for tax reporting purposes and other relevant factors. The Company determined that it is more likely than not its deferred tax assets could not be realized due to uncertainty on future earnings in the U.S. operations. The Company provided a 100% allowance for its deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

  F-24  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 TAXES (continued)

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”) (continued)

 

The following table reconciles the China statutory rates to the Company’s effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

   

For the Years Ended

December 31,

 
    2019     2018  
Statutory PRC income tax rate     25.0 %     25.0 %
Favorable tax rate and tax exemption impact in PRC entities (a)     (46.4 )%     (62.1 )%
Tax rate difference in U.S. subsidiaries     4.4 %     7.1 %
Change in valuation allowance     22.9 %     37.1 %
Effective tax rate     5.9 %     7.1 %

 

(a) During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company’s subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family and its two branch offices, were subject to a favorable income tax rate of 10%. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company’s subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices, were subject to a favorable tax rate of either 5% or 10%. Eight of the UFG entities were assessed by the local tax authority to be subject to a fixed amount of income tax per month calculated as either 1% or 1.5% of TNI ranging from RMB15,000 to RMB123,600 per month. The rest of the UFG entities were exempted from paying EIT. For years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the tax saving as the result of the favorable tax rates and tax exemption amounted to $465,888 and $506,612, respectively, and per share effect of the favorable tax rate and tax exemption was $4,659 and $5,066.

 

Taxes payable consisted of the following:

 

    December 31,
2019
    December 31,
2018
 
Income tax payable   $ 102,044     $ 50,220  
Value added tax payable     7,151       3,038  
Other taxes payable     17,209       13,994  
Total taxes payable   $ 126,404     $ 67,252  

 

  F-25  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 10 SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Ordinary shares

 

Chanson International is a company established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 26, 2019. Prior to the 1,000-for-1 forward split and the share issuances (see Note 15), the authorized number of ordinary shares was 50,000 shares with par value of $1 per share and 100 ordinary shares were issued. The issuance of these 100 ordinary shares is considered as a part of the Reorganization of the Company, which was retroactively applied as if the transaction occurred at the beginning of the period presented (see Note 1).

 

Statutory Reserve

 

The Company’s PRC subsidiary is required to make appropriations to certain reserve funds, comprising the statutory surplus reserve and the discretionary surplus reserve, based on after-tax net income determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the PRC (“PRC GAAP”). Appropriations to the statutory surplus reserve are required to be at least 10% of the after-tax net income determined in accordance with PRC GAAP until the reserve is equal to 50% of the entity’s registered capital. Appropriations to the discretionary surplus reserve are made at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The statutory reserve may be applied against prior year losses, if any, and may be used for general business expansion and production or increase in registered capital, but are not distributable as cash dividends. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the balance of the required statutory reserves were $447,231 and $369,775, respectively.

 

Restricted net assets

 

The Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets, equivalent to their statutory reserves and their share capital to the Company in the form of loans, advances, or cash dividends. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations, procedures, and formalities. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the total restricted net assets amounted to $1,325,631 and $1,248,175, respectively.

 

NOTE 11 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Contingencies

 

From time to time, the Company is a party to various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company accrues costs associated with these matters when they become probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs incurred in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no legal claims and litigation against the Company.

 

  F-26  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 12 SEGMENT REPORTING

 

In accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting, operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (the “CODM”), or decision making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company uses the “management approach” in determining reportable operating segments. The management approach considers the internal organization and reporting used by the Company’s CODM for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source for determining the Company’s reportable segments. Management, including the CODM, reviews operation results by the revenue of different services. Based on management’s assessment, the Company has determined that it has two operating segments.

 

The following table presents the segment information for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:

 

    For the Years Ended December 31, 2019  
    China     United
States
    Total  
Revenue   $ 10,203,075     $ 2,374,060     $ 12,577,135  
Cost of revenue     4,699,333       1,204,123       5,903,456  
Gross profit   $ 5,503,742     $ 1,169,937     $ 6,673,679  
Net income (loss)   $ 2,042,611     $ (1,097,143 )   $ 945,468  
Interest expense, net     (148,902 )     -       (148,902 )
Provision for income tax     59,686       -       59,686  
Depreciation and amortization   $ 256,227     $ 203,659     $ 459,886  
Capital expenditures   $ 572,581     $ 63,918     $ 636,499  
Total assets     7,585,663       9,862,062       17,447,725  
Total liabilities   $ 8,659,505     $ 6,517,160     $ 15,176,665  

 

    For the Years Ended December 31, 2018  
    China     United
States
    Total  
Revenue   $ 9,607,539     $ 2,356,135     $ 11,963,674  
Cost of revenue     4,490,761       1,541,741       6,032,502  
Gross profit   $ 5,116,778     $ 814,394     $ 5,931,172  
Net income (loss)   $ 2,200,902     $ (1,441,929 )   $ 758,973  
Interest expense, net     (110,007 )     -       (110,007 )
Provision for income tax     58,151       -       58,151  
Depreciation and amortization   $ 218,584     $ 198,304     $ 416,888  
Capital expenditures   $ 419,991     $ 4,052     $ 424,043  
Total assets     5,851,367       8,903,938       14,755,305  
Total liabilities   $ 7,215,815     $ 6,187,111     $ 13,402,926  

 

  F-27  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 13 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has spread throughout the world, especially in China and the United States. The outbreak resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. In compliance with the government health emergency rules in place, the Company temporarily closed all but one of its PRC Stores between late January and early March of 2020, and Chanson 23rd Street in New York City had been providing only delivery and pickup services between the end of February 2020 and the end of June 2020, and resumed dining services, outdoor only, at the end of June 2020. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities on March 8, 2020. Consequently, the COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected the Company’s business operations and operating results for 2020. The Company’s revenue decreased by approximately $0.99 million during the first half of fiscal year 2020 as compared to the same period of 2019 due to the closure of the Company’s business. However, all the PRC stores were closed again on July 17, 2020 due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang. The PRC stores resumed their normal activities in September 2020. As a result of the store closure, the PRC stores generated no revenue and the estimated loss of revenue was approximately RMB12 million (approximately $1.7 million) during the period of closure. In addition, the renovation of Chanson Greenwich was delayed and the Company currently expects the store to open in the Spring 2021. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the COVID-19 outbreak in China appears to have been under relative control. However, the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. will depend on the future developments of the outbreak, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the outbreak, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. Therefore, while the Company expects the COVID-19 outbreak to continue negatively impacting its business, results of operations, and financial position, the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

 

On May 11, 2020, the Company’s subsidiary Xinjiang United Family signed a new loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million (approximately $2,138,962 as of May 11, 2020) as working capital for a year, with a maturity date of May 11, 2021. The loan bears a favorable fixed interest rate of 4.98%.

 

On April 29, 2020, the Company’s subsidiary Chanson 23rd Street received funding for a loan totaling $209,291 under the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), enacted on March 27, 2020. Under the terms of the SBA PPP loan, up to 100% of the principal and accrued interest may be forgiven if certain criteria are met and the loan proceeds are used for qualifying expenses such as payroll costs, benefits, rent, and utilities as described in the CARES Act. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1% and any portion of the principal and accrued interest that is not forgiven is required to be repaid by April 29, 2021.

 

The Company evaluated the subsequent events through January 27, 2021, which is the date of the issuance of consolidated financial statements, and concluded that there is no additional subsequent events except disclosed in above that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

NOTE 14CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Rules 12-04(a), 5-04(c), and 4-08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X, the condensed financial information of the parent company shall be filed when the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries exceed 25 percent of consolidated net assets as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. The Company performed a test on the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries in accordance with such requirements and concluded that it was applicable to the Company as the restricted net assets of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs exceeded 25% of the consolidated net assets of the Company. Therefore, the condensed financial statements for the parent company are included herein.

 

For purposes of the above test, restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries and VIEs shall mean that amount of the Company’s proportionate share of net assets of consolidated subsidiaries (after intercompany eliminations) which as of the end of the most recent fiscal year may not be transferred to the parent company by subsidiaries and VIEs in the form of loans, advances, or cash dividends without the consent of a third party.

 

The condensed financial information of the parent company has been prepared using the same accounting policies as set out in the Company’s consolidated financial statements except that the parent company used the equity method to account for investment in its subsidiaries and VIEs. Such investment is presented on the condensed balance sheets as “Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs” and the respective profit or loss as “Equity in earnings of subsidiaries and VIEs” on the condensed statements of income.

 

  F-28  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 14CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (continued)

 

The footnote disclosures contain supplemental information relating to the operations of the Company and, as such, these statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements of the Company. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted.

 

The Company did not pay any dividend for the periods presented. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no material contingencies, significant provisions for long-term obligations, or guarantees of the Company, except for those which have been separately disclosed in the consolidated financial statements, if any.

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

PARENT COMPANY BALANCE SHEETS

 

    As of December 31,  
    2019     2018  
ASSETS            
Non-current assets      
Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs   $ 2,271,060     $ 1,352,379  
                 
Total assets   $ 2,271,060     $ 1,352,379  
                 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
                 
LIABILITIES   $ -     $ -  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                 
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 9,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively:*                
Class A ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 44,000,000 shares authorized; 3,060,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively     3,060       3,060  
Class B ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 6,000,000 shares authorized; 5,940,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively     5,940       5,940  
Additional paid-in capital     869,400       869,400  
Retained earnings     1,208,854       263,386  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     183,806       210,593  
Total shareholders’ equity     2,271,060       1,352,379  
                 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 2,271,060     $ 1,352,379  

 

  * Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

  F-29  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 14CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (continued)

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 

    For the Years Ended
December 31,
 
    2019     2018  
             
EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF SUBSIDIARIES AND VIES   $ 945,468     $ 758,973  
                 
NET INCOME     945,468       758,973  
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENTS     (26,787 )     49,032  
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMPANY   $ 918,681     $ 808,005  

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the Years Ended
December 31,
 
    2019     2018  
             
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:            
Net income   $ 945,468     $ 758,973  
Adjustments to reconcile net cash flows from operating activities:                
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries and VIEs     (945,468 )     (758,973 )
Net cash used in operating activities     -       -  
                 
CHANGES IN CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH     -       -  
                 
CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of year     -       -  
                 
CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of year   $ -     $ -  

 

NOTE 15OTHER SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On March 27, 2021, the Company’s shareholders and board of directors approved (i) a forward split of the Company’s ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share to increase the authorized ordinary shares from 50,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares and subdivide the 100 ordinary shares of a par value of $1 then outstanding into 100,000 ordinary shares of a par value of $0.001 (the “1,000-for-1 forward split”); (ii) the creation of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares; and (iii) issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares to the existing shareholders, to increase the number of total ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of this offering from 100,000 to 9,000,000 (the “share issuances”). The Company believes the 1,000-for-1 forward split and the share issuances should be considered as a part of the Reorganization of the Company and accounted for on a retroactive basis pursuant to ASC 260. The Company has retroactively restated all shares and per share data for all periods presented. As a result, the Company had 44,000,000 authorized Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the Company had 6,000,000 authorized Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. In total, the Company had 50,000,000 authorized ordinary shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 9,00,000 were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

 

  F-30  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

    June 30,     December 31,  
    2020     2019  
    (Unaudited)        
ASSETS            
CURRENT ASSETS:            
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 3,297,036     $ 3,874,288  
Accounts receivable     1,168,708       455,668  
Inventories     360,887       351,095  
Deferred offering costs     219,878       193,256  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     299,642       286,634  
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     5,346,151       5,160,941  
                 
Property and equipment, net     2,959,972       3,165,211  
Operating lease right-of-use assets     11,146,162       8,346,190  
Restricted cash     -       11,003  
Long term security deposits     772,759       589,741  
Long term prepaid expenses     148,714       174,639  
TOTAL ASSETS   $ 20,373,758     $ 17,447,725  
                 
CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
Short-term bank loans   $ 2,312,949     $ 2,138,962  
Accounts payable     775,395       677,732  
Due to a related party     57,920       797,352  
Deferred revenue     4,276,345       3,410,303  
Taxes payable     60,172       126,404  
Operating lease liabilities, current     1,030,625       901,797  
Other current liabilities     385,562       353,577  
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     8,898,968       8,406,127  
                 
Operating lease liabilities, non-current     9,264,106       6,770,538  
TOTAL LIABILITIES     18,163,074       15,176,665  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                 
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 9,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively:*                
Class A ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 44,000,000 shares authorized; 3,060,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     3,060       3,060  
Class B ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 6,000,000 shares authorized; 5,940,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     5,940      

5,940

 
Additional paid-in capital    

869,400

     

869,400

 
Statutory reserve     447,231       447,231  
Retained earnings     715,720       761,623  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     169,333       183,806  
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY     2,210,684       2,271,060  
                 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   $ 20,373,758     $ 17,447,725  

 

  * Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-31  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
             
REVENUE   $ 5,006,575     $ 6,321,775  
COST OF REVENUE     2,508,143       2,881,422  
GROSS PROFIT     2,498,432       3,440,353  
                 
OPERATING EXPENSES                
Selling expenses     1,407,777       1,459,451  
General and administrative expenses     1,071,602       1,372,791  
Total operating expenses     2,479,379       2,832,242  
                 
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS     19,053       608,111  
                 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)                
Interest expense, net     (55,818 )     (67,207 )
Other income (expense), net     (1,687 )     50,049  
Total other expenses, net     (57,505 )     (17,158 )
                 
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION     (38,452 )     590,953  
                 
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES     7,451       11,206  
                 
NET INCOME (LOSS)     (45,903 )     579,747  
Foreign currency translation loss     (14,473 )     (13,980 )
                 
TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)   $ (60,376 )   $ 565,767  
                 
Earnings (loss) per ordinary share - basic and diluted   $

(0.01

)   $ 0.06  
Weighted average shares - basic and diluted*    

9,000,000

     

9,000,000

 

 

  * Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-32  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 AND 2019

 

    Ordinary Shares*     Additional
Paid-in
    Statutory     Retained
Earnings
(Accumulated
    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
    Total
Shareholders’
 
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Capital     Reserve     Deficit)     Income     Equity  
                                                       
Balance, December 31, 2018   3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 369,775     $ (106,389 )   $ 210,593     $ 1,352,379  
                                                                         
Net income     -       -       -       -       -       77,456       502,291       -       579,747  
Foreign currency translation loss     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (13,980 )     (13,980 )
                                                                         
Balance, June 30, 2019     3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 447,231     $ 395,902     $ 196,613     $ 1,918,146  
                                                                         
Balance, December 31, 2019     3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 447,231     $ 761,623     $ 183,806     $ 2,271,060  
                                                                         
Net loss     -       -       -       -       -       -       (45,903 )     -       (45,903 )
Foreign currency translation loss     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (14,473 )     (14,473 )
                                                                         
Balance, June 30, 2020     3,060,000     $ 3,060       5,940,000     $ 5,940     $ 869,400     $ 447,231     $ 715,720     $ 169,333     $ 2,210,684  

 

  * Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-33  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
Cash flows from operating activities:            
Net Income (Loss)   $ (45,903 )   $ 579,747  
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
Depreciation and amortization     237,768       189,368  
Gain from disposal of  equipment     268       -  
Amortization of operating lease right-of-use assets     850,422       865,334  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
Accounts receivable     (723,571 )     (426,671 )
Inventories     (14,539 )     (49,486 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     (16,643 )     (262,463 )
Long term Security deposit     (184,992 )     (11,261 )
Long term prepaid expenses     23,501       (146,389 )
Accounts payable     107,271       (186,832 )
Deferred revenue     921,132       428,110  
Taxes payable     (64,821 )     (439 )
Other current liabilities     36,547       (166,871 )
Operating lease liabilities     (1,041,090 )     (1,011,945 )
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities     85,350       (199,798 )
                 
Cash flows from investing activities:                
Purchase of property and equipment     (45,278 )     (309,299 )
Collection of amount due from a related party     -       1,943,385  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     (45,278 )     1,634,086  
                 
Cash flows from financing activities:                
Proceeds from short-term bank loans     2,342,291       2,211,000  
Repayments of short-term bank loans     (2,137,025 )     (2,207,937 )
Advances received from (payment made to) a related party     (739,433 )     271,015  
Payments made for deferred offering costs     (28,440 )     (186,157 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     (562,607 )     87,921  
                 
Effect of exchange rate fluctuation on cash and cash equivalents     (65,720 )     (14,814 )
                 
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash     (588,255 )     1,507,395  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash  at beginning of period     3,885,291       557,587  
Cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period   $ 3,297,036     $ 2,064,982  
                 
Supplemental cash flow information                
Cash paid for income taxes   $ 104,495     $ 2,270  
Cash paid for interest   $ 57,653     $ 68,011  
                 
Non-cash investing and financing activities                
Payable for purchase of property and equipment   $ 560     $ 101,162  
Right of use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities   $ 3,817,683     $ 1,927,587  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-34  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

 

RON Holding Limited (the “Company”) was established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 26, 2019 as a holding company. Effective on December 18, 2020, the Company changed its name to Chanson International Holding (“Chanson International”). Chanson International owns 100% of the equity interests of Deen Global Limited (“Deen Global”), a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) on August 13, 2019. Deen Global owns 100% of the equity interests of Jenyd Holdings Limited (“Jenyd”), a business company incorporated in accordance with the laws and regulations of Hong Kong on September 13, 2019.

 

Chanson International, Deen Global, and Jenyd are currently not engaging in any active business operations and merely acting as holding companies.

 

Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. (“Xinjiang United Family”), is a company incorporated on August 7, 2009 in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), with a registered capital of RMB6 million (approximately $0.88 million). On September 27, 2019, the original shareholders of Xinjiang United Family signed a share transfer agreement and transferred their 100% ownership interest in Xinjiang United Family to Jenyd, and accordingly Xinjiang United Family became a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (“WFOE”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jenyd.

 

Xinjiang United Family operates a bakery chain in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region under the brand name of “George●Chanson.” The chain currently consists of four directly-owned high-end bakery stores in the City of Urumqi and 24 bakery stores organized as individually-owned businesses known as the United Family Group (each a “UFG entity” and, collectively, the “UFG entities”) in Xinjiang region. There are 21 UFG entities operating under Xinjiang United Family as of December 31, 2019 and three new UFG entities established in January 2020, June 2020, and October 2020, respectively. The UFG entities are owned by the original shareholders of Xinjiang United Family but operated under a series of contractual agreements signed between the owners of these UFG entities and Xinjiang United Family.

 

On April 17, 2015, Xinjiang United Family incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary, George Chanson (NY) Corp. (“Chanson NY”), in the State of New York, which owns and operates Chanson 23rd Street LLC (“Chanson 23rd Street”), a modern European-style café and eatery that specializes in the art of dessert making in the heart of Manhattan’s Flatiron District. On February 20, 2020, the Company’s Chairman, Mr. Gang Li, incorporated Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC, a New York limited liability company (“Chanson Greenwich”), and subsequently assigned his membership interests in Chanson Greenwich to Chanson NY on September 28, 2020. After the transfer, Chanson Greenwich became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chanson NY. Chanson Greenwich is another boutique café in Manhattan currently under renovation for an opening planned in the Spring 2021.

 

Reorganization

 

In connection with its initial public offering, the Company has undertaken a reorganization of its legal structure (the “Reorganization”). The Reorganization involved the incorporation of Chanson International, Deen Global, and Jenyd, the entry into a Share Transfer Agreement to transfer the ownership interest in Xinjiang United Family from its original shareholders to Jenyd, and the signing of a series of contractual agreements between Xinjiang United Family and the owners of the UFG entities. After the Reorganization, Chanson International becomes the ultimate holding company of Xinjiang United Family and has the effective control over the UFG entities.

 

  F-35  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

Reorganization (continued)

 

Xinjiang United Family entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the owners of the 22 UFG entities on May 2, 2020, and with the owner of the two newly established UFG entities on June 17, 2020 and October 14, 2020, respectively. These agreements include Exclusive Service Agreements, Pledge Agreements, Call Option Agreements, Operating Rights Proxy and Powers of Attorney Agreements and Spousal Consents (collectively, the “VIE Agreements”). Pursuant to the above VIE Agreements, Xinjiang United Family has the exclusive right to provide the UFG entities with consulting services related to business operations including operational and management consulting services. All the above contractual arrangements obligate Xinjiang United Family to absorb all of the risk of loss from business activities of these UFG entities and entitle Xinjiang United Family to receive all of their residual returns. In essence, Xinjiang United Family has gained effective control over the UFG entities. Therefore, the Company believes that these UFG entities should be considered as Variable Interest Entities (“VIE”) under the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810 “Consolidation.” Hereinafter, the four bakery stores directly owned by Xinjiang United Family and the UFG entities controlled through the VIE Agreements are collectively referred to as the “PRC Stores.”

 

The Company, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries and VIEs, is effectively controlled by the same shareholders before and after the Reorganization and therefore the Reorganization is considered under common control. The consolidation of the Company and its subsidiaries and VIEs has been accounted for at historical cost as of the beginning of the first period presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

  F-36  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

Reorganization (continued)

 

After the Reorganization, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company include the following entities:

 

Name of Entity   Date of
Incorporation
  Place of
Incorporation
    % of 
Ownership
  Principal Activities
Chanson International   July 26, 2019   Cayman Islands     Parent, 100%   Investment holding
                   
Deen Global   August 13, 2019   British Virgin Islands     100%   Investment holding
                   
Jenyd   September 13, 2019   Hong Kong     100%   Investment holding
                   
Xinjiang United Family   August 7, 2009   PRC     100%   Consultancy and information technology support; sells bakery products to customers
                   
25 UFG entities   2012 to 2020   PRC     VIEs   Sells bakery products to customers
                   
Chanson NY   April 17, 2015   New York     100%   Holding company. Consultancy and information technology support
                   
Chanson 23rd Street   December 18, 2015   New York     100%   Offers eat-in services and sells bakery products and beverage products to customers
                   
Chanson Greenwich   February 20, 2020   New York     100%   Offers eat-in services and sells bakery products and beverage products to customers. Newly incorporated – not in operation yet

 

  F-37  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

The VIE contractual arrangements

 

The UFG entities are controlled by the Company through contractual arrangements in lieu of direct equity ownership by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

 

A VIE is an entity that either has a total equity investment that is insufficient to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, or whose equity investors lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest, such as through voting rights, right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity, or obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity. The variable interest holder, if any, that has a controlling financial interest in a VIE is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of, and must consolidate, the VIE.

 

Xinjiang United Family is deemed to have a controlling financial interest in and be the primary beneficiary of the UFG entities because it has both of the following characteristics:

 

  The power to direct activities at the UFG entities that most significantly impact such entities’ economic performance, and

 

  The obligation to absorb losses of, and the right to receive benefits from, the UFG entities that could potentially be significant to such entities.

 

Pursuant to the contractual arrangements with the UFG entities, the UFG entities pay service fees equal to all of their net profit after tax payments to Xinjiang United Family. At the same time, Xinjiang United Family is obligated to absorb all of their losses. Such contractual arrangements are designed so that the operation of the UFG entities is for the benefit of Xinjiang United Family and, ultimately, the Company.

 

Risks associated with the VIE structure

 

The Company believes that the contractual arrangements with its VIEs and their respective owners are in compliance with PRC laws and regulations and are legally enforceable. However, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce such contractual arrangements. If the legal structure and contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government could:

 

  revoke the business and operating licenses of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs;

 

  discontinue or restrict the operations of any related-party transactions between the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs;

 

  limit the Company’s business expansion in China by way of entering into contractual arrangements;

 

  impose fines or other requirements with which the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs may not be able to comply;

 

  require the Company or the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations; or

 

  restrict or prohibit the Company’s use of the proceeds from its public offering to finance the Company’s business and operations in China.

 

  F-38  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION (continued)

 

The Company’s ability to conduct its consulting services business may be negatively affected if the PRC government were to carry out of any of the aforementioned actions. As a result, the Company may not be able to consolidate its VIEs in its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as it may lose the ability to exert effective control over the VIEs and their respective owners and it may lose the ability to receive economic benefits from the VIEs. The Company, however, does not believe such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of the Company and its PRC subsidiary and VIEs. The financial position, operation, and cash flow of the Company’s VIEs, the UFG entities, are material to total assets and liabilities presented on the unaudited condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and revenue, expenses, and net income presented on the unaudited condensed Consolidated Statement of Income and Other Comprehensive Income as well as the cash flows from operating investing and financing activities presented on the unaudited condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The Company has not provided any financial support to the VIEs for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. The following financial statement amounts and balances of the VIEs were included in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements after elimination of intercompany transactions and balances:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Current assets   $ 3,939,033     $ 1,331,795  
Non-current assets     3,914,838       3,779,962  
Total assets   $ 7,853,871     $ 5,111,757  
Current liabilities   $ 4,259,926     $ 2,860,762  
Non-current liabilities     1,260,955       1,279,682  
Total liabilities   $ 5,520,881     $ 4,140,444  

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
Net revenue   $ 3,696,145     $ 4,110,630  
Net income   $ 571,325     $ 895,370  

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of presentation and principles of consolidation

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. Operating results for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020.

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and VIEs. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

 

  F-39  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Uses of estimates

 

In preparing the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates are based on information as of the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Significant estimates required to be made by management include, but are not limited to, the valuation of accounts receivable, useful lives of property and equipment, the recoverability of long-lived assets, provision necessary for contingent liabilities, and revenue recognition. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

Cash includes currency on hand and deposits held by banks that can be added or withdrawn without limitation. The Company maintains a significant amount of its bank accounts in the PRC. Cash balances in bank accounts in the PRC are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or other programs. Cash balances in banks in the U.S. are insured by the FDIC subject to certain limitations. The Company considers all highly liquid investment instruments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.

 

Restricted cash

 

Restricted cash represents funds set aside and placed with the bank and serves as the security deposit which is not available to fund general liquidity needs of the Company.

 

Accounts receivable

 

Accounts receivable are recognized and carried at original invoiced amount less an estimated allowance for uncollectible accounts.

 

The Company determines the adequacy of reserves for doubtful accounts based on individual account analysis and historical collection trend. The Company establishes a provision for doubtful receivables when there is objective evidence that the Company may not be able to collect amounts due. The allowance is based on management’s best estimate of specific losses on individual exposures, as well as a provision on historical trends of collections. The provision is recorded against accounts receivable balances, with a corresponding charge recorded in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Actual amounts received may differ from management’s estimate of credit worthiness and the economic environment. Delinquent account balances are written-off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there was no allowance recorded as the Company considers all of the accounts receivable fully collectible.

 

  F-40  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Leases

 

The Company follows FASB ASC No. 842, Leases (“Topic 842”). The Company leases office spaces, bakery store facilities, and employee dormitories, which are classified as operating leases in accordance with Topic 842. Under Topic 842, lessees are required to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases, usually with initial term of 12 months or less) on the commencement date: (i) lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (ii) right-of-use (“ROU”) asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term.

 

At the commencement date, the Company recognizes the lease liability at the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, the Company’s incremental borrowing rate for the same term as the underlying lease. The ROU asset is recognized initially at cost, which primarily comprises the initial amount of the lease liability, plus any initial direct costs incurred, consisting mainly of brokerage commissions, less any lease incentives received. All ROU assets are reviewed for impairment annually. There was no impairment for ROU lease assets as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

  

In response to the large volume of anticipated lease concessions to be granted related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resultant expected cost and complexity of applying the lease modification requirements in Topic 842, the FASB issued Staff Q&A—Topic 842 and Topic 840: Accounting for Lease Concessions Related to the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in April 2020 as interpretive guidance to provide clarity in response to the crisis. The FASB staff indicated that it would be acceptable for entities to make an election to account for lease concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic consistent with how they would be accounted for as though enforceable rights and obligations for those concessions existed in the original contract. Consequently, for such lease concessions, an entity will not need to reassess each existing contract to determine whether enforceable rights and obligations for concessions exist and an entity can elect to apply or not to apply the lease modification guidance in Topic 842 to those contracts. The election is available for concessions related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that result in the total payments required by the modified contract being substantially the same as or less than total payments required by the original contract.

 

Based on the nature of the agreements reached with many of its landlords, the Company has accounted for rent concessions as if they were part of the enforceable rights and obligations of the existing lease contracts and did not account for the concessions as lease modifications. The Company has received a total of lease concessions amounting to $392,754, and among which, $231,103 was received during the six months ended June 30, 2020. The Company remeasured the lease payments using the same discount rate, and has continued to recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis for its leases over the related lease terms. As a result of the remeasurement, the Company’s operating lease liabilities decreased by $304,009, with a corresponding reduction in ROU assets of $304,009.

 

  F-41  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Inventories

 

Inventories of the Company consist of ingredient materials, finished goods, packing materials, and other materials. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, on a weighted average basis. Costs include the cost of ingredient materials, direct labor, and related production overhead. Any excess of the cost over the net realizable value of each item of inventories is recognized as a provision for diminution in the value of inventories. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the normal course of business less any costs to complete and sell products. The Company periodically evaluates inventories for their net realizable value adjustments, and reduces the carrying value of those inventories that are obsolete or in excess of the forecasted usage to their estimated net realizable value based on various factors including aging and expiration dates, as applicable, taking into consideration historical and expected future product sales. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, no inventory reserve was recorded because no slow-moving, obsolete, or damaged inventory was identified.

 

Property and equipment

 

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment are provided using the straight-line method over their expected useful lives, as follows:

 

    Useful life
Bakery production equipment   5-8 years
Office equipment and furniture   4-5 years
Transportation vehicles   5 years
Leasehold improvement   Lesser of useful life and lease term

 

Expenditures for maintenance and repair, which do not materially extend the useful lives of the assets, are charged to expenses as incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets retired or sold are removed from the respective accounts, and any gain or loss is recognized in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) in other income or expenses.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

Long-lived assets with finite lives, primarily property and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the estimated cash flows from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are below the asset’s carrying value, then the asset is deemed to be impaired and written down to its fair value. There were no impairments of these assets as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

 

Revenue recognition

 

The Company follows ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), for revenue recognition. ASC 606 establishes principles for reporting information about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts to provide goods or services to customers. The core principle requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that it expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services recognized, as performance obligations are satisfied.

   

  F-42  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Revenue recognition (continued)

 

The Company currently generates its revenue through its bakery/café stores as well as through online sales. The Company recognizes revenue from bakery/café sales upon delivery of the related food and other products to the customer and fulfillment of all performance obligations. Revenue is recognized net of any discounts, sales incentives, sales taxes, and value added taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to tax authorities.

 

In the PRC Stores, the Company sells membership cards that do not have an expiration date and from which the Company does not deduct non-usage fees from outstanding card balances. Membership cards are reloadable and redeemable at any of the Company’s store locations. Amounts loaded into these cards are initially recorded as deferred revenue. When membership cards are redeemed at stores, the Company recognizes revenue and reduces the deferred revenue. While the Company continues to honor all membership cards presented for payments, management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote for certain cards with long periods of inactivity (“breakage”), which is five years after the last usage based upon the Company’s historical redemption patterns. Membership card breakage is recorded as revenue in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss). Membership card breakage was immaterial for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

In the PRC Stores, the Company maintains a customer loyalty program in which customers earn free cash vouchers when purchasing or reloading membership cards at certain amount. These cash vouchers typically do not expire, except for certain vouchers given out at special occasions, which usually state an expiration date and can only be exchanged for certain seasonal products or specialty cakes. The Company establishes corresponding liabilities in deferred revenue for the membership cards and the free cash vouchers upon issuance. The Company allocates the consideration received proportionately between the membership cards and cash vouchers based on their face values. Revenue is recognized at the allocated amount upon redemption of membership cards and cash vouchers, at which point, the Company delivers products to customers and reduces the deferred revenue. Unredeemed cash vouchers will be recognized as revenue upon their expiration dates, if any, or five years after their issuance if there are no stated expiration dates, when management determines the likelihood of redemption to be remote.

 

Contract balances and remaining performance obligations

 

Contract balances typically arise when a difference in timing between the transfer of control to the customer and receipt of consideration occurs. The Company did not have contract assets as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. The Company’s contract liabilities, which are reflected in its unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as deferred revenue of $4,276,345 and $3,410,303 as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, consist primarily of customer payments for the membership cards and the fair value of the cash vouchers under the Company’s customer loyalty programs. These amounts represent the Company’s unsatisfied performance obligations as of the balance sheet dates. The amount of revenue recognized in the six months ended June 30 2020 and 2019 that was included in the opening deferred revenue was $1,845,873 and $918,272, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of unredeemed membership cards and cash vouchers was $4,276,345. The Company will recognize revenue when customers redeem the membership cards or cash vouchers in store purchases. Based on the Company’s historical experience, a significant portion of the redemption is expected to occur during the first two years after June 30, 2020 and the remaining between the third and fifth year.

 

Disaggregation of revenue

 

The Company disaggregates its revenue by geographic areas, as the Company believes it best depicts how the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of the revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors. The Company’s disaggregation of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 is disclosed in Note 12 of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

 

  F-43  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Fair value of financial instruments

 

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

 

  Level 1 — inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

  Level 2 — inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted market prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, and inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

 

  Level 3 — inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable.

 

Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalent, accounts receivable, deferred offering costs, prepaid expenses and other current assets, short-term bank loans, accounts payable, due to a related party, deferred revenue, taxes payable, and other current liabilities, approximates the fair value of the respective assets and liabilities as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 based upon the short-term nature of the assets and liabilities.

 

Foreign currency translation

 

The functional currency of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs is the Chinese Yuan (“RMB”) and the functional currency of the Company’s U.S. subsidiaries is the U.S. Dollars (“US$”). RMB amounts in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been translated into the reporting currency US$. Assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the exchange rate at each reporting period end date. Equity is translated at historical rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average rate of exchange during the reporting period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income (loss). Because cash flows are translated based on the average translation rate, amounts related to assets and liabilities reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the balance sheet. Gains and losses resulting from the translations of foreign currency transactions and balances are reflected in the results of operations.

 

RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currency and all foreign exchange transactions must take place through authorized institutions. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at the rates used in translation.

 

The following table outlines the currency exchange rates that were used in creating the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this report:

 

    For the Six Months
Ended June 30,
  For the Year Ended
December 31,
    2020   2019   2019
Period/Year-end spot rate   US$1=RMB7.0697   US$1=RMB6.8668   US$1=RMB6.9680
Average rate   US$1=RMB7.0332   US$1=RMB6.7856   US$1=RMB6.9088

 

  F-44  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Income taxes

 

The Company accounts for current income taxes in accordance with the laws of the relevant tax authorities. Deferred income taxes are recognized when temporary differences exist between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period including the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

An uncertain tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the “more likely than not” test, no tax benefit is recorded. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income tax are classified as income tax expense in the period incurred. No penalties or interest relating to income taxes were incurred during the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. The Company does not believe there was any uncertain tax provision at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

 

The Company’s operating subsidiary in China is subject to the income tax laws of the PRC. The Company’s operating subsidiary in United States is subject to the tax law of the United States. As of June 30, 2020, the tax years ended December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2019 for the Company’s PRC subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by PRC tax authorities, and the tax years ended December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2019 for the Company’s United States subsidiary remain open for statutory examination by U.S. tax authorities.

 

Value added tax (“VAT”)

 

The Company’s subsidiary Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices are general tax payers. Before April 1, 2019, the applicable VAT rate was 16%, and after April 1, 2019, the applicable VAT rate is 13% based on the new Chinese tax law. VAT is reported as a deduction to revenue when incurred. Entities that are VAT general taxpayers are allowed to offset qualified input VAT paid to suppliers against their output VAT liabilities. The UFG entities were formed as individually-owned businesses, which are generally subject to a lower VAT rate of 3% and the local PRC tax authority has the jurisdiction to assess and determine their VAT obligation or exemption on a case-by-case basis. 16 of the UFG entities are currently exempted from paying VAT while eight of these UFG entities are currently subject to VAT rate of 3% as determined by the local tax authority. Their VAT eligibility is subject to periodical reassessment, and they may lose or regain the exemption status as determined by the tax authorities on a case-by-case basis.

 

Earnings (loss) per share

 

The Company computes earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) in accordance with ASC 260, Earnings per Share (“ASC 260”). ASC 260 requires companies with complex capital structures to present basic and diluted EPS. Basic EPS is measured as net income divided by the weighted average common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted presents the dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common shares (e.g., convertible securities, options, and warrants) as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented, or issuance date, if later. Potential common shares that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no dilutive shares.

 

  F-45  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Comprehensive income (loss)

 

Comprehensive income (loss) consists of two components, net income (loss) and other comprehensive loss. The foreign currency translation gain or loss resulting from the translation of the financial statements expressed in RMB to US$ is reported in other comprehensive loss in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

 

Risks and uncertainties

 

Political and economic risk

 

The operations of the Company are located in the PRC and United States. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations may be influenced by political, economic, and legal environments in the PRC and United States, as well as by the general state of the PRC and United States economy. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in the political, regulatory, and social conditions in the PRC and United States. Although the Company has not experienced losses from these situations and believes that it is in compliance with existing laws and regulations including its organization and structure disclosed in Note 1, such experience may not be indicative of future results.

 

Foreign currency exchange risk

 

A majority of the Company’s revenue and expense transactions are denominated in RMB and most of the Company and its subsidiaries’ assets and liabilities are denominated in RMB. RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. In the PRC, certain foreign exchange transactions are required by law to be transacted only by authorized financial institutions at exchange rates set by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”). Remittances in currencies other than RMB by the Company in China must be processed through the PBOC or other China foreign exchange regulatory bodies which require certain supporting documentation in order to effect the remittance.

 

Credit risk

 

As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, $3,008,619 and $2,243,810 of the Company’s cash was on deposit at financial institutions in the PRC where there currently is no rule or regulation requiring such financial institutions to maintain insurance to cover bank deposits in the event of bank failure. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, $250,973 and $1,594,587 of the Company’s cash was on deposit at financial institutions in the U.S. which were insured by the FDIC subject to certain limitations. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company’s substantial assets were located in the PRC and the Company’s substantial revenue was derived from its subsidiary and VIEs located in the PRC.

 

Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and derived from revenue earned from customers, thereby exposed to credit risk. The risk is mitigated by the Company’s assessment of its customers’ creditworthiness and its ongoing monitoring of outstanding balances.

 

  F-46  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

 

Risks and uncertainties (continued)

 

Concentrations

 

No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, one customer accounted for 12.5% and another customer accounted for 10.7% of the Company’s total accounts receivable balance, respectively.

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, one supplier accounted for approximately 17.6% and 19.7% of the Company’s total purchases, respectively.

 

Recent accounting pronouncements

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards (the Simplification Initiative). The objective of the Simplification Initiative is to identify, evaluate, and improve areas of U.S. GAAP for which cost and complexity can be reduced while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. The specific areas of potential simplification in this ASU were submitted by stakeholders as part of the Simplification Initiative. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company will adopt this ASU on January 1, 2021 and the Company does not expect that the adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its financial statements.

 

Except for the above-mentioned pronouncements, there are no new recently issued accounting standards that will have material impact on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial position, statements of operations, and cash flows.

 

NOTE 3 — ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

 

The Company’s accounts receivable primarily include balance due from selling bakery products to local corporate customers, billed but has not been collected as of the balance sheet dates. Accounts receivable consisted of the following:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Accounts receivable   $ 1,168,708     $ 455,668  
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts     -       -  
Accounts receivable, net   $ 1,168,708     $ 455,668  

 

As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there was no allowance recorded as the Company considers all of the accounts receivable fully collectible. Approximately 91.3%, or $1.1 million, of the June 30, 2020 balance have been subsequently collected. The remaining balance of approximately $0.1 million is expected to be collected before June 30, 2021.

 

  F-47  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 4 — INVENTORIES

 

Inventories consisted of the following:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Ingredient materials   $ 312,950     $ 296,741  
Package and other materials     26,141       28,461  
Finished goods     21,796       25,893  
Subtotal     360,887       351,095  
Less: inventory allowances     -       -  
Inventories, net   $ 360,887     $ 351,095  

 

NOTE 5 — LEASES

 

The Company leases office spaces, bakery store facilities, and employee dormitories under non-cancelable operating leases, with terms ranging from 1 to 15 years. The Company considers those renewal or termination options that are reasonably certain to be exercised in the determination of the lease term and initial measurement of ROU assets and lease liabilities. Lease expense for lease payment is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Leases with initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet.

 

The Company determines whether a contract is or contains a lease at inception of the contract and whether that lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease. When available, the Company uses the rate implicit in the lease to discount lease payments to present value; however, most of the Company’s leases do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate. Therefore, the Company discounts lease payments based on an estimate of its incremental borrowing rate.

 

The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

 

The table below presents the operating lease related assets and liabilities recorded on the balance sheets.

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
ROU lease assets   $ 11,146,162     $ 8,346,190  
                 
Operating lease liabilities – current   $ 1,030,625     $ 901,797  
Operating lease liabilities – non-current     9,264,106       6,770,538  
Total operating lease liabilities   $ 10,294,731     $ 7,672,335  

  

  F-48  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 5 — LEASES (continued)

 

The weighted average remaining lease terms and discount rates for all of operating leases were as follows as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Remaining lease term and discount rate:                
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)     8.41       9.93  
Weighted average discount rate *     4.59 %     4.81 %

 

* The Company used incremental borrowing rate of 6.98% and 3.75% for its lease contracts in the PRC and United States, respectively.

 

During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company incurred total operating lease expenses of $817,107 and $865,334, respectively.

 

The following is a schedule, by years, of maturities of lease liabilities as of June 30, 2020:

 

Remainder of 2020   $ 535,640  
2021     1,501,421  
2022     1,418,719  
2023     1,284,895  
2024     1,279,301  
Thereafter     6,377,630  
Total lease payments     12,397,606  
Less: imputed interest     (2,102,875 )
Present value of lease liabilities   $ 10,294,731  

 

NOTE 6 — PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

 

Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Bakery production equipment   $ 743,681     $ 774,925  
Automobiles     29,163       29,596  
Office equipment and furniture     376,068       389,188  
Leasehold improvements     3,125,867       3,110,918  
Subtotal     4,274,779       4,304,627  
Less: accumulated depreciation     (1,314,807 )     (1,139,416 )
Property and equipment, net   $ 2,959,972     $ 3,165,211  

 

Depreciation expense was $237,768 and $189,368 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

In connection with the Company’s RMB15 million short-term loan from Huaxia Bank as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company pledged its fixed assets with net book values of $237,014 and $284,025, respectively, as collateral for this loan (see Note 7). 

 

  F-49  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 7 — SHORT-TERM BANK LOANS

 

On April 11, 2019, the Company’s subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family, entered into a loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million ($2,138,962 as of December 31, 2019) as working capital for one year, with a maturity date of April 11, 2020. The loan bore a fixed interest rate of 6.98%. The loan was subsequently repaid in full upon maturity. On May 11, 2020, Xinjiang United Family signed a new loan agreement with Huaxia Bank to borrow RMB15 million ($2,103,658 as of June 30, 2020) as working capital for a year, with a maturity date of May 11, 2021. The loan bears a favorable fixed interest rate of 4.98%. These two loans were guaranteed by Ms. Baolin Wang, the legal representative of Xinjiang United Family, and Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd. (“XJ Financing Guaranty”). In order for XJ Financing Guaranty to endorse the guarantee with the bank, the Company’s controlling shareholder Mr. Gang Li and his wife, Ms. Ying Xiong, jointly signed a personal guarantee agreement with XJ Financing Guaranty and pledged their residential property as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. In addition, Xinjiang United Family pledged all its equipment in PRC and the operating rights of two bakery stores as collateral to XJ Financing Guaranty. Three affiliated entities controlled by Mr. Gang Li also signed guarantee agreements with XJ Financing Guaranty.

 

On April 29, 2020, the Company’s subsidiary Chanson 23rd Street received a loan totaling $209,291 under the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), enacted on March 27, 2020. Under the terms of the SBA PPP loan, up to 100% of the principal and accrued interest may be forgiven if certain criteria are met and the loan proceeds are used for qualifying expenses such as payroll costs, benefits, rent, and utilities as described in the CARES Act. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1% and any portion of the principal and accrued interest that is not forgiven is required to be repaid by April 29, 2021.

 

For the above mentioned loans, the Company incurred interest expenses of $57,653 and $68,011 for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

NOTE 8 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

a. Due to a related party

 

As of June 30, 2020, due to a related party in the amount of $57,920 represented advances provided by Mr. Gang Li to fund the Company’s operations. These payables were unsecured, non-interest bearing, and due on demand. The amount due to a related party has been subsequently repaid as of the date of this report.

 

b. Other related party transactions

 

Several related parties provide guarantees in connection with the Company’s loans borrowed from Huaxia Bank (see Note 7).

 

  F-50  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 — TAXES

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”)

 

Cayman Islands

 

Under the current tax laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company is not subject to tax on its income or capital gains. In addition, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed upon the payment of dividends by the Company to its shareholders.

 

British Virgin Islands

 

Deen Global is incorporated in the BVI as an offshore holding company and is not subject to tax on income or capital gain under the laws of BVI.

 

Hong Kong

 

Jenyd is incorporated in Hong Kong and is subject to profit taxes in Hong Kong at a rate of 16.5%. However, Jenyd did not generate any assessable profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and accordingly no provision for Hong Kong profits tax was made in these periods.

 

PRC

 

Under the Enterprise Income Tax (“EIT”) Law of the PRC, domestic enterprises and Foreign Investment Enterprises (the “FIE”) are usually subject to a unified 25% enterprise income tax rate while preferential tax rates, tax holidays, or exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis. The Company’s subsidiary Xinjiang United Family and its three branch offices are incorporated in the PRC. During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, Xinjiang United Family and all its three branch offices qualified as small-scaled minimal profit enterprises. Based on the EIT Law of PRC, and according to the Announcement on Issues Related to the Implementation of Inclusive Income Tax Reduction and Exemption Policy for Small and Low Profit Enterprises issued by the State Administration of Taxation on January 18, 2019, from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, once an enterprise meets certain requirements and is identified as a small-scale minimal profit enterprise, the portion of its taxable income not more than RMB1 million is subject to a reduced rate of 5% and the portion between RMB1 million and RMB3 million is subject to a reduced rate of 10%.

 

The UFG entities are individually-owned businesses, which are not subject to the EIT Law of the PRC. The Measures for Individual Income Tax Calculation of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households, or the “Measures,” was adopted by the State Administration of Taxation on December 19, 2014 and promulgated on December 27, 2014. According to Article 7 of the Measures, for the income from production and operation of individually-owned businesses, the amount of taxable income shall be the balance of the total income of each tax year after deducting costs, expenses, taxes, losses and other expenditures, and allowable compensation for losses in previous years. Income tax for an individually-owned business is generally levied as a fixed-rate income tax at a certain percentage of a deemed Taxable Net Income (“TNI”) as assessed by the local tax authority. For the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, eight of these UFG entities were subject to income tax assessed at either 1% or 1.5% of TNI that ranged from RMB15,000 to RMB123,000 per month. The rest of these UFG entities were exempted from paying income tax. During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the total tax exemption of the UFG entities were $6,310 and $3,420, respectively. Along with the continuing growth of business, the Company expects that the tax rates of these UFG entities are likely to increase in the future in the annual assessment based on the past performance.

 

  F-51  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 — TAXES (continued)

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”) (continued)

 

United States

 

The Company’s subsidiaries in the U.S. are subject to a U.S. federal corporate income tax rate of 21%.

 

The components of the income tax provision were as follows:

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
Current tax provision            
Cayman Islands   $ -     $ -  
BVI     -       -  
Hong Kong     -       -  
PRC     7,451       11,206  
United States     -       -  
    $ 7,451     $ 11,206  
Deferred tax provision                
Cayman Islands   $ -     $ -  
BVI     -       -  
Hong Kong     -       -  
PRC     -       -  
United States     -       -  
      -       -  
Income tax provision   $ 7,451     $ 11,206  

 

The Company’s deferred tax assets were comprised of the following:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Net operating loss   $ 1,282,760     $ 1,138,512  
Total deferred tax assets     1,282,760       1,138,512  
Valuation allowance     (1,282,760 )     (1,138,512 )
Deferred tax assets   $ -     $ -  

 

The Company’s operations in the U.S. incurred a cumulative net operating loss (“NOL”) which may reduce future federal taxable income. As of December 31, 2019, the cumulative NOL was $5,421,486. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the U.S. operations incurred an additional NOL of $686,895, resulting in a cumulative NOL of $6,108,380 as of June 30, 2020, among which approximately $2,882,465 will expire in 2037 and the remaining balance is carried forward indefinitely.

 

  F-52  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 9 — TAXES (continued)

 

(a) Corporate Income Taxes (“CIT”) (continued)

 

The Company periodically evaluates the likelihood of the realization of deferred tax assets, and reduces the carrying amount of the deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance to the extent it believes a portion will not be realized. Management considers new evidence, both positive and negative, that could affect the Company’s future realization of deferred tax assets including its recent cumulative earnings experience, expectation of future income, the carry forward periods available for tax reporting purposes and other relevant factors. The Company determined that it is more likely than not its deferred tax assets could not be realized due to uncertainty on future earnings in the U.S. operations. The Company provided a 100% allowance for its deferred tax assets as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

 

The following table reconciles the China statutory rates to the Company’s effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019:

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
Statutory PRC income tax rate     25.0 %     25.0 %
Favorable tax rate and tax exemption impact in PRC entities (a)     402.2 %     (45.7 )%
Tax rate difference in U.S. subsidiaries     (71.5 )%     3.6 %
Change in valuation allowance     375.1 %     19.0 %
Effective tax rate     (19.4 )%     1.9 %

 

(a) During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company’s subsidiary, Xinjiang United Family, and its three branch offices, were subject to a favorable tax rate of 5%. Eight of the UFG entities were assessed by the local tax authority to be subject to a fixed amount of income tax per month calculated as either 1% or 1.5% of TNI ranging from RMB15,000 to RMB123,000 per month. The rest of the UFG entities were exempted from paying income tax. For six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the tax saving as the result of the favorable tax rates and tax exemption amounted to $154,659 and $270,068, respectively, and per share effect of the favorable tax rate and tax exemption was $1,547 and $2,701, respectively.

 

Taxes payable consisted of the following:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Income tax payable   $ 4,053     $ 102,044  
Value added tax payable     45,047       7,151  
Other taxes payable     11,072       17,209  
Total taxes payable   $ 60,172     $ 126,404  

 

  F-53  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 10 – SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Ordinary shares

 

Chanson International is a company established under the laws of the Cayman Islands on July 26, 2019. Prior to the 1,000-for-1 forward split and the share issuances (see Note 15), the authorized number of ordinary shares was 50,000 shares with par value of $1 per share and 100 ordinary shares were issued. The issuance of these 100 ordinary shares is considered as a part of the Reorganization of the Company, which was retroactively applied as if the transaction occurred at the beginning of the period presented (see Note 1).

 

Statutory Reserve

 

The Company’s PRC subsidiary is required to make appropriations to certain reserve funds, comprising the statutory surplus reserve and the discretionary surplus reserve, based on after-tax net income determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the PRC (“PRC GAAP”). Appropriations to the statutory surplus reserve are required to be at least 10% of the after-tax net income determined in accordance with PRC GAAP until the reserve is equal to 50% of the entity’s registered capital. Appropriations to the discretionary surplus reserve are made at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The statutory reserve may be applied against prior year losses, if any, and may be used for general business expansion and production or increase in registered capital, but are not distributable as cash dividends. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the balance of the required statutory reserves was $447,231 and $447,231, respectively.

 

Restricted net assets

 

The Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets, equivalent to their statutory reserves and their share capital to the Company in the form of loans, advances, or cash dividends. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations, procedures, and formalities. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the total restricted net assets amounted to $1,325,631 and $1,325,631, respectively.

 

NOTE 11 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Contingencies

 

From time to time, the Company is a party to various legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company accrues costs associated with these matters when they become probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs incurred in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no legal claims and litigation against the Company.

 

  F-54  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 12 – SEGMENT REPORTING

 

In accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting, operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (the “CODM”), or decision making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company uses the “management approach” in determining reportable operating segments. The management approach considers the internal organization and reporting used by the Company’s CODM for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source for determining the Company’s reportable segments. Management, including the CODM, reviews operation results by the revenue of different services. Based on management’s assessment, the Company has determined that it has two operating segments.

 

The following table presents the segment information for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively:

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30, 2020
 
    China     United
States
    Total  
Revenue   $ 4,268,057     $ 738,518     $ 5,006,575  
Cost of revenue     2,121,091       387,052       2,508,143  
Gross profit   $ 2,146,966     $ 351,466     $ 2,498,432  
Net income (loss)   $ 640,992     $ (686,895 )   $ (45,903 )
Interest expense, net     (55,818 )     -       (55,818 )
Provision for income tax     7,451       -       7,451  
Depreciation and amortization   $ 134,642     $ 103,126     $ 237,768  
Capital expenditures   $ 27,428     $ 17,850     $ 45,278  

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30, 2019
 
    China     United
States
    Total  
Revenue   $ 4,894,587     $ 1,427,188     $ 6,321,775  
Cost of revenue     2,181,733       699,689       2,881,422  
Gross profit   $ 2,712,854     $ 727,499     $ 3,440,353  
Net income (loss)   $ 1,113,889     $ (534,142 )   $ 579,747  
Interest expense, net     (67,207 )     -       (67,207 )
Provision for income tax     11,206       -       11,206  
Depreciation and amortization   $ 113,873     $ 75,495     $ 189,368  
Capital expenditures   $ 297,126     $ 12,173     $ 309,299  

 

  F-55  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 12 – SEGMENT REPORTING (continued)

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Total assets:            
China   $ 8,941,516     $ 7,585,663  
United Stated     11,432,242       9,862,062  
Total assets   $ 20,373,758     $ 17,447,725  
                 
Total liabilities:                
China   $ 9,587,996     $ 8,659,505  
United Stated     8,575,078       6,517,160  
Total liabilities   $ 18,163,074     $ 15,176,665  

 

NOTE 13 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

In year 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has spread throughout the world, especially in China and the United States. The outbreak resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. After the store closure between late January and early March of 2020, all the PRC Stores were closed again on July 17, 2020 due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang. The PRC Stores resumed their normal activities in September 2020. As a result of the store closure, the PRC Stores generated no revenue during the period of closure. In the United States, Chanson 23rd Street in New York City resumed outdoor dining services at the end of June 2020 and indoor dining services at the end of September 2020. Chanson 23rd Street has suspended its indoor dining services again since December 14, 2020 according to an indoor dining ban issued by the Governor of New York State. In addition, the renovation of the new store, Chanson Greenwich, was delayed and the Company currently expects the store to open in the Spring 2021. Consequently, the COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected the Company’s business operations and operating results for 2020. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the COVID-19 outbreak in China appears to have been under relative control. However, the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. will depend on the future developments of the outbreak, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the outbreak, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. Therefore, while the Company expects the COVID-19 outbreak to continue negatively impacting its business, results of operations, and financial position, the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

 

The Company evaluated the subsequent event through January 27, 2021, which is the date of the issuance of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, and concluded that there is no additional subsequent events except disclosed in above that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

  F-56  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 14 – CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Rules 12-04(a), 5-04(c), and 4-08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X, the condensed financial information of the parent company shall be filed when the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries exceed 25 percent of consolidated net assets as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. The Company performed a test on the restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries in accordance with such requirements and concluded that it was applicable to the Company as the restricted net assets of the Company’s PRC subsidiary and VIEs exceeded 25% of the consolidated net assets of the Company. Therefore, the condensed financial statements for the parent company are included herein.

 

For purposes of the above test, restricted net assets of consolidated subsidiaries and VIEs shall mean that amount of the Company’s proportionate share of net assets of consolidated subsidiaries (after intercompany eliminations) which as of the end of the most recent fiscal year may not be transferred to the parent company by subsidiaries and VIEs in the form of loans, advances, or cash dividends without the consent of a third party.

 

The condensed financial information of the parent company has been prepared using the same accounting policies as set out in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements except that the parent company used the equity method to account for investment in its subsidiaries and VIEs. Such investment is presented on the condensed balance sheets as “Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs” and the respective profit or loss as “Equity in earnings of subsidiaries and VIEs” on the condensed statements of income.

 

The footnote disclosures contain supplemental information relating to the operations of the Company and, as such, these statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted.

 

The Company did not pay any dividend for the periods presented. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no material contingencies, significant provisions for long-term obligations, or guarantees of the Company, except for those which have been separately disclosed in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, if any.

 

  F-57  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 14 – CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (continued)

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED PARENT COMPANY BALANCE SHEETS

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
    (Unaudited)        
ASSETS            
Non-current assets                
Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs   $ 2,210,684     $ 2,271,060  
                 
Total assets   $ 2,210,684     $ 2,271,060  
                 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
                 
LIABILITIES   $ -     $ -  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                 
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 9,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively:*                
Class A ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 44,000,000 shares authorized; 3,060,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     3,060       3,060  
Class B ordinary share, $0.001 par value, 6,000,000 shares authorized; 5,940,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively     5,940       5,940  
Additional paid-in capital     869,400       869,400  
Retained earnings     1,162,951       1,208,854  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     169,333       183,806  
Total shareholders’ equity     2,210,684       2,271,060  
                 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 2,210,684     $ 2,271,060  

 

  * Retrospectively restated for effect of 1,000-for-1 forward split and share issuances (see Note 15).

 

  F-58  

 

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 14 – CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (continued)

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
             
EQUITY IN EARNINGS (LOSS) OF SUBSIDIARIES AND VIES   $ (45,903 )   $ 502,291  
                 
NET INCOME (LOSS)     (45,903 )     502,291  
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION ADJUSTMENTS     (14,473 )     (13,980 )
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMPANY   $ (60,376 )   $ 488,311  

 

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

UNAUDITED PARENT COMPANY STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
    2020     2019  
             
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:            
Net income (loss)   $ (45,903 )   $ 502,291  
Adjustments to reconcile net cash flows from operating activities:                
Equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries and VIEs     45,903       (502,291 )
Net cash used in operating activities     -       -  
                 
CHANGES IN CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH     -       -  
                 
CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period     -       -  
                 
CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period   $ -     $ -  

 

NOTE 15OTHER SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On March 27, 2021, the Company’s shareholders and board of directors approved (i) a forward split of the Company’s ordinary shares at a ratio of 1,000-for-1 share to increase the authorized ordinary shares from 50,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares and subdivide the 100 ordinary shares of a par value of $1 then outstanding into 100,000 ordinary shares of a par value of $0.001 (the “1,000-for-1 forward split”); (ii) the creation of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares; and (iii) issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares to the existing shareholders, to increase the number of total ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to the completion of this offering from 100,000 to 9,000,000 (the “share issuances”). The Company believes the 1,000-for-1 forward split and the share issuances should be considered as a part of the Reorganization of the Company and accounted for on a retroactive basis pursuant to ASC 260. The Company has retroactively restated all shares and per share data for all periods presented. As a result, the Company had 44,000,000 authorized Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 3,060,000 Class A Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and the Company had 6,000,000 authorized Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 5,940,000 Class B Ordinary Shares were issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019. In total, the Company had 50,000,000 authorized ordinary shares of a par value of $0.001, of which 9,00,000 were issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

 

  F-59  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until [      ], all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

 

Chanson International Holding

 

Prospectus dated [●]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

 

The Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated articles of association, which will become effective upon or before completion of this offering, provide that, to the extent permitted by law, we shall indemnify each existing or former secretary, director (including alternate director), and any of our other officers (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against:

 

(a) all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages, or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer in or about the conduct of our business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former director (including alternate director)’s, secretary’s, or officer’s duties, powers, authorities or discretions; and

 

(b) without limitation to paragraph (a) above, all costs, expenses, losses, or liabilities incurred by the existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning us or our affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

No such existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty.

 

To the extent permitted by law, we may make a payment, or agree to make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan or otherwise, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former director (including alternate director), secretary, or any of our officers in respect of any matter identified in above on condition that the director (including alternate director), secretary, or officer must repay the amount paid by us to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the director (including alternate director), the secretary or that officer for those legal costs.

 

Pursuant to indemnification agreements, the form of which will be filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this registration statement, we will agree to indemnify our directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or officer.

 

The Underwriting Agreement, the form of which will be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and directors.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

ITEM 7. RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.

 

During the past three years, we have issued the following securities which were not registered under the Securities Act. We believe that each of the following issuance was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Regulation D under the Securities Act or pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering or in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act regarding sales by an issuer in offshore transactions. No underwriters were involved in these issuances of securities.

 

Securities/Purchaser   Date of Issuance   Number of
Securities*
    Consideration  
Ordinary Shares**                    
Danton Global Limited   July 26, 2019     93,000     $ 93  
Haily Global Limited   July 26, 2019     3,000     $ 3  
Yetta Global Limited   July 26, 2019     2,000     $ 2  
Yvan Global Limited   July 26, 2019     2,000     $ 2  
Class A Ordinary Shares                    
Danton Global Limited   [●], 2021***     2,610,000     $ 2,610  
Yetta Global Limited   [●], 2021***     178,000     $ 178  
Yvan Global Limited   [●], 2021***     178,000     $ 178  
Class B Ordinary Shares                    
Danton Global Limited   [●], 2021***     5,400,000     $ 5,400  
Haily Global Limited   [●], 2021***     267,000     $ 267  
C&C Capital Investments LLC   [●], 2021***     267,000     $ 267  

 

* The number of securities reflects a 1,000-for-1 forward split of our ordinary shares approved by our shareholders and board of directors on March 27, 2021.
   
** On March 27, 2021, our shareholder approved the re-designation of 90,000 of our issued ordinary shares held by Danton Global Limited into 90,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, 2,000 of our issued ordinary shares held by Yetta Global Limited into 2,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, 2,000 of our issued ordinary shares held by Yvan Global Limited into 2,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, and 3,000 of our issued ordinary shares held by Haily Global Limited into 3,000 Class B Ordinary Shares.
   
*** The issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares have been duly authorized by our board of directors and are subject to the acceptance by the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands of the filing of our second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

 

II-1

 

 

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

 

(a) Exhibits

 

See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-5 of this registration statement.

 

(b) Financial Statement Schedules

 

Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes thereto.

 

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the Underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the Underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

(4) For the purpose of determining any liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

II-2

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Urumqi, People’s Republic of China, on March 31, 2021.

 

  Chanson International Holding
     
  By:

/s/ Cheng Chen

    Cheng Chen
    Chief Executive Officer and Director
    (Principal Executive Officer)

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Cheng Chen    Chief Executive Officer and Director   March 31, 2021
Name: Cheng Chen   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Jihong Cai    Chief Financial Officer   March 31, 2021
Name: Jihong Cai   (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)    
         
/s/ Gang Li    Chairman of the Board of Directors   March 31, 2021
Name: Gang Li        

 

II-3

 

 

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES

 

Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of America of Chanson International Holding, has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in New York, NY on March 31, 2021.

 

    Cheng Chen
    Authorized U.S. Representative
     
  By: /s/ Cheng Chen
    Name: Cheng Chen
    Title: Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

II-4

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Description    
1.1**   Form of Underwriting Agreement
     
3.1*   Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
     
4.1*   Specimen Certificate for Class A Ordinary Shares
     
4.2**   Form of Underwriter’s Warrant
     
5.1*   Opinion of Ogier regarding the validity of the Ordinary Shares being registered
     
8.1**   Opinion of Dentons regarding certain PRC tax matters (included in Exhibit 99.7)
     
10.1*   Form of Employment Agreement by and between executive officers and the Registrant
     
10.2*   Form of Indemnification Agreement with the Registrant’s directors and officers
     
10.3*   English Translation of the Form of Exclusive Service Agreement between each UFG Operator and Xinjiang United Family, as currently in effect, and a schedule of all executed Exclusive Service Agreements adopting the same form
     
10.4*   English Translation of the Form of Operating Rights Proxy Agreement between each UFG Operator and Xinjiang United Family, as currently in effect, and a schedule of all executed Operating Rights Proxy Agreements adopting the same form
     
10.5*   English Translation of the Form of Pledge Agreement between each UFG Operator and Xinjiang United Family, as currently in effect, and a schedule of all executed Pledge Agreements adopting the same form
     
10.6*   English Translation of the Form of Call Option Agreement between each UFG Operator and Xinjiang United Family, as currently in effect, and a schedule of all executed Call Option Agreements adopting the same form
     
10.7*   English Translation of the Form of Spousal Consent granted by the spouse of each UFG Operator, as currently in effect, and a schedule of all executed Spousal Consents adopting the same form
     
10.8*   English Translation of Premises Use Agreement dated April 30, 2020, and Supplemental Agreement dated June 18, 2020, between Xinjiang United Family and Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.
     
10.9*   English Translation of Working Capital Loan Agreement dated May 7, 2020, between Xinjiang United Family and Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd.
     
10.10*   English Translation of Guarantee Agreement dated May 9, 2020, between Xinjiang United Family and XJ Financing Guaranty
     
10.11*   English Translation of Counter Guarantee Agreement dated May 9, 2020, between Xinjiang United Family and XJ Financing Guaranty
     
10.12*   English Translation of Operating Right Counter Guarantee Agreement dated May 9, 2020, between Xinjiang United Family and XJ Financing Guaranty
     
10.13*   Business Loan Agreement and Promissory Note dated April 29, 2020, between Chanson 23rd Street and Cathay Bank
     
10.14*   Assignment of Limited Liability Company Interest dated September 28, 2020, between Gang Li and Chanson NY

 

II-5

 

 

21.1*   Subsidiaries
     
23.1*   Consent of Friedman LLP
     
23.2*   Consent of Ogier (included in Exhibit 5.1)
     
23.3**   Consent of Dentons (included in Exhibit 99.7)
     
99.1*   Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant
     
99.2*   Consent of Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co.
     
99.3*   Consent of Yong Du
     
99.4*   Consent of Zhiyuan Wang
     
99.5*   Consent of Shouhua Nie
     
99.6*   Consent of Yuchen Liu
     
99.7**   Opinion of Dentons, People’s Republic of China counsel to the Registrant, regarding certain PRC law matters and the validity of the VIE agreements
     
99.8*   Request for Waiver and Representation under Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F

 

* Filed herewith.
   
** To be filed by amendment.

 

 

II-6

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

 

 

 

Companies Act (Revised)

 

Company Limited by Shares

 

 

 

Second Amended and Restated

Memorandum of Association

of

Chanson International Holding

 

香颂国际控股公司

 

 

 

(Adopted by special resolution passed on March 27th, 2021)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Companies Act (Revised)

 

Company Limited by Shares

 

Second Amended and Restated
Memorandum of Association

 

of

 

Chanson International Holding

 

香颂国际控股公司

 

(Adopted by special resolution passed on Marth 27th, 2021)

 

1 The name of the Company is Chanson International Holding 香颂国际控股公司.

 

2 The Company’s registered office will be situated at the offices of Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited, 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, PO Box 10240, Grand Cayman, KY1-1002 Cayman Islands, or at such other place in the Cayman Islands as the directors may at any time decide.

 

3 The Company’s objects are unrestricted. As provided by section 7(4) of the Companies Act (Revised), the Company has full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by any law of the Cayman Islands.

 

4 The Company has unrestricted corporate capacity. Without limitation to the foregoing, as provided by section 27 (2) of the Companies Act (Revised), the Company has and is capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit.

 

5 Nothing in any of the preceding paragraphs permits the Company to carry on any of the following businesses without being duly licensed, namely:

 

(a) the business of a bank or trust company without being licensed in that behalf under the Banks and Trust Companies Act (Revised); or

 

(b) insurance business from within the Cayman Islands or the business of an insurance manager, agent, sub-agent or broker without being licensed in that behalf under the Insurance Act (Revised); or

 

(c) the business of company management without being licensed in that behalf under the Companies Management Act (Revised).

 

6 The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of its business carried on outside the Cayman Islands. Despite this, the Company may effect and conclude contracts in the Cayman Islands and exercise in the Cayman Islands any of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

 

 

7 The Company is a company limited by shares and accordingly the liability of each member is limited to the amount (if any) unpaid on that member’s shares.

 

8 The share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 44,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of US$0.001 par value each and 6,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares of US$0.001 par value each. Subject to the Companies Act (Revised) and the Company’s articles of association, the Company has power to do any one or more of the following:

 

(a) to redeem or repurchase any of its shares; and

 

(b) to increase or reduce its capital; and

 

(c) to issue any part of its capital (whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced):

 

(i) with or without any preferential, deferred, qualified or special rights, privileges or conditions; or

 

(ii) subject to any limitations or restrictions

 

and unless the condition of issue expressly declares otherwise, every issue of shares (whether declared to be ordinary, preference or otherwise) is subject to this power; or

 

(d) to alter any of those rights, privileges, conditions, limitations or restrictions.

 

9 The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

 

 

Companies Act (Revised)

 

Company Limited By Shares

 

 

 

Second Amended and Restated
Articles of Association
of
Chanson International Holding

香颂国际控股公司

 

 

 

(Adopted by special resolution passed on March 27th, 2021)

 

 

 

Contents

 

1 Definitions, interpretation and exclusion of Table A 1
  Definitions 1
  Interpretation 4
  Exclusion of Table A Articles 5
2 Shares 5
  Power to issue Shares and options, with or without special rights 5
  Power to pay commissions and brokerage fees 5
  Trusts not recognised 6
  Security interests 6
  Power to vary class rights 6
  Effect of new Share issue on existing class rights 6
  No bearer Shares or warrants 7
  Treasury Shares 7
  Rights attaching to Treasury Shares and related matters 7
  Register of Members 7
  Annual Return 8
3 Share certificates 8
  Issue of share certificates 8
  Renewal of lost or damaged share certificates 8
4 Lien on Shares 9
  Nature and scope of lien 9
  Company may sell Shares to satisfy lien 9
  Authority to execute instrument of transfer 10
  Consequences of sale of Shares to satisfy lien 10
  Application of proceeds of sale 10
5 Calls on Shares and forfeiture 11
  Power to make calls and effect of calls 11
  Time when call made 11
  Liability of joint holders 11
  Interest on unpaid calls 11
  Deemed calls 11
  Power to accept early payment 12
  Power to make different arrangements at time of issue of Shares 12
  Notice of default 12
  Forfeiture or surrender of Shares 12
  Disposal of forfeited or surrendered Share and power to cancel forfeiture or surrender 12
  Effect of forfeiture or surrender on former Member 13
  Evidence of forfeiture or surrender 13
  Sale of forfeited or surrendered Shares 13
6 Transfer of Shares 14
  Right to transfer 14
  Suspension of transfers 15
  Company may retain instrument of transfer 15
  Notice of refusal to register 15
7 Transmission of Shares 15
  Persons entitled on death of a Member 15
  Registration of transfer of a Share following death or bankruptcy 15
  Indemnity 16
  Rights of person entitled to a Share following death or bankruptcy 16

 

i

 

 

8 Alteration of capital 16
  Increasing, consolidating, converting, dividing and cancelling share capital 16
  Dealing with fractions resulting from consolidation of Shares 17
  Reducing share capital 17
9 Redemption and purchase of own Shares 17
  Power to issue redeemable Shares and to purchase own Shares 17
  Power to pay for redemption or purchase in cash or in specie 18
  Effect of redemption or purchase of a Share 18
  Conversion Rights 19
  Share Conversions 19
10 Meetings of Members 19
  Annual and extraordinary general meetings 19
  Power to call meetings 19
  Content of notice 20
  Period of notice 21
  Persons entitled to receive notice 21
  Accidental omission to give notice or non-receipt of notice 21
11 Proceedings at meetings of Members 22
  Quorum 22
  Lack of quorum 22
  Chairman 22
  Right of a Director to attend and speak 22
  Accommodation of Members at meeting 22
  Security 23
  Adjournment 23
  Method of voting 23
  Outcome of vote by show of hands 24
  Withdrawal of demand for a poll 24
  Taking of a poll 24
  Chairman’s casting vote 24
  Written resolutions 24
  Sole-Member Company 25
12 Voting rights of Members 25
  Right to vote 25
  Rights of joint holders 26
  Representation of corporate Members 26
  Member with mental disorder 26
  Objections to admissibility of votes 27
  Form of proxy 27
  How and when proxy is to be delivered 27
  Voting by proxy 29
13 Number of Directors 29
14 Appointment, disqualification and removal of Directors 30
  First Directors 30
  No age limit 30
  Corporate Directors 30
  No shareholding qualification 30
  Appointment of Directors 30
  Board’s power to appoint Directors 30
  Eligibility 31
  Appointment at annual general meeting 31
  Removal of Directors 31
  Resignation of Directors 31

 

ii

 

 

  Termination of the office of Director 31
15 Alternate Directors 32
  Appointment and removal 32
  Notices 33
  Rights of alternate Director 33
  Appointment ceases when the appointor ceases to be a Director 33
  Status of alternate Director 33
  Status of the Director making the appointment 34
16 Powers of Directors 34
  Powers of Directors 34
  Directors below the minimum number 34
  Appointments to office 34
  Provisions for employees 35
  Exercise of voting rights 35
  Remuneration 35
  Disclosure of information 36
17 Delegation of powers 36
  Power to delegate any of the Directors’ powers to a committee 36
  Local boards 37
  Power to appoint an agent of the Company 37
  Power to appoint an attorney or authorised signatory of the Company 37
  Borrowing Powers 38
  Corporate Governance 38
18 Meetings of Directors 38
  Regulation of Directors’ meetings 38
  Calling meetings 38
  Notice of meetings 39
  Use of technology 39
  Quorum 39
  Chairman or deputy to preside 39
  Voting 39
  Recording of dissent 39
  Written resolutions 40
  Validity of acts of Directors in spite of formal defect 40
19 Permissible Directors’ interests and disclosure 40
20 Minutes 41
21 Accounts and audit 42
Auditors 42
22 Record dates 42
23 Dividends 43
  Source of dividends 43
  Declaration of dividends by Members 43
  Payment of interim dividends and declaration of final dividends by Directors 43
  Apportionment of dividends 44
  Right of set off 44
  Power to pay other than in cash 44
  How payments may be made 45
  Dividends or other monies not to bear interest in absence of special rights 45

 

iii

 

 

  Dividends unable to be paid or unclaimed 45
24 Capitalisation of profits 46
  Capitalisation of profits or of any share premium account or capital redemption reserve; 46
  Applying an amount for the benefit of Members 46
25 Share Premium Account 46
  Directors to maintain share premium account 46
  Debits to share premium account 46
26 Seal 47
  Company seal 47
  Duplicate seal 47
  When and how seal is to be used 47
  If no seal is adopted or used 47
  Power to allow non-manual signatures and facsimile printing of seal 47
  Validity of execution 48
27 Indemnity 48
  Release 49
  Insurance 49
28 Notices 49
  Form of notices 49
  Electronic communications 50
  Persons entitled to notices 51
  Persons authorised to give notices 51
  Delivery of written notices 51
  Joint holders 51
  Signatures 51
  Giving notice to a deceased or bankrupt Member 52
  Date of giving notices 52
  Saving provision 52
29 Authentication of Electronic Records 53
  Application of Articles 53
  Authentication of documents sent by Members by Electronic means 53
  Authentication of document sent by the Secretary or Officers of the Company by Electronic means 53
  Manner of signing 54
  Saving provision 54
30 Transfer by way of continuation 54
31 Winding up 55
  Distribution of assets in specie 55
  No obligation to accept liability 55
32 Amendment of Memorandum and Articles 55
  Power to change name or amend Memorandum 55
  Power to amend these Articles 55

 

iv

 

 

Companies Act (Revised)

 

Company Limited by Shares

 

Second Amended and Restated
Articles of Association

 

of

 

Chanson International Holding

香颂国际控股公司

 

(Adopted by special resolution passed on March 27th, 2021)

 

1 Definitions, interpretation and exclusion of Table A

 

Definitions

 

1.1 In these Articles, the following definitions apply:

 

ADS means an American depository share representing a Share;

 

Articles means, as appropriate:

 

(a) these articles of association as amended from time to time: or

 

(b) two or more particular articles of these Articles;

 

and Article refers to a particular article of these Articles;

 

Auditors means the auditor or auditors for the time being of the Company;

 

Board means the board of Directors from time to time;

 

Business Day means a day when banks in Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands are open for the transaction of normal banking business and for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in the Cayman Islands;

 

Cayman Islands means the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands;

 

Class A Ordinary Share means a Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.001 in the share capital of the Company;

 

Class B Ordinary Share means a Class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.001 in the share capital of the Company;

 

Clear Days, in relation to a period of notice, means that period excluding:

 

1

 

 

(a) the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given; and

 

(b) the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;

 

Commission means Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or other federal agency for the time being administering the U.S. Securities Act;

 

Company means the above-named company;

 

Default Rate means ten per cent per annum;

 

Designated Stock Exchanges means Nasdaq Capital Market in the United States of America for so long as the Company’s Shares or ADSs are there listed and any other stock exchange on which the Company’s Shares or ADSs are listed for trading;

 

Designated Stock Exchange Rules means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares or ADSs on the Designated Stock Exchanges;

 

Directors means the directors for the time being of the Company and the expression Director shall be construed accordingly;

 

Electronic has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands;

 

Electronic Record has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands;

 

Electronic Signature has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands;

 

Fully Paid Up means:

 

(a) in relation to a Share with par value, means that the par value for that Share and any premium payable in respect of the issue of that Share, has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth; and

 

(b) in relation to a Share without par value, means that the agreed issue price for that Share has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth;

 

General Meeting means a general meeting of the Company duly constituted in accordance with the Articles;

 

Independent Director means a Director who is an independent director as defined in the Designated Stock Exchange Rules as determined by the Board;

 

2

 

 

Law means the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, including any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;

 

Member means any person or persons entered on the register of Members from time to time as the holder of a Share;

 

Memorandum means the memorandum of association of the Company as amended from time to time;

 

month means a calendar month;

 

Officer means a person appointed to hold an office in the Company including a Director, alternate Director or liquidator and excluding the Secretary;

 

Ordinary Resolution means a resolution of a General Meeting passed by a simple majority of Members who (being entitled to do so) vote in person or by proxy at that meeting. The expression includes a unanimous written resolution;

 

Partly Paid Up means:

 

(a) in relation to a Share with par value, that the par value for that Share and any premium payable in respect of the issue of that Share, has not been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth; and

 

(b) in relation to a Share without par value, means that the agreed issue price for that Share has not been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth;

 

Secretary means a person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Company, including a joint, assistant or deputy secretary;

 

Share means a Class A Ordinary Share or a Class B Ordinary Share in the capital of the Company and the expression:

 

(a) includes stock (except where a distinction between shares and stock is expressed or implied); and

 

(b) where the context permits, also includes a fraction of a Share;

 

Special Resolution means a resolution of a General Meeting or a resolution of a meeting of the holders of any class of Shares in a class meeting duly constituted in accordance with the Articles in each case passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of Members who (being entitled to do so) vote in person or by proxy at that meeting. The expression includes a unanimous written resolution;

 

Treasury Shares means Shares held in treasury pursuant to the Law and Article 2.12; and

 

3

 

 

U.S. Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

 

Interpretation

 

1.2 In the interpretation of these Articles, the following provisions apply unless the context otherwise requires:

 

(a) A reference in these Articles to a statute is a reference to a statute of the Cayman Islands as known by its short title, and includes:

 

(i) any statutory modification, amendment or re-enactment; and

 

(ii) any subordinate legislation or regulations issued under that statute.

 

Without limitation to the preceding sentence, a reference to a revised Law of the Cayman Islands is taken to be a reference to the revision of that Law in force from time to time as amended from time to time.

 

(b) Headings are inserted for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Articles, unless there is ambiguity.

 

(c) If a day on which any act, matter or thing is to be done under these Articles is not a Business Day, the act, matter or thing must be done on the next Business Day.

 

(d) A word which denotes the singular also denotes the plural, a word which denotes the plural also denotes the singular, and a reference to any gender also denotes the other genders.

 

(e) A reference to a person includes, as appropriate, a company, trust, partnership, joint venture, association, body corporate or government agency.

 

(f) Where a word or phrase is given a defined meaning another part of speech or grammatical form in respect to that word or phrase has a corresponding meaning.

 

(g) All references to time are to be calculated by reference to time in the place where the Company’s registered office is located.

 

(h) The words written and in writing include all modes of representing or reproducing words in a visible form, but do not include an Electronic Record where the distinction between a document in writing and an Electronic Record is expressed or implied.

 

(i) The words including, include and in particular or any similar expression are to be construed without limitation.

 

4

 

 

1.3 The headings in these Articles are intended for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of these Articles.

 

Exclusion of Table A Articles

 

1.4 The regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule of the Law and any other regulations contained in any statute or subordinate legislation are expressly excluded and do not apply to the Company.

 

2 Shares

 

Power to issue Shares and options, with or without special rights

 

2.1 Subject to the provisions of the Law and these Articles about the redemption and purchase of the Shares, the Directors have general and unconditional authority to allot (with or without confirming rights of renunciation), grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued Shares to such persons, at such times and on such terms and conditions as they may decide. No Share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the provisions of the Law.

 

2.2 Without limitation to the preceding Article, the Directors may so deal with the unissued Shares:

 

(a) either at a premium or at par; or

 

(b) with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise.

 

2.3 Without limitation to the two preceding Articles, the Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason.

 

Power to pay commissions and brokerage fees

 

2.4 The Company may pay a commission to any person in consideration of that person:

 

(a) subscribing or agreeing to subscribe, whether absolutely or conditionally; or

 

(b) procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions, whether absolute or conditional,

 

for any Shares. That commission may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the allotment of Fully Paid Up or Partly Paid Up Shares or partly in one way and partly in another.

 

2.5 The Company may employ a broker in the issue of its capital and pay him any proper commission or brokerage.

 

5

 

 

Trusts not recognised

 

2.6 Except as required by Law:

 

(a) no person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share on any trust; and

 

(b) no person other than the Member shall be recognised by the Company as having any right in a Share.

 

Security interests

 

2.7 Notwithstanding the preceding Article, the Company may (but shall not be obliged to) recognise a security interest of which it has actual notice over shares. The Company shall not be treated as having recognised any such security interest unless it has so agreed in writing with the secured party.

 

Power to vary class rights

 

2.8 If the share capital is divided into different classes of Shares then, unless the terms on which a class of Shares was issued state otherwise, the rights attaching to a class of Shares may only be varied if one of the following applies:

 

(a) the Members holding not less than two-thirds of the issued Shares of that class consent in writing to the variation; or

 

(b) the variation is made with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the Members holding the issued Shares of that class.

 

2.9 For the purpose of Article 2.8(b), all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings apply, mutatis mutandis, to every such separate meeting except that:

 

(a) the necessary quorum shall be one or more persons holding, or representing by proxy, not less than one third of the issued Shares of the class; and

 

(b) any Member holding issued Shares of the class, present in person or by proxy or, in the case of a corporate Member, by its duly authorised representative, may demand a poll.

 

Effect of new Share issue on existing class rights

 

2.10 Unless the terms on which a class of Shares was issued state otherwise, the rights conferred on the Member holding Shares of any class shall not be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with the existing Shares of that class.

 

6

 

 

No bearer Shares or warrants

 

2.11 The Company shall not issue Shares or warrants to bearers.

 

Treasury Shares

 

2.12 Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or acquires by way of surrender in accordance with the Law shall be held as Treasury Shares and not treated as cancelled if:

 

(a) the Directors so determine prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of those shares; and

 

(b) the relevant provisions of the Memorandum and Articles and the Law are otherwise complied with.

 

Rights attaching to Treasury Shares and related matters

 

2.13 No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Company’s assets (including any distribution of assets to Members on a winding up) may be made to the Company in respect of a Treasury Share.

 

2.14 The Company shall be entered in the register of Members as the holder of the Treasury Shares. However:

 

(a) the Company shall not be treated as a Member for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported exercise of such a right shall be void; and

 

(b) a Treasury Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Law.

 

2.15 Nothing in Article 2.14 prevents an allotment of Shares as Fully Paid Up bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share and Shares allotted as Fully Paid Up bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share shall be treated as Treasury Shares.

 

2.16 Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company in accordance with the Law and otherwise on such terms and conditions as the Directors determine.

 

Register of Members

 

2.17 The Directors shall keep or cause to be kept a register of Members as required by the Law and may cause the Company to maintain one or more branch registers as contemplated by the Law, provided that where the Company is maintaining one or more branch registers, the Directors shall ensure that a duplicate of each branch register is kept with the Company’s principal register of Members and updated within such number of days of any amendment having been made to such branch register as may be required by the Law.

 

7

 

 

Annual Return

 

2.18 The Directors in each calendar year shall prepare or cause to be prepared an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Law and shall deliver a copy thereof to the registrar of companies for the Cayman Islands.

 

3 Share certificates

 

Issue of share certificates

 

3.1 A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. If the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued, upon being entered in the register of Members as the holder of a Share, the Directors may issue to any Member:

 

(a) without payment, one certificate for all the Shares of each class held by that Member (and, upon transferring a part of the Member’s holding of Shares of any class, to a certificate for the balance of that holding); and

 

(b) upon payment of such reasonable sum as the Directors may determine for every certificate after the first, several certificates each for one or more of that Member’s Shares.

 

3.2 Every certificate shall specify the number, class and distinguishing numbers (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and whether they are Fully Paid Up or Partly Paid Up. A certificate may be executed under seal or executed in such other manner as the Directors determine.

 

3.3 Every certificate shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the U.S. Securities Act.

 

3.4 The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by several persons and delivery of a certificate for a Share to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

Renewal of lost or damaged share certificates

 

3.5 If a share certificate is defaced, worn-out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to:

 

(a) evidence;

 

(b) indemnity;

 

8

 

 

(c) payment of the expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating the evidence; and

 

(d) payment of a reasonable fee, if any for issuing a replacement share certificate,

 

as the Directors may determine, and (in the case of defacement or wearing-out) on delivery to the Company of the old certificate.

 

4 Lien on Shares

 

Nature and scope of lien

 

4.1 The Company has a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether Fully Paid Up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others). The lien is for all monies payable to the Company by the Member or the Member’s estate:

 

(a) either alone or jointly with any other person, whether or not that other person is a Member; and

 

(b) whether or not those monies are presently payable.

 

4.2 At any time the Board may declare any Share to be wholly or partly exempt from the provisions of this Article.

 

Company may sell Shares to satisfy lien

 

4.3 The Company may sell any Shares over which it has a lien if all of the following conditions are met:

 

(a) the sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable;

 

(b) the Company gives notice to the Member holding the Share (or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of that Member) demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold; and

 

(c) that sum is not paid within fourteen Clear Days after that notice is deemed to be given under these Articles,

 

and Shares to which this Article 4.3 applies shall be referred to as Lien Default Shares.

 

4.4 The Lien Default Shares may be sold in such manner as the Board determines.

 

4.5 To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Directors shall incur no personal liability to the Member concerned in respect of the sale.

 

9

 

 

Authority to execute instrument of transfer

 

4.6 To give effect to a sale, the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Lien Default Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser.

 

4.7 The title of the transferee of the Lien Default Shares shall not be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in respect of the sale.

 

Consequences of sale of Shares to satisfy lien

 

4.8 On a sale pursuant to the preceding Articles:

 

(a) the name of the Member concerned shall be removed from the register of Members as the holder of those Lien Default Shares; and

 

(b) that person shall deliver to the Company for cancellation the certificate (if any) for those Lien Default Shares.

 

4.9 Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 4.8, such person shall remain liable to the Company for all monies which, at the date of sale, were presently payable by him to the Company in respect of those Lien Default Shares. That person shall also be liable to pay interest on those monies from the date of sale until payment at the rate at which interest was payable before that sale or, failing that, at the Default Rate. The Board may waive payment wholly or in part or enforce payment without any allowance for the value of the Lien Default Shares at the time of sale or for any consideration received on their disposal.

 

Application of proceeds of sale

 

4.10 The net proceeds of the sale, after payment of the costs, shall be applied in payment of so much of the sum for which the lien exists as is presently payable. Any residue shall be paid to the person whose Lien Default Shares have been sold:

 

(a) if no certificate for the Lien Default Shares was issued, at the date of the sale; or

 

(b) if a certificate for the Lien Default Shares was issued, upon surrender to the Company of that certificate for cancellation

 

but, in either case, subject to the Company retaining a like lien for all sums not presently payable as existed on the Lien Default Shares before the sale.

 

10

 

 

5 Calls on Shares and forfeiture

 

Power to make calls and effect of calls

 

5.1 Subject to the terms of allotment, the Board may make calls on the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares including any premium. The call may provide for payment to be by instalments. Subject to receiving at least 14 Clear Days’ notice specifying when and where payment is to be made, each Member shall pay to the Company the amount called on his Shares as required by the notice.

 

5.2 Before receipt by the Company of any sum due under a call, that call may be revoked in whole or in part and payment of a call may be postponed in whole or in part. Where a call is to be paid in instalments, the Company may revoke the call in respect of all or any remaining instalments in whole or in part and may postpone payment of all or any of the remaining instalments in whole or in part.

 

5.3 A Member on whom a call is made shall remain liable for that call notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made. He shall not be liable for calls made after he is no longer registered as Member in respect of those Shares.

 

Time when call made

 

5.4 A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising the call was passed.

 

Liability of joint holders

 

5.5 Members registered as the joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect of the Share.

 

Interest on unpaid calls

 

5.6 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the person from whom it is due and payable shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid:

 

(a) at the rate fixed by the terms of allotment of the Share or in the notice of the call; or

 

(b) if no rate is fixed, at the Default Rate.

 

The Directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part.

 

Deemed calls

 

5.7 Any amount payable in respect of a Share, whether on allotment or on a fixed date or otherwise, shall be deemed to be payable as a call. If the amount is not paid when due the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if the amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

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Power to accept early payment

 

5.8 The Company may accept from a Member the whole or a part of the amount remaining unpaid on Shares held by him although no part of that amount has been called up.

 

Power to make different arrangements at time of issue of Shares

 

5.9 Subject to the terms of allotment, the Directors may make arrangements on the issue of Shares to distinguish between Members in the amounts and times of payment of calls on their Shares.

 

Notice of default

 

5.10 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than 14 Clear Days’ notice requiring payment of:

 

(a) the amount unpaid;

 

(b) any interest which may have accrued;

 

(c) any expenses which have been incurred by the Company due to that person’s default.

 

5.11 The notice shall state the following:

 

(a) the place where payment is to be made; and

 

(b) a warning that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call is made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

Forfeiture or surrender of Shares

 

5.12 If the notice given pursuant to Article 5.10 is not complied with, the Directors may, before the payment required by the notice has been received, resolve that any Share the subject of that notice be forfeited. The forfeiture shall include all dividends or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture. Despite the foregoing, the Board may determine that any Share the subject of that notice be accepted by the Company as surrendered by the Member holding that Share in lieu of forfeiture.

 

Disposal of forfeited or surrendered Share and power to cancel forfeiture or surrender

 

5.13 A forfeited or surrendered Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Board determine either to the former Member who held that Share or to any other person. The forfeiture or surrender may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit at any time before a sale, re-allotment or other disposition. Where, for the purposes of its disposal, a forfeited or surrendered Share is to be transferred to any person, the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share to the transferee.

 

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Effect of forfeiture or surrender on former Member

 

5.14 On forfeiture or surrender:

 

(a) the name of the Member concerned shall be removed from the register of Members as the holder of those Shares and that person shall cease to be a Member in respect of those Shares; and

 

(b) that person shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate (if any) for the forfeited or surrendered Shares.

 

5.15 Despite the forfeiture or surrender of his Shares, that person shall remain liable to the Company for all monies which at the date of forfeiture or surrender were presently payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with:

 

(a) all expenses; and

 

(b) interest from the date of forfeiture or surrender until payment:

 

(i) at the rate of which interest was payable on those monies before forfeiture; or

 

(ii) if no interest was so payable, at the Default Rate.

 

The Directors, however, may waive payment wholly or in part.

 

Evidence of forfeiture or surrender

 

5.16 A declaration, whether statutory or under oath, made by a Director or the Secretary shall be conclusive evidence of the following matters stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to forfeited Shares:

 

(a) that the person making the declaration is a Director or Secretary of the Company, and

 

(b) that the particular Shares have been forfeited or surrendered on a particular date.

 

Subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer, if necessary, the declaration shall constitute good title to the Shares.

 

Sale of forfeited or surrendered Shares

 

5.17 Any person to whom the forfeited or surrendered Shares are disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the consideration, if any, of those Shares nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of the proceedings in respect of, the forfeiture, surrender or disposal of those Shares.

 

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6 Transfer of Shares

 

Right to transfer

 

6.1 Subject to the following Articles about the transfer of Shares, and provided that such transfer complies with applicable rules of the Designated Stock Exchange, a Member may transfer Shares to another person by completing an instrument of transfer in a common form or in a form prescribed by the Designated Stock Exchange or in any other form approved by the directors, executed:

 

(a) where the Shares are Fully Paid, by or on behalf of that Member; and

 

(b) where the Shares are partly paid, by or on behalf of that Member and the transferee.

 

6.2 The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Member until the name of the transferee is entered in the register of Members in respect of the relevant Shares.

 

6.3 Where the Shares in question are not listed on or subject to the rules of any Designated Stock Exchange, the Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares which is not Fully Paid Up or on which the Company has a lien. The Directors may also, but are not required to, decline to register any transfer of any Share unless:

 

(a) the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate (if any) for the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

(b) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of Shares;

 

(c) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

(d) in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the Share is to be transferred does not exceed four;

 

(e) the Shares transferred are Fully Paid Up and free of any lien in favour of the Company; and

 

(f) any applicable fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchanges may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board may from time to time require, related to the transfer is paid to the Company.

 

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Suspension of transfers

 

6.4 The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the register of Members closed at such times and for such periods as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, from time to time determine, provided always that such registration of transfer shall not be suspended nor the register of Members closed for more than 30 days in any year.

 

Company may retain instrument of transfer

 

6.5 All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company.

 

Notice of refusal to register

 

6.6 If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of any Shares not listed on a Designated Stock Exchange, they shall within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged with the Company send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of the refusal.

 

7 Transmission of Shares

 

Persons entitled on death of a Member

 

7.1 If a Member dies, the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to the deceased Members’ interest are the following:

 

(a) where the deceased Member was a joint holder, the survivor or survivors; and

 

(b) where the deceased Member was a sole holder, that Member’s personal representative or representatives.

 

7.2 Nothing in these Articles shall release the deceased Member’s estate from any liability in respect of any Share, whether the deceased was a sole holder or a joint holder.

 

Registration of transfer of a Share following death or bankruptcy

 

7.3 A person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member may elect to do either of the following:

 

(a) to become the holder of the Share; or

 

(b) to transfer the Share to another person.

 

7.4 That person must produce such evidence of his entitlement as the Directors may properly require.

 

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7.5 If the person elects to become the holder of the Share, he must give notice to the Company to that effect. For the purposes of these Articles, that notice shall be treated as though it were an executed instrument of transfer.

 

7.6 If the person elects to transfer the Share to another person then:

 

(a) if the Share is Fully Paid Up, the transferor must execute an instrument of transfer; and

 

(b) if the Share is nil or Partly Paid Up, the transferor and the transferee must execute an instrument of transfer.

 

7.7 All the Articles relating to the transfer of Shares shall apply to the notice or, as appropriate, the instrument of transfer.

 

Indemnity

 

7.8 A person registered as a Member by reason of the death or bankruptcy of another Member shall indemnify the Company and the Directors against any loss or damage suffered by the Company or the Directors as a result of that registration.

 

Rights of person entitled to a Share following death or bankruptcy

 

7.9 A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Member shall have the rights to which he would be entitled if he were registered as the holder of the Share. But, until he is registered as Member in respect of the Share, he shall not be entitled to attend or vote at any meeting of the Company or at any separate meeting of the holders of that class of Shares.

 

8 Alteration of capital

 

Increasing, consolidating, converting, dividing and cancelling share capital

 

8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution do any of the following and amend its Memorandum for that purpose:

 

(a) increase its share capital by new Shares of the amount fixed by that Ordinary Resolution and with the attached rights, priorities and privileges set out in that Ordinary Resolution;

 

(b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

(c) convert all or any of its Paid Up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into Paid Up Shares of any denomination;

 

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(d) sub-divide its Shares or any of them into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, so, however, that in the sub-division, the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and

 

(e) cancel Shares which, at the date of the passing of that Ordinary Resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person, and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled or, in the case of Shares without nominal par value, diminish the number of Shares into which its capital is divided.

 

Dealing with fractions resulting from consolidation of Shares

 

8.2 Whenever, as a result of a consolidation of Shares, any Members would become entitled to fractions of a Share the Directors may on behalf of those Members deal with the fractions as it thinks fit, including (without limitation):

 

(a) sell the Shares representing the fractions for the best price reasonably obtainable to any person (including, subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company); and

 

(b) distribute the net proceeds in due proportion among those Members.

 

8.3 For the purposes of Article 8.2, the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares to, in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The transferee shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money nor shall the transferee’s title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity in, or invalidity of, the proceedings in respect of the sale.

 

Reducing share capital

 

8.4 Subject to the Law and to any rights for the time being conferred on the Members holding a particular class of Shares, the Company may, by Special Resolution, reduce its share capital in any way.

 

9 Redemption and purchase of own Shares

 

Power to issue redeemable Shares and to purchase own Shares

 

9.1 Subject to the Law and to any rights for the time being conferred on the Members holding a particular class of Shares, the Company may by its Directors:

 

(a) issue Shares that are to be redeemed or liable to be redeemed, at the option of the Company or the Member holding those redeemable Shares, on the terms and in the manner its Directors determine before the issue of those Shares;

 

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(b) with the consent by Special Resolution of the Members holding Shares of a particular class, vary the rights attaching to that class of Shares so as to provide that those Shares are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company on the terms and in the manner which the Directors determine at the time of such variation; and

 

(c) purchase all or any of its own Shares of any class including any redeemable Shares on the terms and in the manner which the Directors determine at the time of such purchase.

 

The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner authorised by the Law, including out of any combination of the following: capital, its profits and the proceeds of a fresh issue of Shares.

 

Power to pay for redemption or purchase in cash or in specie

 

9.2 When making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of Shares, the Directors may make the payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other) if so authorised by the terms of the allotment of those Shares or by the terms applying to those Shares in accordance with Article 9.1, or otherwise by agreement with the Member holding those Shares.

 

Effect of redemption or purchase of a Share

 

9.3 Upon the date of redemption or purchase of a Share:

 

(a) the Member holding that Share shall cease to be entitled to any rights in respect of the Share other than the right to receive:

 

(i) the price for the Share; and

 

(ii) any dividend declared in respect of the Share prior to the date of redemption or purchase;

 

(b) the Member’s name shall be removed from the register of Members with respect to the Share; and

 

(c) the Share shall be cancelled or held as a Treasury Share, as the Directors may determine.

 

9.4 For the purpose of Article 9.3, the date of redemption or purchase is the date when the Member’s name is removed from the register of Members with respect to the Shares the subject of the redemption or purchase.

 

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Conversion Rights

 

9.5 Each Class B Ordinary Share shall be convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time after the date of issuance of such Share, at the office of the Company or any transfer agent for such Shares, into one fully paid and non-assessable Class A Ordinary Share.

 

9.6 The Directors shall at all times reserve and keep available out of the Company’s authorised but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares, solely for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares, such number of its Class A Ordinary Shares as shall from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares; and if at any time the number of authorised but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares shall not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then outstanding Class B Ordinary Shares, in addition to such other remedies as shall be available to the holders of such Class B Ordinary Shares, the Directors will take such action as may be necessary to increase its authorised but unissued Class A Ordinary Shares to such number of Shares as shall be sufficient for such purposes.

 

Share Conversions

 

9.7 All conversions of Class B Ordinary Shares to Class A Ordinary Shares shall be effected by way of redemption or repurchase by the Company of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares and the simultaneous issue of Class A Ordinary Shares in consideration for such redemption or repurchase. The Members and the Company will procure that any and all necessary corporate actions are taken to effect such conversion.

 

10 Meetings of Members

 

Annual and extraordinary general meetings

 

10.1 The Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Designated Stock Exchange Rules) be obligated to, in each year hold a general meeting as an annual general meeting, which, if held, shall be convened by the Board, in accordance with these Articles.

 

10.2 All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

Power to call meetings

 

10.3 The Directors may call a general meeting at any time.

 

10.4 If there are insufficient Directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining Directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional Directors, the Directors must call a general meeting for the purpose of appointing additional Directors.

 

10.5 The Directors must also call a general meeting if requisitioned in the manner set out in the next two Articles.

 

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10.6 The requisition must be in writing and given by one or more Members who together hold at least ten per cent of the rights to vote at such general meeting.

 

10.7 The requisition must also:

 

(a) specify the purpose of the meeting.

 

(b) be signed by or on behalf of each requisitioner (and for this purpose each joint holder shall be obliged to sign). The requisition may consist of several documents in like form signed by one or more of the requisitioners; and

 

(c) be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions.

 

10.8 Should the Directors fail to call a general meeting within 21 Clear Days’ from the date of receipt of a requisition, the requisitioners or any of them may call a general meeting within three months after the end of that period.

 

10.9 Without limitation to the foregoing, if there are insufficient Directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining Directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional Directors, any one or more Members who together hold at least five per cent of the rights to vote at a general meeting may call a general meeting for the purpose of considering the business specified in the notice of meeting which shall include as an item of business the appointment of additional Directors.

 

10.10 If the Members call a meeting under the above provisions, the Company shall reimburse their reasonable expenses.

 

Content of notice

 

10.11 Notice of a general meeting shall specify each of the following:

 

(a) the place, the date and the hour of the meeting;

 

(b) if the meeting is to be held in two or more places, the technology that will be used to facilitate the meeting;

 

(c) subject to paragraph (d) and the requirements of (to the extent applicable) the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, the general nature of the business to be transacted; and

 

(d) if a resolution is proposed as a Special Resolution, the text of that resolution.

 

10.12 In each notice there shall appear with reasonable prominence the following statements:

 

(a) that a Member who is entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and vote instead of that Member; and

 

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(b) that a proxyholder need not be a Member.

 

Period of notice

 

10.13 At least twenty-one Clear Days’ notice of an annual general meeting must be given to Members. For any other general meeting, at least fourteen Clear Days’ notice must be given to Members.

 

10.14 Subject to the Law, a meeting may be convened on shorter notice, subject to the Law with the consent of the Member or Members who, individually or collectively, hold at least ninety per cent of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote at that meeting.

 

Persons entitled to receive notice

 

10.15 Subject to the provisions of these Articles and to any restrictions imposed on any Shares, the notice shall be given to the following people:

 

(a) the Members

 

(b) persons entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member;

 

(c) the Directors; and

 

(d) the Auditors.

 

10.16 The Board may determine that the Members entitled to receive notice of a meeting are those persons entered on the register of Members at the close of business on a day determined by the Board.

 

Accidental omission to give notice or non-receipt of notice

 

10.17 Proceedings at a meeting shall not be invalidated by the following:

 

(a) an accidental failure to give notice of the meeting to any person entitled to notice; or

 

(b) non-receipt of notice of the meeting by any person entitled to notice.

 

10.18 In addition, where a notice of meeting is published on a website proceedings at the meeting shall not be invalidated merely because it is accidentally published:

 

(a) in a different place on the website; or

 

(b) for part only of the period from the date of the notification until the conclusion of the meeting to which the notice relates.

 

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11 Proceedings at meetings of Members

 

Quorum

 

11.1 Save as provided in the following Article, no business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present in person or by proxy. A quorum is as follows:

 

(a) if the Company has only one Member: that Member;

 

(b) if the Company has more than one Member: one or more Members holding Shares that represent not less than one-third of the outstanding Shares carrying the right to vote at such general meeting.

 

Lack of quorum

 

11.2 If a quorum is not present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, or if at any time during the meeting it becomes inquorate, then the following provisions apply:

 

(a) If the meeting was requisitioned by Members, it shall be cancelled.

 

(b) In any other case, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same time and place seven days hence, or to such other time or place as is determined by the Directors. If a quorum is not present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for the adjourned meeting, then the Members present in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum.

 

Chairman

 

11.3 The chairman of a general meeting shall be the chairman of the Board or such other Director as the Directors have nominated to chair Board meetings in the absence of the chairman of the Board. Absent any such person being present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting.

 

11.4 If no Director is present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, or if no Director is willing to act as chairman, the Members present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall choose one of their number to chair the meeting.

 

Right of a Director to attend and speak

 

11.5 Even if a Director is not a Member, he shall be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting and at any separate meeting of Members holding a particular class of Shares.

 

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Accommodation of Members at meeting

 

11.6 lf it appears to the chairman of the meeting that the meeting place specified in the notice convening the meeting is inadequate to accommodate all Members entitled and wishing to attend, the meeting will be duly constituted and its proceedings valid if the chairman is satisfied that adequate facilities are available to ensure that a Member who is unable to be accommodated is able (whether at the meeting place or elsewhere):

 

(a) to participate in the business for which the meeting has been convened;

 

(b) to hear and see all persons present who speak (whether by the use of microphones, loud-speakers, audio-visual communications equipment or otherwise); and

 

(c) to be heard and seen by all other persons present in the same way.

 

Security

 

11.7 In addition to any measures which the Board may be required to take due to the location or venue of the meeting, the Board may make any arrangement and impose any restriction it considers appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances to ensure the security of a meeting including, without limitation, the searching of any person attending the meeting and the imposing of restrictions on the items of personal property that may be taken into the meeting place. The Board may refuse entry to, or eject from, a meeting a person who refuses to comply with any such arrangements or restrictions.

 

Adjournment

 

11.8 The chairman may at any time adjourn a meeting with the consent of the Members constituting a quorum. The chairman must adjourn the meeting if so directed by the meeting. No business, however, can be transacted at an adjourned meeting other than business which might properly have been transacted at the original meeting.

 

11.9 Should a meeting be adjourned for more than 7 Clear Days, whether because of a lack of quorum or otherwise, Members shall be given at least seven Clear Days’ notice of the date, time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any notice of the adjournment.

 

Method of voting

 

11.10 A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on, the declaration of the result of the show of hands, a poll is duly demanded. Subject to the Law, a poll may be demanded:

 

(a) by the chairman of the meeting;

 

(b) by at least two Members having the right to vote on the resolutions;

 

(c) by any Member or Members present who, individually or collectively, hold at least ten per cent of the voting rights of all those who have a right to vote on the resolution.

 

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Outcome of vote by show of hands

 

11.11 Unless a poll is duly demanded, a declaration by the chairman as to the result of a resolution and an entry to that effect in the minutes of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the outcome of a show of hands without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution.

 

Withdrawal of demand for a poll

 

11.12 The demand for a poll may be withdrawn before the poll is taken, but only with the consent of the chairman. The chairman shall announce any such withdrawal to the meeting and, unless another person forthwith demands a poll, any earlier show of hands on that resolution shall be treated as the vote on that resolution; if there has been no earlier show of hands, then the resolution shall be put to the vote of the meeting.

 

Taking of a poll

 

11.13 A poll demanded on the question of adjournment shall be taken immediately.

 

11.14 A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken either immediately or at an adjourned meeting at such time and place as the chairman directs, not being more than thirty Clear Days after the poll was demanded.

 

11.15 The demand for a poll shall not prevent the meeting continuing to transact any business other than the question on which the poll was demanded.

 

11.16 A poll shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs. He may appoint scrutineers (who need not be Members) and fix a place and time for declaring the result of the poll. If, through the aid of technology, the meeting is held in more than place, the chairman may appoint scrutineers in more than place; but if he considers that the poll cannot be effectively monitored at that meeting, the chairman shall adjourn the holding of the poll to a date, place and time when that can occur.

 

Chairman’s casting vote

 

11.17 In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the Chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded shall not be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

Written resolutions

 

11.18 Members may pass a resolution in writing without holding a meeting if the following conditions are met:

 

(a) all Members entitled to vote are given notice of the resolution as if the same were being proposed at a meeting of Members;

 

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(b) all Members entitled so to vote;

 

(i) sign a document; or

 

(ii) sign several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of those Members; and

 

(c) the signed document or documents is or are delivered to the Company, including, if the Company so nominates, by delivery of an Electronic Record by Electronic means to the address specified for that purpose.

 

(d) Such written resolution shall be as effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Members entitled to vote duly convened and held.

 

11.19 If a written resolution is described as a Special Resolution or as an Ordinary Resolution, it has effect accordingly.

 

11.20 The Directors may determine the manner in which written resolutions shall be put to Members. In particular, they may provide, in the form of any written resolution, for each Member to indicate, out of the number of votes the Member would have been entitled to cast at a meeting to consider the resolution, how many votes he wishes to cast in favour of the resolution and how many against the resolution or to be treated as abstentions. The result of any such written resolution shall be determined on the same basis as on a poll.

 

Sole-Member Company

 

11.21 If the Company has only one Member, and the Member records in writing his decision on a question, that record shall constitute both the passing of a resolution and the minute of it.

 

12 Voting rights of Members

 

Right to vote

 

12.1 Unless their Shares carry no right to vote, or unless a call or other amount presently payable has not been paid, all Members are entitled to vote at a general meeting, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, and all Members holding Shares of a particular class of Shares are entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of that class of Shares.

 

12.2 The holder of an Ordinary Share shall (in respect of such Ordinary Share) have the right to receive notice of, attend at and vote as a Member at any general meeting of the Company.

 

12.3 Each holder of Ordinary Shares shall, on a poll, be entitled to one vote for each Share he or she holds save that each holder of Class B Ordinary Shares shall, on a poll, be entitled to exercise ten (10) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share he or she holds on any and all matters.

 

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12.4 Members may vote in person or by proxy.

 

12.5 On a show of hands, every Member shall have one vote. For the avoidance of doubt, an individual who represents two or more Members, including a Member in that individual’s own right, that individual shall be entitled to a separate vote for each Member.

 

12.6 No Member is bound to vote on his Shares or any of them; nor is he bound to vote each of his Shares in the same way.

 

Rights of joint holders

 

12.7 If Shares are held jointly, only one of the joint holders may vote. If more than one of the joint holders tenders a vote, the vote of the holder whose name in respect of those Shares appears first in the register of Members shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holder.

 

Representation of corporate Members

 

12.8 Save where otherwise provided, a corporate Member must act by a duly authorised representative.

 

12.9 A corporate Member wishing to act by a duly authorised representative must identify that person to the Company by notice in writing.

 

12.10 The authorisation may be for any period of time, and must be delivered to the Company before the commencement of the meeting at which it is first used.

 

12.11 The Directors of the Company may require the production of any evidence which they consider necessary to determine the validity of the notice.

 

12.12 Where a duly authorised representative is present at a meeting that Member is deemed to be present in person; and the acts of the duly authorised representative are personal acts of that Member.

 

12.13 A corporate Member may revoke the appointment of a duly authorised representative at any time by notice to the Company; but such revocation will not affect the validity of any acts carried out by the duly authorised representative before the Directors of the Company had actual notice of the revocation.

 

Member with mental disorder

 

12.14 A Member in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction (whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by that Member’s receiver, curator bonis or other person authorised in that behalf appointed by that court.

 

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12.15 For the purpose of the preceding Article, evidence to the satisfaction of the Directors of the authority of the person claiming to exercise the right to vote must be received not less than 24 hours before holding the relevant meeting or the adjourned meeting in any manner specified for the delivery of forms of appointment of a proxy, whether in writing or by Electronic means. In default, the right to vote shall not be exercisable.

 

Objections to admissibility of votes

 

12.16 An objection to the validity of a person’s vote may only be raised at the meeting or at the adjourned meeting at which the vote is sought to be tendered. Any objection duly made shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

Form of proxy

 

12.17 An instrument appointing a proxy shall be in any common form or in any other form approved by the Directors.

 

12.18 The instrument must be in writing and signed in one of the following ways:

 

(a) by the Member; or

 

(b) by the Member’s authorised attorney; or

 

(c) if the Member is a corporation or other body corporate, under seal or signed by an authorised officer, secretary or attorney.

 

If the Directors so resolve, the Company may accept an Electronic Record of that instrument delivered in the manner specified below and otherwise satisfying the Articles about authentication of Electronic Records.

 

12.19 The Directors may require the production of any evidence which they consider necessary to determine the validity of any appointment of a proxy.

 

12.20 A Member may revoke the appointment of a proxy at any time by notice to the Company duly signed in accordance with Article 12.18.

 

12.21 No revocation by a Member of the appointment of a proxy made in accordance with Article 12.20 will affect the validity of any acts carried out by the relevant proxy before the Directors of the Company had actual notice of the revocation.

 

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How and when proxy is to be delivered

 

12.22 Subject to the following Articles, the Directors may, in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, specify the manner by which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited and the place and the time (being not later than the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting to which the proxy relates) at which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited. In the absence of any such direction from the Directors in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, the form of appointment of a proxy and any authority under which it is signed (or a copy of the authority certified notarially or in any other way approved by the Directors) must be delivered so that it is received by the Company before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the form of appointment of proxy proposes to vote. They must be delivered in either of the following ways:

 

(a) In the case of an instrument in writing, it must be left at or sent by post:

 

(i) to the registered office of the Company; or

 

(ii) to such other place within the Cayman Islands specified in the notice convening the meeting or in any form of appointment of proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting.

 

(b) If, pursuant to the notice provisions, a notice may be given to the Company in an Electronic Record, an Electronic Record of an appointment of a proxy must be sent to the address specified pursuant to those provisions unless another address for that purpose is specified:

 

(i) in the notice convening the meeting; or

 

(ii) in any form of appointment of a proxy sent out by the Company in relation to the meeting; or

 

(iii) in any invitation to appoint a proxy issued by the Company in relation to the meeting.

 

(c) Notwithstanding Article 12.22(a) and Article 12.22(b), the chairman of the Company may, in any event at his discretion, direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited.

 

12.23 Where a poll is taken:

 

(a) if it is taken more than seven Clear Days after it is demanded, the form of appointment of a proxy and any accompanying authority (or an Electronic Record of the same) must be delivered in accordance with Article 12.22 before the time appointed for the taking of the poll;

 

(b) if it to be taken within seven Clear Days after it was demanded, the form of appointment of a proxy and any accompanying authority (or an Electronic Record of the same) must be delivered in accordance with Article 12.22 before the time appointed for the taking of the poll.

 

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12.24 If the form of appointment of proxy is not delivered on time, it is invalid.

 

12.25 When two or more valid but differing appointments of proxy are delivered or received in respect of the same Share for use at the same meeting and in respect of the same matter, the one which is last validly delivered or received (regardless of its date or of the date of its execution) shall be treated as replacing and revoking the other or others as regards that Share. lf the Company is unable to determine which appointment was last validly delivered or received, none of them shall be treated as valid in respect of that Share.

 

12.26 The Board may at the expense of the Company send forms of appointment of proxy to the Members by post (that is to say, pre-paying and posting a letter), or by Electronic communication or otherwise (with or without provision for their return by pre-paid post) for use at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of any class of Shares, either blank or nominating as proxy in the alternative any one or more of the Directors or any other person. lf for the purpose of any meeting invitations to appoint as proxy a person or one of a number of persons specified in the invitations are issued at the Company’s expense, they shall be issued to all (and not to some only) of the Members entitled to be sent notice of the meeting and to vote at it. The accidental omission to send such a form of appointment or to give such an invitation to, or the non-receipt of such form of appointment by, any Member entitled to attend and vote at a meeting shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting

 

Voting by proxy

 

12.27 A proxy shall have the same voting rights at a meeting or adjourned meeting as the Member would have had except to the extent that the instrument appointing him limits those rights. Notwithstanding the appointment of a proxy, a Member may attend and vote at a meeting or adjourned meeting. If a Member votes on any resolution a vote by his proxy on the same resolution, unless in respect of different Shares, shall be invalid.

 

12.28 The instrument appointing a proxy to vote at a meeting shall be deemed also to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll and, for the purposes of Article 11.11, a demand by a person as proxy for a Member shall be the same as a demand by a Member. Such appointment shall not confer any further right to speak at the meeting, except with the permission of the chairman of the meeting.

 

13 Number of Directors

 

13.1 There shall be a Board consisting of not less than one person provided however that the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors. Unless fixed by Ordinary Resolution, the maximum number of Directors shall be unlimited.

 

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14 Appointment, disqualification and removal of Directors

 

First Directors

 

14.1 The first Directors shall be appointed in writing by the subscriber or subscribers to the Memorandum, or a majority of them.

 

No age limit

 

14.2 There is no age limit for Directors save that they must be at least eighteen years of age.

 

Corporate Directors

 

14.3 Unless prohibited by law, a body corporate may be a Director. If a body corporate is a Director, the Articles about representation of corporate Members at general meetings apply, mutatis mutandis, to the Articles about Directors’ meetings.

 

No shareholding qualification

 

14.4 Unless a shareholding qualification for Directors is fixed by Ordinary Resolution, no Director shall be required to own Shares as a condition of his appointment.

 

Appointment of Directors

 

14.5 A Director may be appointed by Ordinary Resolution or by the Directors. Any appointment may be to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director.

 

14.6 A remaining Director may appoint a Director even though there is not a quorum of Directors.

 

14.7 No appointment can cause the number of Directors to exceed the maximum (if one is set); and any such appointment shall be invalid.

 

14.8 For so long as Shares or ADSs are listed on a Designated Stock Exchange, the Directors shall include at least such number of Independent Directors as applicable law, rules or regulations or the Designated Stock Exchange Rules require as determined by the Board.

 

Board’s power to appoint Directors

 

14.9 Without prejudice to the Company’s power to appoint a person to be a Director pursuant to these Articles, the Board shall have power at any time to appoint any person who is willing to act as a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the existing Board, subject to the total number of Directors not exceeding any maximum number fixed by or in accordance with these Articles.

 

14.10 Any Director so appointed shall, if still a Director, retire at the next annual general meeting after his appointment and be eligible to stand for election as a Director at such meeting.

 

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Eligibility

 

14.11 No person (other than a Director retiring in accordance with these Articles) shall be appointed or re-appointed a Director at any general meeting unless:

 

(a) he is recommended by the Board; or

 

(b) not less than seven nor more than forty-two Clear Days before the date appointed for the meeting, a Member (other than the person to be proposed) entitled to vote at the meeting has given to the Company notice of his intention to propose a resolution for the appointment of that person, stating the particulars which would, if he were so appointed, be required to be included in the Company’s register of Directors and a notice executed by that person of his willingness to be appointed.

 

Appointment at annual general meeting

 

14.12 Unless re-appointed pursuant to the provisions of Article 14.5 or removed from office pursuant to the provisions of Article 14.13, each Director shall be appointed for a term expiring at the next-following annual general meeting of the Company. At any such annual general meeting, Directors will be elected by Ordinary Resolution. At each annual general meeting of the Company, each Director elected at such meeting shall be elected to hold office for a one-year term and until the election of their respective successors in office or removal pursuant to Articles 14.5 and 14.13.

 

Removal of Directors

 

14.13 A Director may be removed by Ordinary Resolution.

 

Resignation of Directors

 

14.14 A Director may at any time resign office by giving to the Company notice in writing or, if permitted pursuant to the notice provisions, in an Electronic Record delivered in either case in accordance with those provisions.

 

14.15 Unless the notice specifies a different date, the Director shall be deemed to have resigned on the date that the notice is delivered to the Company.

 

Termination of the office of Director

 

14.16 A Director may retire from office as a Director by giving notice in writing to that effect to the Company at the registered office, which notice shall be effective upon such date as may be specified in the notice, failing which upon delivery to the registered office.

 

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14.17 Without prejudice to the provisions in these Articles for retirement (by rotation or otherwise), a Director’s office shall be terminated forthwith if:

 

(a) he is prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands from acting as a Director; or

 

(b) he is made bankrupt or makes an arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

(c) he resigns his office by notice to the Company; or

 

(d) he only held office as a Director for a fixed term and such term expires; or

 

(e) in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner by whom he is being treated he becomes physically or mentally incapable of acting as a Director; or

 

(f) he is given notice by the majority of the other Directors (not being less than two in number) to vacate office (without prejudice to any claim for damages for breach of any agreement relating to the provision of the services of such Director); or

 

(g) he is made subject to any law relating to mental health or incompetence, whether by court order or otherwise; or

 

(h) without the consent of the other Directors, he is absent from meetings of Directors for a continuous period of six months.

 

15 Alternate Directors

 

Appointment and removal

 

15.1 Any Director may appoint any other person, including another Director, to act in his place as an alternate Director. No appointment shall take effect until the Director has given notice of the appointment to the Board.

 

15.2 A Director may revoke his appointment of an alternate at any time. No revocation shall take effect until the Director has given notice of the revocation to the Board.

 

15.3 A notice of appointment or removal of an alternate Director shall be effective only if given to the Company by one or more of the following methods:

 

(a) by notice in writing in accordance with the notice provisions contained in these Articles;

 

(b) if the Company has a facsimile address for the time being, by sending by facsimile transmission to that facsimile address a facsimile copy or, otherwise, by sending by facsimile transmission to the facsimile address of the Company’s registered office a facsimile copy (in either case, the facsimile copy being deemed to be the notice unless Article 29.7 applies), in which event notice shall be taken to be given on the date of an error-free transmission report from the sender’s fax machine;

 

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(c) if the Company has an email address for the time being, by emailing to that email address a scanned copy of the notice as a PDF attachment or, otherwise, by emailing to the email address provided by the Company’s registered office a scanned copy of the notice as a PDF attachment (in either case, the PDF version being deemed to be the notice unless Article 29.7 applies), in which event notice shall be taken to be given on the date of receipt by the Company or the Company’s registered office (as appropriate) in readable form; or

 

(d) if permitted pursuant to the notice provisions, in some other form of approved Electronic Record delivered in accordance with those provisions in writing.

 

Notices

 

15.4 All notices of meetings of Directors shall continue to be given to the appointing Director and not to the alternate.

 

Rights of alternate Director

 

15.5 An alternate Director shall be entitled to attend and vote at any Board meeting or meeting of a committee of the Directors at which the appointing Director is not personally present, and generally to perform all the functions of the appointing Director in his absence. An alternate Director, however, is not entitled to receive any remuneration from the Company for services rendered as an alternate Director.

 

Appointment ceases when the appointor ceases to be a Director

 

15.6 An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if:

 

(a) the Director who appointed him ceases to be a Director; or

 

(b) the Director who appointed him revokes his appointment by notice delivered to the Board or to the registered office of the Company or in any other manner approved by the Board; or

 

(c) in any event happens in relation to him which, if he were a Director of the Company, would cause his office as Director to be vacated.

 

Status of alternate Director

 

15.7 An alternate Director shall carry out all functions of the Director who made the appointment.

 

15.8 Save where otherwise expressed, an alternate Director shall be treated as a Director under these Articles.

 

15.9 An alternate Director is not the agent of the Director appointing him.

 

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15.10 An alternate Director is not entitled to any remuneration for acting as alternate Director.

 

Status of the Director making the appointment

 

15.11 A Director who has appointed an alternate is not thereby relieved from the duties which he owes the Company.

 

16 Powers of Directors

 

Powers of Directors

 

16.1 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Memorandum and these Articles the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the Company.

 

16.2 No prior act of the Directors shall be invalidated by any subsequent alteration of the Memorandum or these Articles. However, to the extent allowed by the Law, Members may, by Special Resolution, validate any prior or future act of the Directors which would otherwise be in breach of their duties.

 

Directors below the minimum number

 

16.3 lf the number of Directors is less than the minimum prescribed in accordance with these Articles, the remaining Director or Directors shall act only for the purposes of appointing an additional Director or Directors to make up such minimum or of convening a general meeting of the Company for the purpose of making such appointment. lf there are no Director or Directors able or willing to act, any two Members may summon a general meeting for the purpose of appointing Directors. Any additional Director so appointed shall hold office (subject to these Articles) only until the dissolution of the annual general meeting next following such appointment unless he is re-elected during such meeting.

 

Appointments to office

 

16.4 The Directors may appoint a Director:

 

(a) as chairman of the Board;

 

(b) as managing Director;

 

(c) to any other executive office,

 

for such period, and on such terms, including as to remuneration as they think fit.

 

16.5 The appointee must consent in writing to holding that office.

 

16.6 Where a chairman is appointed he shall, unless unable to do so, preside at every meeting of Directors.

 

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16.7 If there is no chairman, or if the chairman is unable to preside at a meeting, that meeting may select its own chairman; or the Directors may nominate one of their number to act in place of the chairman should he ever not be available.

 

16.8 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Directors may also appoint and remove any person, who need not be a Director:

 

(a) as Secretary; and

 

(b) to any office that may be required

 

for such period and on such terms, including as to remuneration, as they think fit. In the case of an Officer, that Officer may be given any title the Directors decide.

 

16.9 The Secretary or Officer must consent in writing to holding that office.

 

16.10 A Director, Secretary or other Officer of the Company may not the hold the office, or perform the services, of auditor.

 

Provisions for employees

 

16.11 The Board may make provision for the benefit of any persons employed or formerly employed by the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings (or any member of his family or any person who is dependent on him) in connection with the cessation or the transfer to any person of the whole or part of the undertaking of the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings.

 

Exercise of voting rights

 

16.12 The Board may exercise the voting power conferred by the Shares in any body corporate held or owned by the Company in such manner in all respects as it thinks fit (including, without limitation, the exercise of that power in favour of any resolution appointing any Director as a Director of such body corporate, or voting or providing for the payment of remuneration to the Directors of such body corporate).

 

Remuneration

 

16.13 Every Director may be remunerated by the Company for the services he provides for the benefit of the Company, whether as Director, employee or otherwise, and shall be entitled to be paid for the expenses incurred in the Company’s business including attendance at Directors’ meetings.

 

16.14 Until otherwise determined by the Company by Ordinary Resolution, the Directors (other than alternate Directors) shall be entitled to such remuneration by way of fees for their services in the office of Director as the Directors may determine.

 

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16.15 Remuneration may take any form and may include arrangements to pay pensions, health insurance, death or sickness benefits, whether to the Director or to any other person connected to or related to him.

 

16.16 Unless his fellow Directors determine otherwise, a Director is not accountable to the Company for remuneration or other benefits received from any other company which is in the same group as the Company or which has common shareholdings.

 

Disclosure of information

 

16.17 The Directors may release or disclose to a third party any information regarding the affairs of the Company, including any information contained in the register of Members relating to a Member, (and they may authorise any Director, Officer or other authorised agent of the Company to release or disclose to a third party any such information in his possession) if:

 

(a) the Company or that person, as the case may be, is lawfully required to do so under the laws of any jurisdiction to which the Company is subject; or

 

(b) such disclosure is in compliance with the Designated Stock Exchange Rules; or

 

(c) such disclosure is in accordance with any contract entered into by the Company; or

 

(d) the Directors are of the opinion such disclosure would assist or facilitate the Company’s operations.

 

17 Delegation of powers

 

Power to delegate any of the Directors’ powers to a committee

 

17.1 The Directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more persons who need not be Members. Persons on the committee may include non-Directors so long as the majority of those persons are Directors. Any such committee shall be made up of such number of Independent Directors as required from time to time by the Designated Stock Exchange Rules or otherwise required by applicable law.

 

17.2 The delegation may be collateral with, or to the exclusion of, the Directors’ own powers.

 

17.3 The delegation may be on such terms as the Directors think fit, including provision for the committee itself to delegate to a sub-committee; save that any delegation must be capable of being revoked or altered by the Directors at will.

 

17.4 Unless otherwise permitted by the Directors, a committee must follow the procedures prescribed for the taking of decisions by Directors.

 

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17.5 The Board shall establish an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of these committees shall be empowered to do all things necessary to exercise the rights of such committee set forth in these Articles. Each of the audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee shall consist of at least three Directors (or such larger minimum number as may be required from time to time by the Designated Stock Exchange Rules). The majority of the committee members on each of the compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee shall be Independent Directors. The audit committee shall be made up of such number of Independent Directors as required from time to time by the Designated Stock Exchange Rules or otherwise required by applicable law.

 

Local boards

 

17.6 The Board may establish any local or divisional board or agency for managing any of the affairs of the Company whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere and may appoint any persons to be members of a local or divisional Board, or to be managers or agents, and may fix their remuneration.

 

17.7 The Board may delegate to any local or divisional board, manager or agent any of its powers and authorities (with power to sub-delegate) and may authorise the members of any local or divisional board or any of them to fill any vacancies and to act notwithstanding vacancies.

 

17.8 Any appointment or delegation under this Article 17.8 may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Board thinks fit and the Board may remove any person so appointed, and may revoke or vary any delegation.

 

Power to appoint an agent of the Company

 

17.9 The Directors may appoint any person, either generally or in respect of any specific matter, to be the agent of the Company with or without authority for that person to delegate all or any of that person’s powers. The Directors may make that appointment:

 

(a) by causing the Company to enter into a power of attorney or agreement; or

 

(b) in any other manner they determine.

 

Power to appoint an attorney or authorised signatory of the Company

 

17.10 The Directors may appoint any person, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or the authorised signatory of the Company. The appointment may be:

 

(a) for any purpose;

 

(b) with the powers, authorities and discretions;

 

(c) for the period; and

 

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(d) subject to such conditions

 

as they think fit. The powers, authorities and discretions, however, must not exceed those vested in, or exercisable, by the Directors under these Articles. The Directors may do so by power of attorney or any other manner they think fit.

 

17.11 Any power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provision for the protection and convenience for persons dealing with the attorney or authorised signatory as the Directors think fit. Any power of attorney or other appointment may also authorise the attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in that person.

 

17.12 The Board may remove any person appointed under Article 17.10 and may revoke or vary the delegation.

 

Borrowing Powers

 

17.13 The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets both present and future and uncalled capital, or any part thereof, and to issue debentures and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or its parent undertaking (if any) or any subsidiary undertaking of the Company or of any third party.

 

Corporate Governance

 

17.14 The Board may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives of the Company, which shall be intended to set forth the guiding principles and policies of the Company and the Board on various corporate governance related matters as the Board shall determine by resolution from time to time.

 

18 Meetings of Directors

 

Regulation of Directors’ meetings

 

18.1 Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit.

 

Calling meetings

 

18.2 Any Director may call a meeting of Directors at any time. The Secretary must call a meeting of the Directors if requested to do so by a Director.

 

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Notice of meetings

 

18.3 Notice of a Board meeting may be given to a Director personally or by word of mouth or given in writing or by Electronic communications at such address as he may from time to time specify for this purpose (or, if he does not specify an address, at his last known address). A Director may waive his right to receive notice of any meeting either prospectively or retrospectively.

 

Use of technology

 

18.4 A Director may participate in a meeting of Directors through the medium of conference telephone, video or any other form of communications equipment providing all persons participating in the meeting are able to hear and speak to each other throughout the meeting.

 

18.5 A Director participating in this way is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.

 

Quorum

 

18.6 The quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of Directors shall be two unless the Directors fix some other number.

 

Chairman or deputy to preside

 

18.7 The Board may appoint a chairman and one or more deputy chairman or chairmen and may at any time revoke any such appointment.

 

18.8 The chairman, or failing him any deputy chairman (the longest in office taking precedence if more than one is present), shall preside at all Board meetings. If no chairman or deputy chairman has been appointed, or if he is not present within five minutes after the time fixed for holding the meeting, or is unwilling to act as chairman of the meeting, the Directors present shall choose one of their number to act as chairman of the meeting.

 

Voting

 

18.9 A question which arises at a Board meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. If votes are equal the chairman may, if he wishes, exercise a casting vote.

 

Recording of dissent

 

18.10 A Director present at a meeting of Directors shall be presumed to have assented to any action taken at that meeting unless:

 

(a) his dissent is entered in the minutes of the meeting; or

 

(b) he has filed with the meeting before it is concluded signed dissent from that action; or

 

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(c) he has forwarded to the Company as soon as practical following the conclusion of that meeting signed dissent.

 

A Director who votes in favour of an action is not entitled to record his dissent to it.

 

Written resolutions

 

18.11 The Directors may pass a resolution in writing without holding a meeting if all Directors sign a document or sign several documents in the like form each signed by one or more of those Directors.

 

18.12 A written resolution signed by a validly appointed alternate Director need not also be signed by the appointing Director.

 

18.13 A written resolution signed personally by the appointing Director need not also be signed by his alternate.

 

18.14 A resolution in writing passed pursuant to Article 18.11, Article 18.12 and/or Article 18.13 shall be as effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held; and it shall be treated as having been passed on the day and at the time that the last Director signs (and for the avoidance of doubt, such day may or may not be a Business Day).

 

Validity of acts of Directors in spite of formal defect

 

18.15 All acts done by a meeting of the Board, or of a committee of the Board, or by any person acting as a Director or an alternate Director, shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director or member of the committee, or that any of them were disqualified or had vacated office or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and qualified and had continued to be a Director or alternate Director and had been entitled to vote.

 

19 Permissible Directors’ interests and disclosure

 

19.1 A Director shall not, as a Director, vote in respect of any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal in which he has an interest which (together with any interest of any person connected with him) is a material interest (otherwise then by virtue of his interests, direct or indirect, in Shares or debentures or other securities of, or otherwise in or through, the Company) and if he shall do so his vote shall not be counted, nor in relation thereto shall he be counted in the quorum present at the meeting, but (in the absence of some other material interest than is mentioned below) none of these prohibitions shall apply to:

 

(a) the giving of any security, guarantee or indemnity in respect of:

 

(i) money lent or obligations incurred by him or by any other person for the benefit of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; or

 

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(ii) a debt or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries for which the Director himself has assumed responsibility in whole or in part and whether alone or jointly with others under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security;

 

(b) where the Company or any of its subsidiaries is offering securities in which offer the Director is or may be entitled to participate as a holder of securities or in the underwriting or sub-underwriting of which the Director is to or may participate;

 

(c) any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal affecting any other body corporate in which he is interested, directly or indirectly and whether as an officer, shareholder, creditor or otherwise howsoever, provided that he (together with persons connected with him) does not to his knowledge hold an interest representing one per cent or more of any class of the equity share capital of such body corporate (or of any third body corporate through which his interest is derived) or of the voting rights available to members of the relevant body corporate (any such interest being deemed for the purposes of this Article 19.1 to be a material interest in all circumstances);

 

(d) any act or thing done or to be done in respect of any arrangement for the benefit of the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under which he is not accorded as a Director any privilege or advantage not generally accorded to the employees to whom such arrangement relates; or

 

(e) any matter connected with the purchase or maintenance for any Director of insurance against any liability or (to the extent permitted by the Law) indemnities in favour of Directors, the funding of expenditure by one or more Directors in defending proceedings against him or them or the doing of any thing to enable such Director or Directors to avoid incurring such expenditure.

 

19.2 A Director may, as a Director, vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of any contract, transaction, arrangement or proposal in which he has an interest which is not a material interest or which falls within Article 19.1.

 

20 Minutes

 

20.1 The Company shall cause minutes to be made in books of:

 

(a) all appointments of Officers and committees made by the Board and of any such Officer’s remuneration; and

 

(b) the names of Directors present at every meeting of the Directors, a committee of the Board, the Company or the holders of any class of shares or debentures, and all orders, resolutions and proceedings of such meetings.

 

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20.2 Any such minutes, if purporting to be signed by the chairman of the meeting at which the proceedings were held or by the chairman of the next succeeding meeting or the Secretary, shall be prima facie evidence of the matters stated in them.

 

21 Accounts and audit

 

21.1 The Directors must ensure that proper accounting and other records are kept, and that accounts and associated reports are distributed in accordance with the requirements of the Law.

 

21.2 The books of account shall be kept at the registered office of the Company and shall always be open to inspection by the Directors. No Member (other than a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by the Law or as authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

21.3 Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 30 September in each year and begin on 1 October in each year.

 

Auditors

 

21.4 The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office on such terms as the Directors determine.

 

21.5 At any general meeting convened and held at any time in accordance with these Articles, the Members may, by Ordinary Resolution, remove the Auditor before the expiration of his term of office. If they do so, the Members shall, by Ordinary Resolution, at that meeting appoint another Auditor in his stead for the remainder of his term.

 

21.6 The Auditors shall examine such books, accounts and vouchers; as may be necessary for the performance of their duties.

 

21.7 The Auditors shall, if so requested by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Company.

 

22 Record dates

 

22.1 Except to the extent of any conflicting rights attached to Shares, the resolution declaring a dividend on Shares of any class, whether it be an Ordinary Resolution of the Members or a Director’s resolution, may specify that the dividend is payable or distributable to the persons registered as the holders of those Shares at the close of business on a particular date, notwithstanding that the date may be a date prior to that on which the resolution is passed.

 

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22.2 If the resolution does so specify, the dividend shall be payable or distributable to the persons registered as the holders of those Shares at the close of business on the specified date in accordance with their respective holdings so registered, but without prejudice to the rights inter se in respect of the dividend of transferors and transferees of any of those Shares.

 

22.3 The provisions of this Article apply, mutatis mutandis, to bonuses, capitalisation issues, distributions of realised capital profits or offers or grants made by the Company to the Members.

 

23 Dividends

 

Source of dividends

 

23.1 Dividends may be declared and paid out of any funds of the Company lawfully available for distribution.

 

23.2 Subject to the requirements of the Law regarding the application of a company’s Share premium account and with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, dividends may also be declared and paid out of any share premium account.

 

Declaration of dividends by Members

 

23.3 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution declare dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the Members but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

Payment of interim dividends and declaration of final dividends by Directors

 

23.4 The Directors may declare and pay interim dividends or recommend final dividends in accordance with the respective rights of the Members if it appears to them that they are justified by the financial position of the Company and that such dividends may lawfully be paid.

 

23.5 Subject to the provisions of the Law, in relation to the distinction between interim dividends and final dividends, the following applies:

 

(a) Upon determination to pay a dividend or dividends described as interim by the Directors in the dividend resolution, no debt shall be created by the declaration until such time as payment is made.

 

(b) Upon declaration of a dividend or dividends described as final by the Directors in the dividend resolution, a debt shall be created immediately following the declaration, the due date to be the date the dividend is stated to be payable in the resolution.

 

If the resolution fails to specify whether a dividend is final or interim, it shall be assumed to be interim.

 

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23.6 In relation to Shares carrying differing rights to dividends or rights to dividends at a fixed rate, the following applies:

 

(a) If the share capital is divided into different classes, the Directors may pay dividends on Shares which confer deferred or non-preferred rights with regard to dividends as well as on Shares which confer preferential rights with regard to dividends but no dividend shall be paid on Shares carrying deferred or non-preferred rights if, at the time of payment, any preferential dividend is in arrears.

 

(b) The Directors may also pay, at intervals settled by them, any dividend payable at a fixed rate if it appears to them that there are sufficient funds of the Company lawfully available for distribution to justify the payment.

 

(c) If the Directors act in good faith, they shall not incur any liability to the Members holding Shares conferring preferred rights for any loss those Members may suffer by the lawful payment of the dividend on any Shares having deferred or non-preferred rights.

 

Apportionment of dividends

 

23.7 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to Shares all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts Paid Up on the Shares on which the dividend is paid. All dividends shall be apportioned and paid proportionately to the amount Paid Up on the Shares during the time or part of the time in respect of which the dividend is paid. But if a Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for dividend accordingly.

 

Right of set off

 

23.8 The Directors may deduct from a dividend or any other amount payable to a person in respect of a Share any amount due by that person to the Company on a call or otherwise in relation to a Share.

 

Power to pay other than in cash

 

23.9 If the Directors so determine, any resolution declaring a dividend may direct that it shall be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets. If a difficulty arises in relation to the distribution, the Directors may settle that difficulty in any way they consider appropriate. For example, they may do any one or more of the following:

 

(a) issue fractional Shares;

 

(b) fix the value of assets for distribution and make cash payments to some Members on the footing of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of Members; and

 

(c) vest some assets in trustees.

 

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How payments may be made

 

23.10 A dividend or other monies payable on or in respect of a Share may be paid in any of the following ways:

 

(a) if the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to that Share nominates a bank account for that purpose - by wire transfer to that bank account; or

 

(b) by cheque or warrant sent by post to the registered address of the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to that Share.

 

23.11 For the purposes of Article 23.10(a), the nomination may be in writing or in an Electronic Record and the bank account nominated may be the bank account of another person. For the purposes of Article 23.10(b), subject to any applicable law or regulation, the cheque or warrant shall be made to the order of the Member holding that Share or other person entitled to the Share or to his nominee, whether nominated in writing or in an Electronic Record, and payment of the cheque or warrant shall be a good discharge to the Company.

 

23.12 If two or more persons are registered as the holders of the Share or are jointly entitled to it by reason of the death or bankruptcy of the registered holder (Joint Holders), a dividend (or other amount) payable on or in respect of that Share may be paid as follows:

 

(a) to the registered address of the Joint Holder of the Share who is named first on the register of Members or to the registered address of the deceased or bankrupt holder, as the case may be; or

 

(b) to the address or bank account of another person nominated by the Joint Holders, whether that nomination is in writing or in an Electronic Record.

 

23.13 Any Joint Holder of a Share may give a valid receipt for a dividend (or other amount) payable in respect of that Share.

 

Dividends or other monies not to bear interest in absence of special rights

 

23.14 Unless provided for by the rights attached to a Share, no dividend or other monies payable by the Company in respect of a Share shall bear interest.

 

Dividends unable to be paid or unclaimed

 

23.15 If a dividend cannot be paid to a Member or remains unclaimed within six weeks after it was declared or both, the Directors may pay it into a separate account in the Company’s name. If a dividend is paid into a separate account, the Company shall not be constituted trustee in respect of that account and the dividend shall remain a debt due to the Member.

 

23.16 A dividend that remains unclaimed for a period of six years after it became due for payment shall be forfeited to, and shall cease to remain owing by, the Company.

 

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24 Capitalisation of profits

 

Capitalisation of profits or of any share premium account or capital redemption reserve;

 

24.1 The Directors may resolve to capitalise:

 

(a) any part of the Company’s profits not required for paying any preferential dividend (whether or not those profits are available for distribution); or

 

(b) any sum standing to the credit of the Company’s share premium account or capital redemption reserve, if any.

 

24.2 The amount resolved to be capitalised must be appropriated to the Members who would have been entitled to it had it been distributed by way of dividend and in the same proportions. The benefit to each Member so entitled must be given in either or both of the following ways::

 

(a) by paying up the amounts unpaid on that Member’s Shares;

 

(b) by issuing Fully Paid Up Shares, debentures or other securities of the Company to that Member or as that Member directs. The Directors may resolve that any Shares issued to the Member in respect of Partly Paid Up Shares (Original Shares) rank for dividend only to the extent that the Original Shares rank for dividend while those Original Shares remain Partly Paid Up.

 

Applying an amount for the benefit of Members

 

24.3 The amount capitalised must be applied to the benefit of Members in the proportions to which the Members would have been entitled to dividends if the amount capitalised had been distributed as a dividend.

 

24.4 Subject to the Law, if a fraction of a Share, a debenture or other security is allocated to a Member, the Directors may issue a fractional certificate to that Member or pay him the cash equivalent of the fraction.

 

25 Share Premium Account

 

Directors to maintain share premium account

 

25.1 The Directors shall establish a share premium account in accordance with the Law. They shall carry to the credit of that account from time to time an amount equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share or capital contributed or such other amounts required by the Law.

 

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Debits to share premium account

 

25.2 The following amounts shall be debited to any share premium account:

 

(a) on the redemption or purchase of a Share, the difference between the nominal value of that Share and the redemption or purchase price; and

 

(b) any other amount paid out of a share premium account as permitted by the Law.

 

25.3 Notwithstanding the preceding Article, on the redemption or purchase of a Share, the Directors may pay the difference between the nominal value of that Share and the redemption purchase price out of the profits of the Company or, as permitted by the Law, out of capital.

 

26 Seal

 

Company seal

 

26.1 The Company may have a seal if the Directors so determine.

 

Duplicate seal

 

26.2 Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Company may also have a duplicate seal or seals for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands. Each duplicate seal shall be a facsimile of the original seal of the Company. However, if the Directors so determine, a duplicate seal shall have added on its face the name of the place where it is to be used.

 

When and how seal is to be used

 

26.3 A seal may only be used by the authority of the Directors. Unless the Directors otherwise determine, a document to which a seal is affixed must be signed in one of the following ways:

 

(a) by a Director (or his alternate) and the Secretary; or

 

(b) by a single Director (or his alternate).

 

If no seal is adopted or used

 

26.4 If the Directors do not adopt a seal, or a seal is not used, a document may be executed in the following manner:

 

(a) by a Director (or his alternate) and the Secretary; or

 

(b) by a single Director (or his alternate); or

 

(c) in any other manner permitted by the Law.

 

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Power to allow non-manual signatures and facsimile printing of seal

 

26.5 The Directors may determine that either or both of the following applies:

 

(a) that the seal or a duplicate seal need not be affixed manually but may be affixed by some other method or system of reproduction;

 

(b) that a signature required by these Articles need not be manual but may be a mechanical or Electronic Signature.

 

Validity of execution

 

26.6 If a document is duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Company, it shall not be regarded as invalid merely because, at the date of the delivery, the Secretary, or the Director, or other Officer or person who signed the document or affixed the seal for and on behalf of the Company ceased to be the Secretary or hold that office and authority on behalf of the Company.

 

27 Indemnity

 

27.1 To the extent permitted by law, the Company shall indemnify each existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary and other Officer of the Company (including an investment adviser or an administrator or liquidator) and their personal representatives against:

 

(a) all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by the existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs or in the execution or discharge of the existing or former Director’s (including alternate Director’s), Secretary’s or Officer’s duties, powers, authorities or discretions; and

 

(b) without limitation to paragraph (a), all costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings (whether threatened, pending or completed) concerning the Company or its affairs in any court or tribunal, whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

No such existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer, however, shall be indemnified in respect of any matter arising out of his own dishonesty.

 

27.2 To the extent permitted by Law, the Company may make a payment, or agree to make a payment, whether by way of advance, loan or otherwise, for any legal costs incurred by an existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer of the Company in respect of any matter identified in Article 27.1 on condition that the Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer must repay the amount paid by the Company to the extent that it is ultimately found not liable to indemnify the Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or that Officer for those legal costs.

 

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Release

 

27.3 To the extent permitted by Law, the Company may by Special Resolution release any existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or other Officer of the Company from liability for any loss or damage or right to compensation which may arise out of or in connection with the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities or discretions of his office; but there may be no release from liability arising out of or in connection with that person’s own dishonesty.

 

Insurance

 

27.4 To the extent permitted by Law, the Company may pay, or agree to pay, a premium in respect of a contract insuring each of the following persons against risks determined by the Directors, other than liability arising out of that person’s own dishonesty:

 

(a) an existing or former Director (including alternate Director), Secretary or Officer or auditor of:

 

(i) the Company;

 

(ii) a company which is or was a subsidiary of the Company;

 

(iii) a company in which the Company has or had an interest (whether direct or indirect); and

 

(b) a trustee of an employee or retirement benefits scheme or other trust in which any of the persons referred to in paragraph (a) is or was interested.

 

28 Notices

 

Form of notices

 

28.1 Save where these Articles provide otherwise, and subject to the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, any notice to be given to or by any person pursuant to these Articles shall be:

 

(a) in writing signed by or on behalf of the giver in the manner set out below for written notices; or

 

(b) subject to the next Article, in an Electronic Record signed by or on behalf of the giver by Electronic Signature and authenticated in accordance with Articles about authentication of Electronic Records; or

 

(c) where these Articles expressly permit, by the Company by means of a website.

 

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Electronic communications

 

28.2 A notice may only be given to the Company in an Electronic Record if:

 

(a) the Directors so resolve;

 

(b) the resolution states how an Electronic Record may be given and, if applicable, specifies an email address for the Company; and

 

(c) the terms of that resolution are notified to the Members for the time being and, if applicable, to those Directors who were absent from the meeting at which the resolution was passed.

 

If the resolution is revoked or varied, the revocation or variation shall only become effective when its terms have been similarly notified.

 

28.3 A notice may not be given by Electronic Record to a person other than the Company unless the recipient has notified the giver of an Electronic address to which notice may be sent.

 

28.4 Subject to the Law, the Designated Stock Exchange Rules and to any other rules which the Company is bound to follow, the Company may also send any notice or other document pursuant to these Articles to a Member by publishing that notice or other document on a website where:

 

(a) the Company and the Member have agreed to his having access to the notice or document on a website (instead of it being sent to him);

 

(b) the notice or document is one to which that agreement applies;

 

(c) the Member is notified (in accordance with any requirements laid down by the Law and, in a manner for the time being agreed between him and the Company for the purpose) of:

 

(i) the publication of the notice or document on a website;

 

(ii) the address of that website; and

 

(iii) the place on that website where the notice or document may be accessed, and how it may be accessed; and

 

(d) the notice or document is published on that website throughout the publication period, provided that, if the notice or document is published on that website for a part, but not all of, the publication period, the notice or document shall be treated as being published throughout that period if the failure to publish that notice of document throughout that period is wholly attributable to circumstances which it would not be reasonable to have expected the Company to prevent or avoid. For the purposes of this Article 28.4 “publication period” means a period of not less than twenty-one days, beginning on the day on which the notification referred to in Article 28.4(c) is deemed sent.

 

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Persons entitled to notices

 

28.5 Any notice or other document to be given to a Member may be given by reference to the register of Members as it stands at any time within the period of twenty-one days before the day that the notice is given or (where and as applicable) within any other period permitted by, or in accordance with the requirements of, (to the extent applicable) the Designated Stock Exchange Rules and/or the Designated Stock Exchanges. No change in the register of Members after that time shall invalidate the giving of such notice or document or require the Company to give such item to any other person.

 

Persons authorised to give notices

 

28.6 A notice by either the Company or a Member pursuant to these Articles may be given on behalf of the Company or a Member by a Director or company secretary of the Company or a Member.

 

Delivery of written notices

 

28.7 Save where these Articles provide otherwise, a notice in writing may be given personally to the recipient, or left at (as appropriate) the Member’s or Director’s registered address or the Company’s registered office, or posted to that registered address or registered office.

 

Joint holders

 

28.8 Where Members are joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to the Member whose name first appears in the register of Members.

 

Signatures

 

28.9 A written notice shall be signed when it is autographed by or on behalf of the giver, or is marked in such a way as to indicate its execution or adoption by the giver.

 

28.10 An Electronic Record may be signed by an Electronic Signature.

 

Evidence of transmission

 

28.11 A notice given by Electronic Record shall be deemed sent if an Electronic Record is kept demonstrating the time, date and content of the transmission, and if no notification of failure to transmit is received by the giver.

 

28.12 A notice given in writing shall be deemed sent if the giver can provide proof that the envelope containing the notice was properly addressed, pre-paid and posted, or that the written notice was otherwise properly transmitted to the recipient.

 

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28.13 A Member present, either in person or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company or of the holders of any class of Shares shall be deemed to have received due notice of the meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which it was called.

 

Giving notice to a deceased or bankrupt Member

 

28.14 A notice may be given by the Company to the persons entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member by sending or delivering it, in any manner authorised by these Articles for the giving of notice to a Member, addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt or by any like description, at the address, if any, supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled.

 

28.15 Until such an address has been supplied, a notice may be given in any manner in which it might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

Date of giving notices

 

28.16 A notice is given on the date identified in the following table

 

Method for giving notices   When taken to be given
     
(A) Personally   At the time and date of delivery
     
(B) By leaving it at the Member’s registered address   At the time and date it was left
     
(C) By posting it by prepaid post to the street or postal address of that recipient   48 hours after the date it was posted
     
(D) By Electronic Record (other than publication on a website), to recipient’s Electronic address   48 hours after the date it was sent
     
(E) By publication on a website   24 hours after the date on which the Member is deemed to have been notified of the publication of the notice or document on the website

 

Saving provision

 

28.17 None of the preceding notice provisions shall derogate from the Articles about the delivery of written resolutions of Directors and written resolutions of Members.

 

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29 Authentication of Electronic Records

 

Application of Articles

 

29.1 Without limitation to any other provision of these Articles, any notice, written resolution or other document under these Articles that is sent by Electronic means by a Member, or by the Secretary, or by a Director or other Officer of the Company, shall be deemed to be authentic if either Article 29.2 or Article 29.4 applies.

 

Authentication of documents sent by Members by Electronic means

 

29.2 An Electronic Record of a notice, written resolution or other document sent by Electronic means by or on behalf of one or more Members shall be deemed to be authentic if the following conditions are satisfied:

 

(a) the Member or each Member, as the case may be, signed the original document, and for this purpose Original Document includes several documents in like form signed by one or more of those Members; and

 

(b) the Electronic Record of the Original Document was sent by Electronic means by, or at the direction of, that Member to an address specified in accordance with these Articles for the purpose for which it was sent; and

 

(c) Article 29.7 does not apply.

 

29.3 For example, where a sole Member signs a resolution and sends the Electronic Record of the original resolution, or causes it to be sent, by facsimile transmission to the address in these Articles specified for that purpose, the facsimile copy shall be deemed to be the written resolution of that Member unless Article 28.7 applies.

 

Authentication of document sent by the Secretary or Officers of the Company by Electronic means

 

29.4 An Electronic Record of a notice, written resolution or other document sent by or on behalf of the Secretary or an Officer or Officers of the Company shall be deemed to be authentic if the following conditions are satisfied:

 

(a) the Secretary or the Officer or each Officer, as the case may be, signed the original document, and for this purpose Original Document includes several documents in like form signed by the Secretary or one or more of those Officers; and

 

(b) the Electronic Record of the Original Document was sent by Electronic means by, or at the direction of, the Secretary or that Officer to an address specified in accordance with these Articles for the purpose for which it was sent; and

 

(c) Article 29.7 does not apply.

 

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This Article 29.4 applies whether the document is sent by or on behalf of the Secretary or Officer in his own right or as a representative of the Company.

 

29.5 For example, where a sole Director signs a resolution and scans the resolution, or causes it to be scanned, as a PDF version which is attached to an email sent to the address in these Articles specified for that purpose, the PDF version shall be deemed to be the written resolution of that Director unless Article 29.7 applies.

 

Manner of signing

 

29.6 For the purposes of these Articles about the authentication of Electronic Records, a document will be taken to be signed if it is signed manually or in any other manner permitted by these Articles.

 

Saving provision

 

29.7 A notice, written resolution or other document under these Articles will not be deemed to be authentic if the recipient, acting reasonably:

 

(a) believes that the signature of the signatory has been altered after the signatory had signed the original document; or

 

(b) believes that the original document, or the Electronic Record of it, was altered, without the approval of the signatory, after the signatory signed the original document; or

 

(c) otherwise doubts the authenticity of the Electronic Record of the document

 

and the recipient promptly gives notice to the sender setting the grounds of its objection. If the recipient invokes this Article, the sender may seek to establish the authenticity of the Electronic Record in any way the sender thinks fit.

 

30 Transfer by way of continuation

 

30.1 The Company may, by Special Resolution, resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside:

 

(a) the Cayman Islands; or

 

(b) such other jurisdiction in which it is, for the time being, incorporated, registered or existing.
     

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30.2 To give effect to any resolution made pursuant to the preceding Article, the Directors may cause the following:

 

(a) an application be made to the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or in the other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing; and

 

(b) all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

 

31 Winding up

 

Distribution of assets in specie

 

31.1 If the Company is wound up the Members may, subject to these Articles and any other sanction required by the Law, pass a Special Resolution allowing the liquidator to do either or both of the following:

 

(a) to divide in specie among the Members the whole or any part of the assets of the Company and, for that purpose, to value any assets and to determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members; and/or

 

(b) to vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees for the benefit of Members and those liable to contribute to the winding up.

 

No obligation to accept liability

 

31.2 No Member shall be compelled to accept any assets if an obligation attaches to them.

 

31.3 The Directors are authorised to present a winding up petition

 

31.4 The Directors have the authority to present a petition for the winding up of the Company to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on behalf of the Company without the sanction of a resolution passed at a general meeting.

 

32 Amendment of Memorandum and Articles

 

Power to change name or amend Memorandum

 

32.1 Subject to the Law, the Company may, by Special Resolution:

 

(a) change its name; or

 

(b) change the provisions of its Memorandum with respect to its objects, powers or any other matter specified in the Memorandum.

 

Power to amend these Articles

 

32.2 Subject to the Law and as provided in these Articles, the Company may, by Special Resolution, amend these Articles in whole or in part.

 

 

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Exhibit 4.1

 

Share Certificate

 

Number of certificate

 

  Number of shares
     

 

Chanson International Holding

 

COMPANY NUMBER [NUMBER]

 

This is to certify that [Name] of [Address] is the registered holder of [Number] Class A ordinary shares of [Value] each being [partly paid to the extent of [amount in words][amount in numerals] per share]]/[fully paid][and numbered [number]] in the above-named company, subject to the memorandum and articles of association of the company.

 

[Transfer date]

 

     
Director   Director/ Secretary

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

     

 

Chanson International Holding

Harney Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited

4th Floor, Harbour Place

103 South Church Street

P.O. Box 10240

Grand Cayman KY1-1002

Cayman Islands

  D +1 345 815 1877
  E bradley.kruger@ogier.com
   
  Reference: 427101.00001/BKR/RZD
   
     
    31 March 2021

 

Dear Sirs

 

Chanson International Holding (Company)

 

We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to the Company in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the Registration Statement), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act) to date relating to the offering by the Company of up to 3,450,000 Class A ordinary shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option) of the Company of par value US$0.001 each (the Shares) and the offering of up to 180,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter Warrants (as defined in the Registration Statement). This opinion is given in accordance with the terms of the legal matters section of the Registration Statement.

 

Unless a contrary intention appears, all capitalised terms used in this opinion have the respective meanings set forth in the Registration Statement. A reference to a Schedule is a reference to a schedule to this opinion and the headings herein are for convenience only and do not affect the construction of this opinion.

 

1 Documents examined

 

For the purposes of giving this opinion, we have examined a copy of the Registration Statement. In addition, we have examined the corporate and other documents. We have not made any searches or enquiries concerning, and have not examined any documents entered into by or affecting the Company.

 

Ogier

89 Nexus Way

Camana Bay

Grand Cayman, KY1-9009

Cayman Islands

 

T +1 345 949 9876

F +1 345 949 9877

ogier.com

  A list of Partners may be inspected on our website

 

 

 

Chanson International Holding

31 March 2021

 

2 Assumptions

 

In giving this opinion we have relied upon the assumptions set forth in Schedule 2 without having carried out any independent investigation or verification in respect of those assumptions.

 

3 Opinions

 

On the basis of the examinations and assumptions referred to above and subject to the qualifications set forth in Schedule 3 and the limitations set forth below, we are of the opinion that:

 

Corporate status

 

(a) The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands (the Registrar).

 

Issue of Shares

 

(b) The issue and allotment of the Shares has been authorised by all requisite corporate action of the Company and when allotted, issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Shares will be validly issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, the Shares are only issued when they have been entered into the register of members of the Company.

 

Shares underlying the Underwriter Warrants

 

(c) The Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter Warrants will, when issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement, be validly issued as fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, such Class A ordinary shares are only issued when they have been entered into the register of members of the Company.

 

Registration Statement – “Cayman Islands Taxation”

 

(d) Insofar as the statements set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption “Cayman Islands Taxation” purport to summarise certain tax laws of the Cayman Islands, such statements are accurate in all material respects and such statements constitute our opinion.

 

4 Matters not covered

 

We offer no opinion as to any laws other than the laws of the Cayman Islands, and we have not, for the purposes of this opinion, made any investigation of the laws of any other jurisdiction, and we express no opinion as to the meaning, validity, or effect of references in the M&A (as defined below) or the Registration Statement to statutes, rules, regulations, codes or judicial authority of any jurisdiction other than the Cayman Islands.

 

2

 

 

Chanson International Holding

31 March 2021

 

5 Governing law of this opinion

 

5.1 This opinion is:

 

(a) governed by, and shall be construed in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands;

 

(b) limited to the matters expressly stated in it; and

 

(c) confined to, and given on the basis of, the laws and practice in the Cayman Islands at the date of this opinion.

 

5.2 Unless otherwise indicated, a reference to any specific Cayman Islands legislation is a reference to that legislation as amended to, and as in force at, the date of this opinion.

 

6 Consent

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm in the Registration Statement. In the giving of our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

Yours faithfully

 

/s/ Ogier  
Ogier  

 

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Chanson International Holding

31 March 2021

 

Schedule 1 

 

Documents examined

 

1 The Certificate of Incorporation of the Company dated 26 July 2019 and the Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name dated 18 December 2020, each issued by the Registrar.

 

2 The second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company adopted by special resolution passed on 27 March 2021 (the M&A).

 

3 A Certificate of Good Standing dated 26 March 2021 (Good Standing Certificate) issued by the Registrar in respect of the Company.

 

4 A certificate dated 31 March 2021 as to certain matters of fact signed by a director of the Company in the form annexed hereto (the Director’s Certificate), having attached to it the written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on 27 March 2021 (the Board Resolutions).

 

4

 

 

Chanson International Holding

31 March 2021

 

Schedule 2 

 

Assumptions

 

1 All original documents examined by us are authentic and complete.

 

2 All copy documents examined by us (whether in facsimile, electronic or other form) conform to the originals and those originals are authentic and complete.

 

3 All signatures, seals, dates, stamps and markings (whether on original or copy documents) are genuine.

 

4 Each of the Certificate of Incorporation, the M&A, the Good Standing Certificate, the Director’s Certificate and the Board Resolutions is accurate and complete as at the date of this opinion.

 

5 The M&A is in full force and effect and has not been amended, varied, supplemented or revoked in any respect.

 

Status and Authorisation

 

6 In authorising the issue and allotment of Shares, the sole director of the Company has acted in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company and has exercised the standard of care, diligence and skill that is required of him or her.

 

7 Any individuals who sign or have signed documents or give information on which we rely, have the legal capacity under all relevant laws (including the laws of the Cayman Islands) to sign such documents and give such information.

 

8 None of the opinions expressed herein will be adversely affected by the laws or public policies of any jurisdiction other than the Cayman Islands. In particular, but without limitation to the previous sentence, the laws or public policies of any jurisdiction other than the Cayman Islands will not adversely affect the capacity or authority of the Company.

 

9 There are no agreements, documents or arrangements (other than the documents expressly referred to in this opinion as having been examined by us) that materially affect or modify the Registration Statement or the transactions contemplated by it or restrict the powers and authority of the Company in any way.

 

5

 

 

Chanson International Holding

31 March 2021

 

Schedule 3

 

Qualifications

 

Good Standing

 

1 Under the Companies Act (Revised) (Companies Act) of the Cayman Islands annual returns in respect of the Company must be filed with the Registrar, together with payment of annual filing fees. A failure to file annual returns and pay annual filing fees may result in the Company being struck off the Register of Companies, following which its assets will vest in the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands and will be subject to disposition or retention for the benefit of the public of the Cayman Islands.

 

2 In good standing means only that as of the date of the Good Standing Certificate the Company is up-to-date with the filing of its annual returns and payment of annual fees with the Registrar. We have made no enquiries into the Company’s good standing with respect to any filings or payment of fees, or both, that it may be required to make under the laws of the Cayman Islands other than the Companies Act.

 

3 In this opinion the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to Shares, that a member of the Company shall not, by virtue of its status as a member of the Company, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper use or other circumstance in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

 

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

 

This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), is entered into as of [  ], by and between Chanson International Holding, a company incorporated and existing under the laws of Cayman Islands (the “Company”), and [  ], an individual (the “Executive”). The term “Company” as used herein with respect to all obligations of the Executive hereunder shall be deemed to include the Company and all of its direct or indirect parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, or subsidiaries or affiliates of its parent companies (collectively, the “Group”).

 

RECITALS

 

The Company desires to employ the Executive and to assure itself of the services of the Executive during the term of Employment (as defined below).

 

The Executive desires to be employed by the Company during the term of Employment and upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

AGREEMENT

 

The parties hereto agree as follows:

 

  1. POSITION

 

The Executive hereby accepts a position of [  ] of the Company (the “Employment”).

 

2. TERM

 

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the initial term of the Employment shall be [  ] years, commencing on [  ] (the “Effective Date”), unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Upon expiration of the [  ]-year term, the Employment shall be automatically extended for successive [  ]-year terms unless either party gives the other party hereto a [  ]-month prior written notice to terminate the Employment prior to the expiration of such [  ]-year term or unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

  3. PROBATION

 

No probationary period.

 

  4. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

The Executive’s duties at the Company will include all jobs assigned by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).

 

The Executive shall devote all of his/her working time, attention and skills to the performance of his/her duties at the Company and shall faithfully and diligently serve the Company in accordance with this Agreement, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (the “Articles of Association”), and the guidelines, policies and procedures of the Company approved from time to time by the Board.

 

  5. NO BREACH OF CONTRACT

 

The Executive shall use his/her best efforts to perform his/her duties hereunder. The Executive shall not, without prior consent of the Board, become an employee of any entity other than the Company and any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company, and shall not be concerned or interested in any business or entity that directly or indirectly competes with the Group (any such business or entity, a “Competitor”), provided that nothing in this clause shall preclude the Executive from holding shares or other securities of any Competitor that is listed on any securities exchange or recognized securities market anywhere, provided however, that the Executive shall notify the Company in writing prior to his/her obtaining a proposed interest in such shares or securities in a timely manner and with such details and particulars as the Company may reasonably require. The Company shall have the right to require the Executive to resign from any board or similar body which he/she may then serve if the Board reasonably determines in writing that the Executive’s service on such board or body interferes with the effective discharge of the Executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company or that any business related to such service is then in competition with any business of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

 

 

 

 

The Executive hereby represents to the Company that: (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Executive and the performance by the Executive of the Executive’s duties hereunder shall not constitute a breach of, or otherwise contravene, the terms of any other agreement or policy to which the Executive is a party or otherwise bound, except for agreements that are required to be entered into by and between the Executive and any member of the Group pursuant to applicable law of the jurisdiction where the Executive is based, if any; (ii) the Executive has no information (including, without limitation, confidential information and trade secrets) relating to any other person or entity which would prevent, or be violated by, the Executive entering into this Agreement or carrying out his/her duties hereunder; and (iii) the Executive is not bound by any confidentiality, trade secret or similar agreement (other than this) with any other person or entity except for other member(s) of the Group, as the case may be.

 

  6. LOCATION

 

The Executive will be based in [ ], the People’s Republic of China, until both parties hereto agree to change otherwise. The Executive acknowledges that he/she may be required to travel from time to time in the course of performing his/her duties for the Company.

 

  7. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

 

  (a) Compensation. The Executive’s cash compensation (inclusive of the statutory welfare reserves that the Company is required to set aside for the Executive under applicable law) shall be provided by the Company in a separate schedule A attached herein (“Schedule A”) or as specified in a separate agreement between the executive and the company’s designated subsidiary or affiliated entity, subject to annual review and adjustment by the Company or the compensation committee of the Board. The cash compensation may be paid by the Company, a subsidiary or affiliated entity or a combination thereof, as designated by the Company from time to time.

 

  (b) Equity Incentives. To the extent the Company adopts and maintains a share incentive plan, the Executive will be eligible to participate in such plan pursuant to the terms thereof.

 

  (c) Benefits. The Executive is eligible for participation in any standard employee benefit plan of the Company that currently exists or may be adopted by the Company in the future, including, but not limited to, any retirement plan, life insurance plan, health insurance plan and travel/holiday plan.

 

  8. TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT

 

  (a) By the Company. The Company may terminate the Employment for cause, at any time, without notice or remuneration, if the Executive (1) commits any serious or persistent breach or non-observance of the terms and conditions of your employment; (2) is convicted of a criminal offence other than one which in the opinion of the Board does not affect the executive’s position as an employee of the Company, bearing in mind the nature of your duties and the capacity in which the executive is employed; (3) willfully disobeys a lawful and reasonable order; (4) misconducts himself/herself and such conduct being inconsistent with the due and faithful discharge of the Executive’s material duties; (5) is guilty of fraud or dishonesty; or (6) is habitually neglectful in his/her duties. The Company may terminate the Employment without cause at any time with a [ ]-month prior written notice to the Executive or by payment of [ ] months’ salary in lieu of notice.

 

2

 

 

  (b) By the Executive. The Executive may terminate the Employment at any time with a [ ]-month prior written notice to the Company or by payment of [ ] months’ salary in lieu of notice. In addition, the Executive may resign prior to the expiration of the Agreement if such resignation or an alternative arrangement with respect to the Employment is approved by the Board.

 

  (c) Notice of Termination. Any termination of the Executive’s employment under this Agreement shall be communicated by written notice of termination from the terminating party to the other party. The notice of termination shall indicate the specific provision(s) of this Agreement relied upon in effecting the termination.

 

  9. CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE

 

  (a) Confidentiality and Non-disclosure. The Executive hereby agrees at all times during the term of his/her employment and after termination, to hold in the strictest confidence, and not to use, except for the benefit of the Group, or to disclose to any person, corporation or other entity without written consent of the Company, any Confidential Information. The Executive understands that “Confidential Information” means any proprietary or confidential information of the Group, its affiliates, their clients, customers or partners, and the Group’s licensors, including, without limitation, technical data, trade secrets, research and development information, product plans, services, customer lists and customers (including, but not limited to, customers of the Group on whom the Executive called or with whom the Executive became acquainted during the term of his/her employment), supplier lists and suppliers, software, developments, inventions, processes, formulas, technology, designs, drawings, engineering, hardware configuration information, personnel information, marketing, finances, information about the suppliers, joint ventures, licensors, licensees, distributors, and other persons with whom the Group does business, information regarding the skills and compensation of other employees of the Group or other business information disclosed to the Executive by or obtained by the Executive from the Group, its affiliates, or their clients, customers, or partners either directly or indirectly in writing, orally or by drawings or observation of parts or equipment, if specifically indicated to be confidential or reasonably expected to be confidential. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information shall not include information that is generally available and known to the public through no fault of the Executive.

 

  (b) Company Property. The Executive understands that all documents (including computer records, facsimile and e-mail) and materials created, received or transmitted in connection with his/her work or using the facilities of the Group are property of the Group and subject to inspection by the Group, at any time. Upon termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company (or at any other time when requested by the Company), the Executive will promptly deliver to the Company all documents and materials of any nature pertaining to his/her work with the Company and will provide written certification of his compliance with this Agreement. Under no circumstances will the Executive have, following his/her termination, in his/her possession any property of the Group, or any documents or materials or copies thereof containing any Confidential Information.

   

  (c) Former Employer Information. The Executive agrees that he/she has not and will not, during the term of his/her employment, (i) improperly use or disclose any proprietary information or trade secrets of any former employer or other person or entity with which the Executive has an agreement or duty to keep in confidence information acquired by Executive, if any, or (ii) bring into the premises of the Group any document or confidential or proprietary information belonging to such former employer, person or entity unless consented to in writing by such former employer, person or entity. The Executive will indemnify the Group and hold it harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of suit, arising out of or in connection with any violation of the foregoing.

 

  (d) Third Party Information. The Executive recognizes that the Group may have received, and in the future may receive, from third parties their confidential or proprietary information subject to a duty on the Group’s part to maintain the confidentiality of such information and to use it only for certain limited purposes. The Executive agrees that the Executive owes the Group and such third parties, during the Executive’s employment by the Company and thereafter, a duty to hold all such confidential or proprietary information in the strictest confidence and not to disclose it to any person or firm and to use it in a manner consistent with, and for the limited purposes permitted by, the Group’s agreement with such third party.

 

This Section 9 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 9, the Company shall have right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.

 

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  10. WITHHOLDING TAXES

 

Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, the Company may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to this Agreement such national, provincial, local or any other income, employment, or other taxes as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.

 

  11. NOTIFICATION OF NEW EMPLOYER

 

In the event that the Executive leaves the employ of the Company, the Executive hereby grants consent to notification by the Company to his/her new employer about his/her rights and obligations under this Agreement.

 

  12. ASSIGNMENT

 

This Agreement is personal in its nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or transfer this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder; provided, however, that (i) the Company may assign or transfer this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder to any member of the Group without such consent, and (ii) in the event of a merger, consolidation, or transfer or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company with or to any other individual(s) or entity, this Agreement shall, subject to the provisions hereof, be binding upon and inure to the benefit of such successor and such successor shall discharge and perform all the promises, covenants, duties, and obligations of the Company hereunder.

 

  13. SEVERABILITY

 

If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Agreement which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications and to this end the provisions of this Agreement are declared to be severable.

 

  14. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

 

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Executive and the Company regarding the terms of the Employment and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements concerning such subject matter, other than any such agreement under any employment agreement entered into with a subsidiary of the Company at the request of the Company to the extent such agreement does not conflict with any of the provisions herein. The Executive acknowledges that he/she has not entered into this Agreement in reliance upon any representation, warranty or undertaking which is not set forth in this Agreement. Any amendment to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by the Executive and the Company.

 

  15. REPRESENTATIONS

 

The Executive hereby agrees to execute any proper oath or verify any proper document required to carry out the terms of this Agreement. The Executive hereby represents that the Executive’s performance of all the terms of this Agreement will not breach any agreement to keep in confidence proprietary information acquired by the Executive in confidence or in trust prior to his/her employment by the Company. The Executive has not entered into, and hereby agrees that he/she will not enter into, any oral or written agreement in conflict with this Section 15. The Executive represents that the Executive will consult his/her own consultants for tax advice and is not relying on the Company for any tax advice with respect to this Agreement or any provisions hereunder.

 

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  16. GOVERNING LAW

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.

 

  17. ARBITRATION

 

Any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be settled exclusively by arbitration, conducted before a panel of three arbitrators in New York, New York, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrator’s award in any court having jurisdiction. No party to this agreement will challenge the jurisdiction or venue provisions as provided in this Section 17.

 

  18. AMENDMENT

 

This Agreement may not be amended, modified or changed (in whole or in part), except by a formal, definitive written agreement expressly referring to this Agreement, which agreement is executed by both of the parties hereto.

 

  19. WAIVER

 

Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver.

  

  20. NOTICES

 

All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if (i) delivered by hand, (ii) otherwise delivered against receipt therefor, or (iii) sent by a recognized courier with next-day or second-day delivery to the last known address of the other party.

 

  21. COUNTERPARTS

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become binding when one or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear the signatures of all of the parties reflected hereon as the signatories. Photographic copies of such signed counterparts may be used in lieu of the originals for any purpose.

 

  22. NO INTERPRETATION AGAINST DRAFTER

 

Each party recognizes that this Agreement is a legally binding contract and acknowledges that such party has had the opportunity to consult with legal counsel of choice. In any construction of the terms of this Agreement, the same shall not be construed against either party on the basis of that party being the drafter of such terms. The Executive agrees and acknowledges that he/she has read and understands this Agreement, is entering into it freely and voluntarily, and has been advised to seek counsel prior to entering into this Agreement and has ample opportunity to do so.

 

[Remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as of the date first written above.

 

Chanson International Holding  
     
By: /s/  
Name:    
Title:    

  

Executive

 

Signature:  /s/  
Name:    

  

[Signature Page to Employment Agreement]

 

 

 

 

Schedule A

 

Annual compensation is $[  ].

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.2

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

This Indemnification Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of by and between Chanson International Holding, a Cayman Islands company (the “Company”), and the undersigned, a director and/or an officer of the Company (“Indemnitee”), as applicable.

 

RECITALS

 

The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”) has determined that the inability to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve the Company is detrimental to the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and that it is reasonable and necessary for the Company to provide adequate protection to such persons against risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to the corporation.

 

AGREEMENT

 

In consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

 

A. DEFINITIONS

 

The following terms shall have the meanings defined below:

 

Expenses shall include, without limitation, damages, judgments, fines, penalties, settlements and costs, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and costs of attachment or similar bond, investigations, and any other expenses paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal), or preparing for any of the foregoing in, any Proceeding.

 

Indemnifiable Event means any event or occurrence that takes place either before or after the execution of this Agreement, related to the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or an officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity, or related to anything done or not done by Indemnitee in any such capacity, including, but not limited to neglect, breach of duty, error, misstatement, misleading statement or omission.

 

Participant means a person who is a party to, or witness or participant (including on appeal) in, a Proceeding.

 

Proceeding means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, arbitration or proceeding, or any inquiry, hearing or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other, including appeal, in which Indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise by reason of an Indemnifiable Event.

 

B. AGREEMENT TO INDEMNIFY

 

1. General Agreement. In the event Indemnitee was, is, or becomes a Participant in, or is threatened to be made a Participant in, a Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee from and against any and all Expenses which Indemnitee incurs or becomes obligated to incur in connection with such Proceeding, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

 

2. Indemnification of Expenses of Successful Party. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits in defense of any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses incurred in connection with such Proceeding or such claim, issue or matter, as the case may be.

 

3. Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for a portion of Expenses, but not for the total amount of Expenses, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee for the portion of such Expenses to which Indemnitee is entitled.

 

4. No Employment Rights. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to create in Indemnitee any right to continued employment with the Company.

 

5. Contribution. If the indemnification provided in this Agreement is unavailable and may not be paid to Indemnitee for any reason other than those set forth in Section B.4, then the Company shall contribute to the amount of Expenses paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred and paid or payable by Indemnitee in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Indemnitee on the other hand from the transaction or events from which such Proceeding arose, and (ii) the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Indemnitee on the other hand in connection with the events which resulted in such Expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Indemnitee on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent the circumstances resulting in such Expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts. The Company agrees that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section B.5 were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the foregoing equitable considerations.

 

 

 

 

C. INDEMNIFICATION PROCESS

 

1. Notice and Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall, as a condition precedent to his/her right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give the Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this Agreement, provided that the delay of Indemnitee to give notice hereunder shall not prejudice any of Indemnitee’s rights hereunder, unless such delay results in the Company’s forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses. Notice to the Company shall be given in accordance with Section F.7 below. If, at the time of receipt of such notice, the Company has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice to its insurers of the Proceeding relating to the notice. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary and desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all Expenses payable as a result of such Proceeding. In addition, Indemnitee shall give the Company such information and cooperation as the Company may reasonably request.

 

2. Indemnification Payment.

 

(a) Advancement of Expenses. Indemnitee may submit a written request with reasonable particulars to the Company requesting that the Company advance to Indemnitee all Expenses that may be reasonably incurred in advance by Indemnitee in connection with a Proceeding. The Company shall, within 10 business days of receiving such a written request by Indemnitee, advance all requested Expenses to Indemnitee. Any excess of the advanced Expenses over the actual Expenses will be repaid to the Company.

 

(b) Reimbursement of Expenses. To the extent Indemnitee has not requested any advanced payment of Expenses from the Company, Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for the Expenses incurred in connection with a Proceeding from the Company immediately after Indemnitee makes a written request to the Company for reimbursement unless the Company refers the indemnification request to the Reviewing Party in compliance with Section C.2(c) below.

 

(c) Determination by the Reviewing Party. If the Company reasonably believes that it is not obligated under this Agreement to indemnify the Indemnitee, the Company shall, within 10 days after the Indemnitee’s written request for an advancement or reimbursement of Expenses, notify the Indemnitee that the request for advancement of Expenses or reimbursement of Expenses will be submitted to the Reviewing Party (as hereinafter defined). The Reviewing Party shall make a determination on the request within 30 days after the Indemnitee’s written request for an advancement or reimbursement of Expenses. Notwithstanding anything foregoing to the contrary, in the event the Reviewing Party informs the Company that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification in connection with a Proceeding under this Agreement or applicable law, the Company shall be entitled to be reimbursed by Indemnitee for all the Expenses previously advanced or otherwise paid to Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding; provided, however, that Indemnitee may bring a suit to enforce his/her indemnification right in accordance with Section C.3 below.

 

3. Suit to Enforce Rights. Regardless of any action by the Reviewing Party, if Indemnitee has not received full indemnification within 30 days after making a written demand in accordance with Section C.2 above or 50 days if the Company submits a request for advancement or reimbursement to the Reviewing Party under Section C.2(c) above, Indemnitee shall have the right to enforce its indemnification rights under this Agreement by commencing litigation in any court of competent jurisdiction seeking a determination by the court or challenging any determination by the Reviewing Party or any aspect of this Agreement. Any determination by the Reviewing Party not challenged by Indemnitee and any judgment entered by the court shall be binding on the Company and Indemnitee.

 

4. Assumption of Defense. In the event the Company is obligated under this Agreement to advance or bear any Expenses for any Proceeding against Indemnitee, the Company shall be entitled to assume the defense of such Proceeding, with counsel approved by Indemnitee, upon delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by Indemnitee with respect to the same Proceeding, unless (i) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized by the Company, (ii) Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded, based on written advice of counsel, that there may be a conflict of interest of such counsel retained by the Company between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense, or (iii) the Company ceases or terminates the employment of such counsel with respect to the defense of such Proceeding, in any of which events the fees and expenses of Indemnitee’s counsel shall be at the expense of the Company. At all times, Indemnitee shall have the right to employ counsel in any Proceeding at Indemnitee’s expense.

 

5. Defense to Indemnification, Burden of Proof and Presumptions. It shall be a defense to any action brought by Indemnitee against the Company to enforce this Agreement that it is not permissible under this Agreement or applicable law for the Company to indemnify the Indemnitee for the amount claimed. In connection with any such action or any determination by the Reviewing Party or otherwise as to whether Indemnitee is entitled to be indemnified under this Agreement, the burden of proving such a defense or determination shall be on the Company.

 

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6. No Settlement without Consent. Neither party to this Agreement shall settle any Proceeding in any manner that would impose any damage, loss, penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without the other party’s written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee shall unreasonably withhold its consent to any proposed settlement.

 

7. Company Participation. Subject to Section B.5, the Company shall not be liable to indemnify the Indemnitee under this Agreement with regard to any judicial action if the Company was not given a reasonable and timely opportunity, at its expense, to participate in the defense, conduct and/or settlement of such action.

 

8. Reviewing Party.

 

(a) For purposes of this Agreement, the Reviewing Party with respect to each indemnification request of Indemnitee that is referred by the Company pursuant to Section C.2(c) above shall be (A) the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined), or (B) if a quorum of the Board of Directors consisting of Disinterested Directors is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, said Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board of Directors, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee. If the Reviewing Party determines that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within 10 days after such determination. Indemnitee shall cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person, persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any Independent Counsel or member of the Board of Directors shall act reasonably and in good faith in making a determination under this Agreement of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification. Any reasonable costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom. “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(b) If the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel, the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section C.8(b). The Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board of Directors, in which event the proceeding sentence shall apply), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within 10 days after such written notice of selection shall have been given, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may be, a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section C.8(d) of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If a written objection is made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit. If, within 20 days after submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition a court of competent jurisdiction for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the court or by such other person as the court shall designate, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel. The Company shall pay any and all reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel incurred by such Independent Counsel in connection with acting under this Agreement, and the Company shall pay all reasonable fees and expenses incident to the procedures of this Section C.8(b), regardless of the manner in which such Independent Counsel was selected or appointed.

 

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(c) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the Reviewing Party shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement (with or without court approval), conviction, or upon a plea of nolocontendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he/she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his/her conduct was unlawful. For purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Company and any other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the written request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the officers and directors of the Company or such other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Company or such other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity or on information or records given or reports made to the Company or such other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with reasonable care by the Company or such other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity. In addition, the knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company or such other corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement. The provisions of this Section C.8(c) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.

 

(d) “Independent Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees of the Independent Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.

 

D. DIRECTOR AND OFFICER LIABILITY INSURANCE

 

1. Good Faith Determination. The Company shall from time to time make the good faith determination whether or not it is practicable for the Company to obtain and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies providing the officers and directors of the Company with coverage for losses incurred in connection with their services to the Company or to ensure the Company’s performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement.

 

2. Coverage of Indemnitee. To the extent the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies, in accordance with its or their terms, to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any of the Company’s directors or officers.

 

3. No Obligation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain any director and officer insurance policy if the Company determines in good faith that such insurance is not reasonably available in the case that (i) premium costs for such insurance are disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided, or (ii) the coverage provided by such insurance is limited by exclusions so as to provide an insufficient benefit.

 

E. NON-EXCLUSIVITY; U.S. FEDERAL PREEMPTION; TERM

 

1. Non-Exclusivity. The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled under the Company’s current memorandum and articles of association, as may be amended from time to time, applicable law or any written agreement between Indemnitee and the Company (including its subsidiaries and affiliates). The indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue to be available to Indemnitee for any action taken or not taken while serving in an indemnified capacity even though he/she may have ceased to serve in any such capacity at the time of any Proceeding.

 

2. U.S. Federal Preemption. Notwithstanding the foregoing, both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, U.S. federal law or public policy may override applicable law and prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or otherwise. Such instances include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)’s prohibition on indemnification for liabilities arising under certain U.S. federal securities laws. Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company has undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the SEC to submit the question of indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company’s right under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee.

 

3. Duration of Agreement. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee is an officer and/or a director of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise) and shall continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any Proceeding by reason of his/her former or current capacity at the Company, whether or not he/she is acting or serving in any such capacity at the time any Expense is incurred for which indemnification can be provided under this Agreement. This Agreement shall continue in effect regardless of whether Indemnitee continues to serve as an officer and/or a director of the Company or any other enterprise at the Company’s request.

 

F. MISCELLANEOUS

 

1. Amendment of this Agreement. No supplement, modification, or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any other provisions (whether or not similar), nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. Except as specifically provided in this Agreement, no failure to exercise or any delay in exercising any right or remedy shall constitute a waiver.

 

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2. Subrogation. In the event of payment to Indemnitee by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and shall do everything that may be necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 

3. Assignment; Binding Effect. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party; except that the Company may, without such consent, assign all such rights and obligations to a successor in interest to the Company which assumes all obligations of the Company under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by and against the parties hereto and the Company’s successors (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company) and assigns, as well as Indemnitee’s spouses, heirs, and personal and legal representatives.

 

4. Severability and Construction. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in violation of applicable law. The Company’s inability, pursuant to a court order, to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement. In addition, if any portion of this Agreement shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void, or otherwise unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. The parties hereto acknowledge that they each have opportunities to have their respective counsels review this Agreement. Accordingly, this Agreement shall be deemed to be the product of both of the parties hereto, and no ambiguity shall be construed in favor of or against either of the parties hereto.

 

5. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two counterparts, both of which taken together shall constitute one instrument.

 

6. Governing Law. This agreement and all acts and transactions pursuant hereto and the rights and obligations of the parties hereto shall be governed, construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law provisions thereof.

 

7. Notices. All notices, demands, and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement shall be made in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if delivered by hand, against receipt, or mailed via postage prepaid, certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, and addressed to the Company at:

 

Chanson International Holding

 

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

 

and to Indemnitee at his/her address last known to the Company.

 

8. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

(Signature page follows)

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto execute this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

Chanson International Holding  
   
By:                    
Name:    
Title:    
     
Indemnitee  
   
Signature:    
Name:    

 

[Signature Page to Indemnification Agreement]

 

 

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Exhibit 10.3

 

EXCLUSIVE SERVICE AGREEMENT

 

BETWEEN

 

XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD

 

AND

 

[NAME OF OPERATOR]

 

ON

 

[NAME OF BAKERY]

 

[Date of Agreement]

 

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE SERVICE AGREEMENT

 

This EXCLUSIVE SERVICE AGREEMENT (this “AGREEMENT”) is entered into as of [Date of Agreement](“SIGNING DATE”) in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China (“CHINA” or the “PRC”) by and between the following two Parties:

 

(1) XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD (“XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY”), a limited liability company legally established under the laws of the PRC,

REGISTERED ADDRESS: No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

UNIFIED SOCIAL CREDIT CODE[*].

 

(2) [Name of Operator] (“Operator”), a Chinese citizen, and the operator of [Name of Bakery]

IDENTITY CARD NUMBER: [ID Card No. of Operator]

 

(In this Agreement, Xinjiang United Family and Operator shall hereinafter be referred to as a “PARTY” individually, and collectively “PARTIES”.)

 

WHEREAS:

 

1. Xinjiang United Family is a limited liability company legally established and validly existing in China that mainly engages in management and consulting, and it provides management and consulting services;

 

2. [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”)is an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China that is mainly engaged in retailing the prepackaged food and bulk food with relevant authorization and with a food business permit, and [Name of Operator] is the sole operator of Bakery;

 

3. As agreed by the Parties, Operator expects that Xinjiang United Family will provide Operator with bakery advisory services, as well as other services in relation to the operation of bakery.

 

The Parties sign this Agreement to confirm the provisions and conditions. Whereas, Xinjiang United Family would provide Bakery with consulting and other relevant services:

 

ARTICLE 1 - DEFINITION AND INTERPRETATION

 

1.1 Unless to be otherwise interpreted by the terms or in the context herein, the following terms in this Agreement shall be interpreted to have the following meanings:

 

“BAKERY” means [Name of Bakery], an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, whose sole operator is [Name of Operator], registered address is [Address of Bakery], and unified social code is [Unified Social Code of Bakery].

 

“BAKERY BUSINESS” means all the business actions legally performed by Bakery, currently or at any time during term of validity of this Agreement;

 

“SERVICE” means the services in relation and exclusively provided to Bakery within the approved business scope of Xinjiang United Family, as stipulated by Article 2.3 of this Agreement;

 

“SERVICE FEES” means the fees for services charged by Xinjiang United Family, as stipulated by Article 3.1 of this Agreement;

 

“CHINA” or the “PRC” means the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Region);

 

1.2 References in this Agreement to any laws and regulations (the “LAWS”) shall include reference:

 

(1) at the same time to the amendments, changes, supplements and reformulations of such Laws, whether or not the effectiveness of the same is prior to or after the execution of this Agreement; and

(2) at the same time to other decisions, notices and rules formulated or becoming effective according to such Laws.

 

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1.3 Unless otherwise specified in the context of this Agreement, the Article, sub-article, section or paragraph mentioned herein shall refer to the corresponding content in this Agreement accordingly.

 

ARTICLE 2 - SERVICES

 

2.1 During the term of validity of this Agreement, Operator exclusively entrusts management and consulting services to Xinjiang United Family, agrees to irrevocably entrust the right of management and operations of Bakery to Xinjiang United Family. Xinjiang United Family shall provide the aforesaid services diligently, in accordance with the business requirements and specific requests at any time from Bakery.

 

2.2 The purpose of the entrusted operation is that Xinjiang United Family shall be in charge of the normal operations of Bakery, and provide full managements to Bakery’s operation.

 

2.3 The contents of the entrusted operation shall include but not be limited to the following:

 

(1) Xinjiang United Family shall be in charge of all aspects of Bakery’s operation; engage Bakery’s management staff and decide their remuneration;

 

(2) Xinjiang United Family shall control and manage all the matters of Bakery, including but not limited to internal financial management, day-to-day operation, external contract execution and performance, tax filing and payment, and change of rights and personnel;

 

(3) Xinjiang United Family shall manage and control all the funds of Bakery, including but not limited to current working capital, recovered account receivables, and the payment of all account payables and operation expenses, employee salaries and asset purchases. The accounts of Bakery shall be managed solely by Xinjiang United Family;

 

(4) Xinjiang United Family shall enjoy all the other responsibilities and rights enjoyed by Bakery’s operator in accordance with the applicable law, including but not limited to the following:

a) Deciding Bakery’s operation principles, operation plan, investment plan and investment scheme;

b) Discussing and approving the report of the executive officers;

c) Discussing and approving the annual financial budget and settlement plan;

d) Discussing and approving the profit distribution plan and the loss compensation plan;

e) Resolving on the matters including change of corporate form, dissolution and liquidation of Bakery;

f) Formulating the basic rules and regulations of Bakery;

g) Representing Bakery to sign relative documents;

h) Other responsibilities and rights.

 

2.4 As the Parties understand, the scope of services that Xinjiang United Family provides shall subject to its approved business scope; as Bakery requires services out of the approved business scope of Xinjiang United Family, Xinjiang United Family would apply to enlarge its business scope to the maximum extent permitted by law, and provide the required services after being approved.

 

2.5 The said entrustment is irrevocable and shall not be withdrawn, unless this Agreement is terminated pursuant to written agreement of both parties.

 

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ARTICLE 3 - SERVICE FEES

 

3.1 As consideration of the management and consulting services that Xinjiang United Family provides, Bakery shall pay service fees to Xinjiang United Family. The amount of service fees shall be the remaining amount of Bakery’s profit before tax after deducting relevant costs and reasonable expenses.

 

3.2 The amount of Service Fees agreed above shall be paid to Xinjiang United Family by Bakery, following the proportion on a monthly basis according to the actual incomes from main business in the current month.

 

3.3 All the bank charges due to the occurrence of payment shall be borne by Bakery. All the amount of payment shall be transferred to the bank account designated by Xinjiang United Family, by remittance or other means agreed by the Parties. The Parties agree that Xinjiang United Family could also notify Bakery to change such payment order at any time.

 

3.4 Upon written agreement between Xinjiang United Family and Operator, the fees agreed in Article 3.1 or their calculation percentage may be adjusted according to the circumstances in the actual performance, with particulars thereof to be stipulated in separate supplementary agreements to be entered into between the Parties as an appendix hereto.

 

3.5 Each Party shall respectively pay the tax related to their execution and performance of this Agreement. As Xinjiang United Family requires, in relation to all or part of the service fee incomes, Operator shall try its best to assist Xinjiang United Family in enjoying the tax exemption or reduction treatment hereunder.

 

ARTICLE 4 – EXCLUSIVITY

 

The service provided by Xinjiang United Family in this Agreement shall be exclusive. During the term of validity of this Agreement, unless with consent of Xinjiang United Family, Operator shall not sign any contract with any third party, or accept services same as or similar with those provided by Xinjiang United Family, from any third party in any form. Without prior written consent of Xinjiang United Family, Operator shall not accept management and consulting services from any third party.

 

ARTICLE 5 - UNDERTAKINGS AND GUARANTEES

 

5.1 For execution of this Agreement, the Parties hereby undertake and guarantee for each of its own that:

 

(1) Xinjiang United Family is a company of limited liabilities duly registered and legally existing under the PRC laws with independent legal person status, and with full and independent status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and may act independently as a subject of actions;

 

(2) Bakery is the individually-owned business duly registered and legally existing under the PRC laws. Operator is the operator of Bakery, with full and independent status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and may act independently as a subject of actions;

 

(3) Xinjiang United Family has full internal power and authority within its company to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and all the other documents to be entered into by it in relation to the transaction referred to herein. This Agreement shall be executed and delivered by it legally and properly, and constitutes the legal and binding obligations on it and is enforceable on it in accordance with its terms and conditions;

 

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(4) it would not violate the binding or influential laws or contracts on it as executing and performing this Agreement;

 

(5) for the purpose of performing and achieving the goal of this Agreement, it guarantees for its own to other Party that, it would execute all necessary and reasonable documents and take all necessary and reasonable actions, including but not limited to issuing necessary authorization documents;

 

(6) it shall inform promptly the other Party of any litigation it is involved in and other disadvantageous circumstances that may affect the performance hereof, and shall endeavor at its best efforts to prevent the deterioration of losses caused by such litigation or other disadvantageous circumstances.

 

5.2 Operator further guarantees to Xinjiang United Family that:

 

(1) it will pay service fees in full to Xinjiang United Family promptly, in accordance with the provisions in this Agreement;

 

(2) it will maintain the validity of all licenses and qualifications in relation to Bakery’s business, and it will corporate actively with Xinjiang United Family to provide services.

 

5.3 During the term of this Agreement, Bakery agrees to corporate with Xinjiang United Family and the parent company of Xinjiang United Family (directly or indirectly) to conduct audits on relevant party transactions and other kinds of audits, provide Xinjiang United Family or its entrusted auditors with information and data in relation to Bakery’s operation, business, clients, finance, staff, etc. Bakery also agrees that the parent company of Xinjiang United Family could disclose such information and data, in order to meet the supervision requirement at its securities’ listing spot.

 

ARTICLE 6 - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

 

6.1 The rights of intellectual property concerning the work product created during the process of services provision by Xinjiang United Family hereunder shall belong to Xinjiang United Family.

 

6.2 If business is based on the intellectual property owned by Operator, Operator shall ensure there is no defect on the intellectual property. Operator shall be liable for all damages and losses of Xinjiang United Family incurred by defects of intellectual property rights. Xinjiang United Family is entitled to compensation from Operator concerning all of its losses.

 

6.3 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE 7 – CONFIDENTIALITY

 

7.1 No matter if this Agreement is terminated or not, the Parties shall be obliged to keep in strict confidence the commercial secret, proprietary information and customer information in relation to other Party and any other non-open information of other Party which it may become aware of as the result of the performance hereof (collectively, “CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION”).

 

7.2 Unless with prior consent of such other Party in writing or required to disclose to parties other than Parties hereof according to relevant laws, regulations or listing rules, no Party shall disclose the Confidential Information or any part thereof to any parties other than Parties hereof; unless for the purpose of performance hereof, no Party shall use directly or indirectly the Confidential Information or any part thereof for any other purposes, or it shall bear the default liability and indemnify the losses.

 

7.3 Upon termination of this Agreement, the Party shall, upon demand by other Party, provide the Confidential Information, return, destroy or otherwise dispose of all the documents, materials or software containing the Confidential Information and suspend using such Confidential Information.

 

7.4 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 8 - AGREEMENT TERM

 

8.1 The Parties hereby confirm that, once this Agreement is formally signed by the Parties, this Agreement shall be retrospectively effective as far as the signing date.

 

8.2 Unless terminated earlier by the Parties in writing, this Agreement shall be valid for a term of ten (10) years, and renew automatically by ten (10) years after expiration, with no limit on times of renewal.

 

8.3 Notwithstanding the provisions in the preceding sentence, Xinjiang United Family has the right to terminate this Agreement at any time on its sole discretion, provided that it has notified Operator in written form thirty (30) days in advance.

 

ARTICLE 9 – NOTICE

 

9.1 Any notice, request, demand and other correspondences made as required by or in accordance with this Agreement shall be made in writing and delivered to the relevant Party.

 

9.2 The abovementioned notice or other correspondences shall be deemed to have been delivered when it is transmitted if transmitted by facsimile or telex; it shall be deemed to have been delivered when it is delivered if delivered in person; it shall be deemed to have been delivered five (5) days after posting the same if posted by mail.

 

ARTICLE 10 - DEFAULT LIABILITY

 

10.1 The Parties agree and confirm that, if any Party (the “DEFAULTING PARTY”) breaches substantially any of the agreements made under this Agreement, or fails substantially to perform any of the obligations under this Agreement, such a breach shall constitute a default under this Agreement (a “DEFAULT”), then the non-defaulting Party whose interest is damaged thereby shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of the non-defaulting Party notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring it to rectify the Default, then the non-defaulting Party shall have the right, at its own discretion, to:

 

(1) terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify it fully for the damage; or

 

(2) demand the enforcement of the Defaulting Party’s obligations hereunder and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify it fully for the damage.

 

10.2 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article 10 shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE 11 - GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

11.1 The formation, validity, execution, amendment, interpretation and termination of this Agreement shall be subject to the PRC Laws.

 

11.2 Any dispute arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be settled through consultations between the Parties, and if the Parties cannot reach an agreement regarding such disputes within thirty (30) days of their occurrence, such disputes shall be submitted to Urumqi Arbitration Commission in Urumqi for arbitration in accordance with the arbitration rules of such Commission, and the arbitration award shall be final and binding on the Parties involved in such dispute.

 

11.3 Unless otherwise awarded by the arbitration commission, the losing party should bear all the arbitration or prepaid expenses (including but not limited to arbitration expense, arbitrator and lawyer’s fee, travelling expense, etc.).

 

ARTICLE 12 - FORCE MAJEURE

 

In the event of earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, war, computer virus, loophole in the design of tooling software, internet system encountering hacker’s invasion, change of policies or laws, and other unforeseeable or unpreventable or unavoidable event of force majeure, which directly prevents a Party from performing this Agreement or performing the same on the agreed condition, the Party encountering such a force majeure event shall forthwith issue a notice by a facsimile and, within thirty (30) days, present the documents proving the details of such force majeure event and the reasons for which this Agreement is unable to be performed or is required to be postponed in its performance, and such proving documents shall be issued by the notaries office of the area where such force majeure event takes place. The Parties shall consult each other and decide whether this Agreement shall be waived in part or postponed in its performance with regard to the extent of impact of such force majeure event on the performance of this Agreement. No Party shall be liable to compensate for the economic losses brought to the other Party by the force majeure event.

 

ARTICLE 13 – TRANSFER

 

13.1 No Party shall assign any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third parties without the prior written consent from the other Party.

 

13.2 As for transfer with the consent, this Agreement shall be binding on the legal successors of the Parties.

 

ARTICLE 14 - SEVERABILITY

 

Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more articles herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof.

 

ARTICLE 15 - AMENDMENT AND SUPPLEMENT

 

Any amendment or supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing and take effect as part of this Agreement when properly signed by the Parties, which shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 16 - TEXT

 

This Agreement shall be prepared in the English language in two (2) original copies, with each involved Party holding one (1) copy hereof. Each original copy has the same legal effect.

 

ARTICLE 17 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

17.1 Any failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies hereunder or in accordance with laws (the “PARTY’S RIGHTS”) shall not lead to a waiver of such rights, and the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Party’s Rights shall not preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Party’s Rights.

 

17.2 The titles of the Articles contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstance shall such titles be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof.

 

[THE REMAINDER IS THE SIGNATURE PAGE]

  

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IN WITNESS HEREOF, the Parties have caused this Exclusive Service Agreement to be executed as of the signing date.

 

[Name of Operator]  
Signature by: /s/ [Name of Operator]  

 

Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd (Company chop)

 

Signed by: /s/ Baolin Wang  
Name: Baolin Wang  
Position:    

 

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Schedule of Material Differences

 

One or more person signed an exclusive service agreement under this form. Pursuant to Instruction ii to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, the Registrant may only file this form as an exhibit with a schedule setting forth the material details in which the executed agreements differ from this form:

 

No.   Name of Bakery   Name of Operator   Date of Agreement   ID Card No. of Operator   Address of Bakery   Unified Social Code of Bakery
1.   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East St., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
2.   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store 1F1037, Shopping Center, Dehui Wanda Plaza, No. 405, Yining Rd., Shaybak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
3.   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, Jianguo West Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang (Building 46, 2nd Hill, area 125)   [*]
4.   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Huijia Times, 198 Yanan North Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang   [*]
5.   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Shopping Square, Hongshan Xinshiji, No. 38 North Xinhua Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
6.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1/F, Friendly, Baisheng, No. 668, Youhao South Rd., Shaibuk Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
7.   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   7 1-3 Shop, No. 7 Pingdingshan Second Rd., Shaibak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
8.   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Shop No. 2, Rongsheng Garden, No. 81 Xinmin Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
9.   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, No. 148 Minzhu Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
10.   Tianshan District Jianquan No. 3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 215, Jianquan No. 3 Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
11.   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 222, Jiefang North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang 1F-2B   [*]
12.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1-43, Longhai Commercial Building, 499 Kashi West Rd., Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xinjiang   [*]
13.   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 66 Liyushan South Rd., Xinshi Area, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
14.   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, No. 136 Changchun South Rd., East First Lane, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
15.   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   3rd FL, Huijia Times, No. 147 Beijing Middle Rd., Xinshi Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
16.   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East Street, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

10 

 

 

17.   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store No. 53, Xiaoxigou Pedestrian St., Suzhou Rd., Xincheng Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
18.   Xinshi District South No. 3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 169, Nanwei San Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
19.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
20.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1F4, No. 23 Youhao South Rd., Shayibake Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
21.   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   A07.08, Meishi St., Taigu Town, OL Xingchenhui, No. 139 Xinhua North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
22.   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Road George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   June 17, 2020   [*]   1F, No. 68 Nanhu Rd., Shuimogou Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
23.   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   October 14, 2020   [*]   No. 1046, 1/F, Vanguard Supermarket, No. 996 Hebei East Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
24.   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Gang Li   November 6, 2020   [*]   No. 5009, 5/F, Degang Wanda Plaza, No. 268 Zhongya South Rd., Economic and Technological Development Zone, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
25.   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Hui Wang   May 2, 2020   [*]   Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, 91 Beishsan Rd., 40 Dist., Shihezi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

 

11

 

Exhibit 10.4

 

OPERATING RIGHTS PROXY AGREEMENT

 

ON

 

[NAME OF BAKERY]

 

 

 

 

 

BETWEEN

 

[NAME OF OPERATOR]

 

AND

 

XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Date of Agreement]

 

 

 

 

OPERATING RIGHTS PROXY AGREEMENT

 

This OPERATING RIGHTS PROXY AGREEMENT (this “AGREEMENT”) is entered into as of [Date of Agreement] (“SIGNING DATE”) in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China (“CHINA” or the “PRC”) by and between the following parties:

 

(1)    [Name of Operator] (“Operator”), a Chinese citizen, and the operator of [Name of Bakery]

IDENTITY CARD NUMBER: [Unified Social Credit Code of Bakery]

 

(2) XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD (“Xinjiang United Family”), a limited liability company legally established under the laws of PRC,

REGISTERED ADDRESS: No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China,

UNIFIED SOCIAL CREDIT CODE: [*].

 

(The above parties shall hereinafter be individually referred to as a “PARTY” and collectively, “PARTIES”.)

 

WHEREAS:

 

1. [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”) is an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, mainly engaged in retailing the prepackaged food and bulk food with relevant authorization and a food business permit, and [Name of Operator] is the sole operator of Bakery;

 

2. Operator intends to entrust Xinjiang United Family or the individual designated by it with the exercises of the operating rights and other relevant rights of operator in Bakery while Xinjiang United Family is willing to accept such entrustment.

 

The Parties hereby have reached the following agreement upon friendly consultations:

 

ARTICLE 1 - OPERATING RIGHTS ENTRUSTMENT

 

1.1  Operator hereby irrevocably undertakes to sign the Power of Attorney (the content and form of which are set out as Appendix I hereto) after the execution of this Agreement to entrust Xinjiang United Family or the personnel designated by it then (including the liquidator taking place of such personnel) (“TRUSTEES”) to exercise the following rights enjoyed by him as Operator of Bakery (collectively, the “ENTRUSTED RIGHTS”):

 

(1) Exercising operating rights as proxy of Operator, including but not limited to the appointment and election for management personnel of Bakery;

 

(2) Getting access to financial information of Bakery as proxy of Operator;

 

(3) Making resolutions about disposing of Bakery’s assets as proxy of Operator;

 

2

 

 

(4) Approving annual budgets of Bakery or announcing dividends as proxy of Operator;

 

(5) Making resolutions about dissolution and liquidation of Bakery, forming the liquidating committee and exercising the authorities in the course of liquidation as proxy of Operator, including but not limited to making resolutions about disposing of Bakery’s assets;

 

(6) Filing any required document to the company registration agency or any other relevant agency as proxy of Operator;

 

(7) Signing any resolution as proxy of Operator; and

 

(8) all the operating rights and other rights of operator stipulated by PRC laws.

 

1.2 Xinjiang United Family shall have the right to dismiss and replace Trustees by written notice to Operator, while the new entrustment is granted subject to the status of Trustees as PRC citizens and the approval by Xinjiang United Family. Once new entrustment is made, the original entrustment shall be replaced; Operator shall not cancel the authorization and entrustment of the Trustees otherwise.

 

1.3 The Trustees shall perform the entrusted obligations within the scope of entrustment in due care and prudence and in compliance with laws; Operator acknowledges and assumes relevant liabilities for any legal consequences of the Trustees’ exercise of the foregoing Entrusted Rights.

 

1.4 Operator hereby acknowledges that the Trustees are not required to seek advice from Operator prior to the respective exercise of the foregoing Entrusted Rights. However, the Trustees shall inform Operator in a timely manner after such resolution or proposal is made.

 

ARTICLE 2 - RIGHT TO INFORMATION

 

For the purpose of exercising the Entrusted Rights under this Agreement, the Trustees are entitled to know the information with regard to Bakery’s operation, business, clients, finance, staff, etc., and shall have access to relevant materials of Bakery. Bakery shall adequately cooperate with the Trustees in this regard.

 

ARTICLE 3 - EXERCISE OF ENTRUSTED RIGHTS

 

3.1 Operator will provide adequate assistance to the exercise of the Entrusted Rights by the Trustees, including execution of the resolutions of Operator or other pertinent legal documents made by the Trustees when necessary (e.g., when it is necessary for examination and approval of or registration or filing with governmental departments).

 

3.2 If at any time during the term of this Agreement, the entrustment or exercise of the Entrusted Rights under this Agreement is unenforceable for any reason except for default of Operator or Bakery, the Parties shall immediately seek a most similar substitute for the unenforceable provision and, if necessary, enter into supplementary agreement to amend or adjust the provisions herein, in order to ensure the realization of the purpose of this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

ARTICLE 4 - EXEMPTION AND COMPENSATION

 

4.1 The Parties acknowledge that the Trustees shall not be requested to be liable for or compensate (monetary or otherwise) other Party or any third party due to exercise of Entrusted Rights by the Trustees designated by Operator under this Agreement.

 

4.2 Operator agrees to compensate the Trustees for and hold it harmless against all losses incurred or likely to be incurred by it due to exercise of the Entrusted Rights by the Trustees designated by Operator, including without limitation any loss resulting from any litigation, demand arbitration or claim initiated or raised by any third party against it or from administrative investigation or penalty of governmental authorities. However, Operator will not compensate for losses incurred due to willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Trustees.

 

ARTICLE 5 - REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

5.1 Operator hereby represents and warrants that:

 

(1) Operator is with full capacity and full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and may act independently as a subject of actions. Bakery is an individually-owned business duly registered and legally existing under the PRC laws.

 

(2) Operator has full right to execute and deliver this Agreement and other documents that are related to the transaction referred to herein. Operator has full right and authorization with respect to consummate the transaction referred to herein.

 

(3) This Agreement shall be executed and delivered by Operator lawfully and properly. This Agreement constitutes the legal and binding obligations on him and is enforceable on him in accordance with its terms and conditions hereof.

 

(4) Operator is enrolled and legal operator of Bakery as of the effective date of this Agreement, and except the rights created by the Call Option Agreement entered into by Operator and Xinjiang United Family on the signing date of this Agreement, as well as the Pledge Agreement, there exists no third party right on the Entrusted Rights. Pursuant to this Agreement, the Trustees may fully and sufficiently exercise the Entrusted Rights in accordance with relevant law and regulations.

 

(5) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by Operator, do not violate regulations of the PRC Law, or any binding agreement, contract or other arrangement made with any third party.

 

5.2 Xinjiang United Family hereby represents and warrants that:

 

(1) it is a company with limited liability properly registered and legally existing under PRC laws, with an independent corporate legal person status, and with full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may act independently as a subject of actions; and

 

(2) it has the full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and all the other documents to be entered into by it in relation to the transaction contemplated hereunder, and the full power and authority to consummate such transaction.

 

4

 

 

ARTICLE 6 - TERM OF AGREEMENT

 

6.1 The Parties hereby confirm that, once this Agreement is formally signed by the Parties, this Agreement shall be retrospectively effective as far as the signing date, and maintains the validity as long as Operator holds the operating rights of Bakery.

 

6.2 Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, under any of the following circumstances, the Trustees have sole discretion to terminate this Agreement by giving a thirty-day (30) notice in writing to Operator.

 

ARTICLE 7 - NOTICE

 

7.1 Any notice, request, demand and other correspondences made as required by or in accordance with this Agreement shall be made in writing and delivered to the relevant Party.

 

7.2 The abovementioned notice or other correspondences shall be deemed to have been delivered when (i) it is transmitted if transmitted by facsimile or telex, or (ii) it is delivered if delivered in person, or (iii) when five (5) days have elapsed after posting the same if posted by mail.

 

ARTICLE 8 - DEFAULT LIABILITY

 

8.1 The Parties agree and confirm that, if any of the Parties (the “DEFAULTING PARTY”) breaches substantially any of the provisions herein or fails substantially to perform any of the obligations hereunder, such a breach or failure shall constitute a default under this Agreement (a “DEFAULT”). In such event any of the other Party without default (a “NON-DEFAULTING PARTY”) who incurs losses arising from such a Default shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of a Non-defaulting Party’s notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring it to rectify the Default, then the relevant Non-defaulting Party shall be entitled to choose at its discretion to:

 

(1) terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages, or

 

(2) require specific performance by the Defaulting Party of this Agreement and indemnification against all damages.

 

8.2 Without limiting the generality of Article 8.1 above, any breach by Operator of the Exclusive Service Agreement, Call Option Agreement or Pledge Agreement shall be deemed as having constituted the breach by such Operator of this Agreement.

 

8.3 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

5

 

 

ARTICLE 9 - GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

9.1 The conclusion, validity, execution, amendment, interpretation and termination of this Agreement shall be governed by laws of the PRC.

 

9.2 Any disputes arising from and in connection with this Agreement shall be settled through consultations between the Parties involved, and if the Parties involved fail to reach an agreement regarding such a dispute within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, such dispute shall be submitted to Urumqi Arbitration Commission in Urumqi for arbitration in accordance with the arbitration rules of such Commission, and the arbitration award shall be final and binding on all the Parties involved.

 

9.3 Unless otherwise awarded by the arbitration commission, the losing party should bear all the arbitration or prepaid expenses (including but not limited to arbitration expense, arbitrator and lawyer’s fee, travelling expense, etc.).

 

ARTICLE 10 - FORCE MAJEURE

 

In the event of earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, war, computer virus, loophole in the design of tooling software, internet system encountering hacker’s invasion, change of policies or laws, and other unforeseeable or unpreventable or unavoidable event of force majeure, which directly prevents a Party from performing this Agreement or performing the same on the agreed condition, the Party encountering such a force majeure event shall forthwith issue a notice by a facsimile and, within thirty (30) days, present the documents proving the details of such force majeure event and the reasons for which this Agreement is unable to be performed or is required to be postponed in its performance, and such proving documents shall be issued by the notaries office of the area where such force majeure event takes place. The Parties shall consult each other and decide whether this Agreement shall be waived in part or postponed in its performance with regard to the extent of impact of such force majeure event on the performance of this Agreement. No Party shall be liable to compensate for the economic losses brought to the other Party by the force majeure event.

 

ARTICLE 11 – TRANSFER

 

11.1 Operator shall not assign any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third parties without the prior written consent from Xinjiang United Familyand Xinjiang United Family is entitled to transfer its rights and/or obligations to the third party designated by it after notifying Operator.

 

11.2 As for transfer with the consent, this Agreement shall be binding on the legal successors of the Parties.

 

6

 

 

ARTICLE 12 - SEVERABILITY

 

Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more articles herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof.

 

ARTICLE 13 - AMENDMENT AND SUPPLEMENT

 

Any amendment or supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing and take effect as part of this Agreement when properly signed by the Parties, which shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 14 - TEXT

 

This Agreement shall be prepared in the English language in two (2) original copies, with each involved Party holding one (1) copy hereof. Each original copy has the same legal effect.

 

ARTICLE 15 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

15.1 Any failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies hereunder or in accordance with laws (the “PARTY’S RIGHTS”) shall not lead to a waiver of such rights, and the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Party’s Rights shall not preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Party’s Rights.

 

15.2 The titles of the Articles contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such titles be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof.

 

[THE REMAINDER IS THE SIGNATURE PAGE]

 

7

 

 

IN WITNESS HEREOF, the following Parties have caused this Operating Rights Proxy Agreement to be executed as of the date first here above mentioned.

 

[Name of Operator]  
   
Signature by:   /s/ [Name of Operator]  
     
Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd
(Company chop)
 
   
Signed by: /s/ Baolin Wang  
Name: Baolin Wang  
Position:  

 

8

 

 

APPENDIX Ⅰ

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

[Name of Operator], (“Operator,” Chinese citizen, Identity Card number: [ID Card No. of Operator]) hereby irrevocably entrusts Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. or the personnel designated by it (the “Trustees”) a comprehensive proxy, to exercise my following rights as the operator of [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”) in my name, as the only and exclusive proxy of me during the term of this Power of Attorney:

 

(1) Exercising operating rights as proxy of Operator, including but not limited to the appointment and election for management personnel of Bakery;
(2) Getting access to financial information of Bakery as proxy of Operator;
(3) Making resolutions about disposing of Bakery’s assets as proxy of Operator;
(4) Approving annual budgets of Bakery or announcing dividends as proxy of Operator;
(5) Making resolutions about dissolution and liquidation of Bakery, forming the liquidating committee and exercising the authorities in the course of liquidation as proxy of Operator, including but not limited to making resolutions about disposing of Bakery’s assets;
(6) Filing any required document to the company registration agency or any other relevant agency as proxy of Operator;
(7) Signing any resolution as proxy of Operator; and
(8) all the operating rights and other rights of operator stipulated by PRC laws.

 

Unless the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement entered into by Operator and Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. as of [Date of Agreement] expires or terminated earlier, this Power of Attorney shall be retrospectively effective.

 

Authorization is hereby given.

 

  Operator (Signature and Impress): /s/ [Name of Operator]
    Date:[   ]

 

9

 

 

Schedule of Material Differences

 

One or more person signed an operating rights proxy agreement under this form. Pursuant to Instruction ii to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, the Registrant may only file this form as an exhibit with a schedule setting forth the material details in which the executed agreements differ from this form:

 

No.   Name of Bakery   Name of Operator   Date of Agreement   ID Card No. of Operator   Address of Bakery   Unified Social Code of Bakery  
1.   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East St., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
2.   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store 1F1037, Shopping Center, Dehui Wanda Plaza, No. 405, Yining Rd., Shaybak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
3.   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, Jianguo West Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang (Building 46, 2nd Hill, area 125)   [*]
4.   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Huijia Times, 198 Yanan North Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang   [*]
5.   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Shopping Square, Hongshan Xinshiji, No. 38 North Xinhua Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
6.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1/F, Friendly, Baisheng, No. 668, Youhao South Rd., Shaibuk Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

10

 

  

7.   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   7 1-3 Shop, No. 7 Pingdingshan Second Rd., Shaibak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
8.   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Shop No. 2, Rongsheng Garden, No. 81 Xinmin Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
9.   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, No. 148 Minzhu Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
10.   Tianshan District Jianquan No. 3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 215, Jianquan No. 3 Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
11.   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 222, Jiefang North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang 1F-2B   [*]
12.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1-43, Longhai Commercial Building, 499 Kashi West Rd., Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xinjiang   [*]
13.   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 66 Liyushan South Rd., Xinshi Area, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
14.   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, No. 136 Changchun South Rd., East First Lane, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
15.   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   3rd FL, Huijia Times, No. 147 Beijing Middle Rd., Xinshi Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

11

 

  

16.   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East Street, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
17.   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store No. 53, Xiaoxigou Pedestrian St., Suzhou Rd., Xincheng Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
18.   Xinshi District South No. 3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 169, Nanwei San Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
19.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
20.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1F4, No. 23 Youhao South Rd., Shayibake Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
21.   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   A07.08, Meishi St., Taigu Town, OL Xingchenhui, No. 139 Xinhua North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
22.   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Road George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   June 17, 2020   [*]   1F, No. 68 Nanhu Rd., Shuimogou Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
23.   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   October 14, 2020   [*]   No. 1046, 1/F, Vanguard Supermarket, No. 996 Hebei East Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
24.   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Gang Li   November 6, 2020   [*]   No. 5009, 5/F, Degang Wanda Plaza, No. 268 Zhongya South Rd., Economic and Technological Development Zone, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
25.   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Hui Wang   May 2, 2020   [*]   Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, 91 Beishsan Rd., 40 Dist., Shihezi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

 

 

12

 

Exhibit 10.5

 

PLEDGE AGREEMENT

 

ON

 

[NAME OF BAKERY]

 

 

BETWEEN

 

[NAME OF PLEDGOR]

 

AND

 

XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD

 

 

 

 

[Date of Agreement]

 

 

 

 

PLEDGE AGREEMENT

 

This PLEDGE AGREEMENT (hereinafter, this “AGREEMENT”) is entered into in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter, “PRC”) as of [Date of Agreement] (the “SIGNING DATE”) by and between the following parties:

 

(1) [Name of Pledgor] (the “PLEDGOR”), a Chinese citizen, and the sole operator of [Name of Bakery]

IDENTITY CARD NUMBER: [ID Card No. of Pledgor]

 

(2) XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD (the “PLEDGEE”), a limited liability company legally established under the laws of PRC,

 

REGISTERED ADDRESS: No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

UNIFIED SOCIAL CREDIT CODE: [*].

 

(The above parties hereinafter each referred to as a “PARTY” individually, and collectively, the “PARTIES.”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

1. [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”) is an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, and the Pledgor is the sole operator of Bakery and owns the whole operating rights until the Signing Date.

 

2. The Pledgee and the Pledgor entered into an Exclusive Service Agreement dated [Date of Agreement]; the Pledgor and the Pledgee entered into a Call Option Agreement and the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement dated [Date of Agreement];

 

3. As security for performance by the Pledgor of the Contract Obligations (as defined below), the Pledgor agrees to pledge all of his assets in Bakery to the Pledgee and grant the Pledgee the right to request for repayment in first priority.

 

THEREFORE, the Parties hereby have reached the following agreement upon mutual consultations:

 

2

 

 

ARTICLE 1 – DEFINITION

 

1.1 Except as otherwise construed in the context, the following terms in this Agreement shall be interpreted to have the following meanings:

 

“TRANSACTION AGREEMENTS” shall mean the Exclusive Service Agreement dated [Date of Agreement] between the Pledgor and the Pledgee; the Call Option Agreement and the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement dated [Date of Agreement] between the Pledgor and the Pledgee; as well as other agreements dated [Date of Agreement] between the Pledgor and the Pledgee, for performance of the above-mentioned agreements.

 

“BAKERY” means [Name of Bakery], an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, whose operator is [Name of Pledgor], and registered address is [Address of Bakery], the unified social code is [Unified Social Code of Store].

 

“CONTRACT OBLIGATIONS” shall mean all contractual obligations of the Pledgor under the Transaction Agreements.

 

“DEBTOR” shall mean the debtors under provisions of the Transaction Agreements, including the Pledgor.

 

“CREDITORS” shall mean the creditors under provisions of the Transaction Agreements, including Xinjiang United Family and its successors.

 

“PRINCIPLE CREDITOR’S RIGHTS” shall mean the creditor’s rights owned by Creditors towards Debtor according to the Transaction Agreements.

 

“PLEADGED ASSET” shall mean the asset for Bakery’s business held by Pledgor.

 

“BREACHING EVENT” shall mean any breach by Pledgor of his Contract Obligations under the Transaction Agreements.

 

“PRC LAW” shall mean the then valid laws, administrative regulations, administrative rules, local regulations, judicial interpretations and other binding regulatory documents of the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Region).

 

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1.2 The references to any laws and regulations (the “LAWS”) herein shall be deemed:

 

(1) to include the references to the amendments, changes, supplements and reenactments of such law, irrespective of whether they take effect before or after the formation of this Agreement; and

 

(2) to include the references to other decisions, notices or regulations enacted in accordance therewith or effective as a result thereof.

 

1.3 Except as otherwise stated in the context herein, all references to an Article, clause, item or paragraph shall refer to the relevant part of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 2 - ASSET PLEDGE

 

2.1 Pledgor hereby agrees to pledge the Pledged Asset, which he legally owns and has the right to dispose of, to the Pledgee according to the provisions hereof as security for performance of the Contract Obligations and repayment of the guaranteed liabilities. The Pledgee agree to accept such pledge.

 

2.2 Under the provisions of this Agreement, the guaranteed liabilities and guaranteed scope of the asset pledge include:

 

(1) All the obligations under the provisions of the Transaction Agreements, including but not limited to, all the principle and profit of the payable expenses to the Creditors under the provisions of the Transaction Agreement, and the payable interest penalties, compound interests, liquidated damages, compensations, as well as the expenses owed by the Debtor to the Creditors and the expenses to excise the Creditors rights and encumbrance rights, due to Breaching Events of the Debtor; and

 

(2) All the expenses for the exercise of the Debtor’ rights, including but not limited to litigation fees (or arbitration fees), lawyers’ fees, assessment fees, auction fees and travelling expenses, etc.

 

2.3 The Pledgor hereby undertakes that the pledged asset will be occupied by the Pledgee and will be in charge of by the assigned manager of the Pledgee after the Agreement came into effect, and secures that the Pledgee is the only pledgee of the pledged asset.

 

2.4 During the valid term of this Agreement, except for the willful misconduct or gross negligence of the Pledgee, the Pledgee shall not be liable in any way to, nor shall the Pledgor have any right to claim in any way or propose any demands on the Pledgee, in respect of the reduction in value of the Pledged Asset.

 

4

 

 

2.5 Only upon prior consent by Pledgee shall the Pledgor be able to increase the asset for Bakery’s business. Further asset purchased by the Pledgor in Bakery shall also be part of the Pledged Asset.

 

2.6 Upon prior written notice to the Pledgor, the Pledgee may transfer the main principle creditor’s rights as well as other rights and interests under this Agreement, without being required the consent of the Pledgor. The Pledgor shall do its best to cooperate with the Pledgee or the transferees to complete all the required approval or registration procedures.

 

ARTICLE 3 - TERM OF PLEDGE

 

3.1 The term of pledge shall terminate as of the latest date of the following:

 

(1) the secured debts in the scope of pledge is cleared off;

 

(2) The Pledgee exercises its pledge rights pursuant to provisions and conditions of this Agreement, in order to fully realize its principle creditor’s rights and other rights related to the guaranteed liabilities; or

 

(3) The Pledgor transferred all the pledged asset to the Pledgee according to the Call Option Agreement, or other entity or individual designated by it, no longer holding asset of Bakery.

 

3.2 In respect of asset interest of the Pledgor, upon full and complete performance by the Pledgor of all of the Contractual Obligations, the Pledgee shall, at the request of the Pledgor, release the pledge created on such asset under this Agreement, and shall return the pledged asset to the Pledgor.

 

ARTICLE 4 - REALIZATION OF RIGHT OF PLEDGE

 

4.1 Under any of the following circumstances, the Pledgee is entitled to exercise the rights of pledge immediately:

 

(1) Debtor violates any provisions of the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgor violates any provisions of this Agreement;

 

5

 

 

(2) The Pledgor or Debtor applies (or applied) for bankruptcy, reorganization or reconciliation, or is announced bankruptcy, reorganization or reconciliation, or dismissed, canceled, withdrawn, closed, suspended, out of business, merged, divided or there are other changes or similar circumstances concerning its structures.

 

(3) Other events detrimental to the Pledgee’s rights and interests happen to the Pledgor or Debtor.

 

4.2 The Pledgor and the Pledgee hereby agree that, in case of any Breaching Event, the Pledgee shall give written notice to the Pledgor. Unless the Breaching Event has been rectified, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise all of the remedial rights and powers enjoyable by it under PRC Law, including but not limited to selling off and auctioning all or part of the pledged asset, publicly or privately.

 

4.3 The reasonable costs incurred by the Pledgee in connection with the exercise of any and all rights and powers set out above shall be borne by the Pledgor, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct the costs actually incurred from the proceeds that it acquires from the exercise of the rights and powers.

 

4.4 The proceeds that the Pledgee acquires from the exercise of the respective rights and powers shall be used in the priority order as follows:

 

- First, to pay any cost incurred in connection with the disposal of the Pledged Asset and the exercise by the Pledgee of its respective rights and powers (including remuneration paid to its respective legal counsels and agents);

 

- Second, to pay any taxes and levies payable for the disposal of the Pledged Asset; and

 

-Third, to repay the Pledgee for the Guaranteed Liabilities.

 

In case of any balance after payment of the above amounts, the Pledgee shall return the same to the Pledgor or other persons entitled thereto according to the relevant laws and rules or submit the same to the local notary institution where the Pledgee is domiciled (any fees incurred in relation thereto shall be borne by the Pledgor).

 

4.5 The Pledgee shall have the option to exercise, simultaneously or in certain sequence, any of the remedies at breaching that it is entitled to in respect of the asset interest of Bakery held by the Pledgor. The Pledgor shall not oppose to whether the Pledgee exercises any part of the right to the pledge or the sequence of exercising the pledge interest.

 

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ARTICLE 5 - FEES AND COSTS

 

All costs actually incurred in connection with the establishment of the Asset Pledge hereunder, including but not limited to stamp duties, any other taxes, all legal fees, shall be borne by the Pledgee.

 

ARTICLE 6 - RESTIRCTION ON RIGHTS

 

During existence of the right of pledge, unless with written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not dispose of all or part of its pledged asset in any form (including but not limited to, sale, transfer, donation, re-pledge)

 

ARTICLE 7 - REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES BY THE PLEDGOR

 

The Pledgor hereby, represents and warrants to the Pledgee as follows:

 

(1) The Pledgor is a PRC citizen with full capacity of disposition and has obtained due authorization to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and can independently be a subject of actions;

 

(2) The Pledgor has full right and authorization to execute and deliver this Agreement and other documents relating to the transaction. He has full right and authorization to complete the transaction stipulated in this Agreement.

 

(3) This Agreement is legally and properly executed by the Pledgor. This Agreement is binding on him legally and effectively. According to provisions and conditions of this Agreement, this Agreement is enforceable on him.

 

(4) All certificates, documents and information submitted to the Pledgee by the Pledgor for execution and performance of this Agreement are true, correct and sufficient, with no concealment or fraudulence.

 

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(5) Concerning the pledged asset, the Pledgor has full legal rights of ownership and disposition, as well as other rights and interests. There is no right of mortgage or pledge, or other burden of rights concerning the pledged asset.

 

(6) The execution, delivery and performance by the Pledgor of this Agreement are not in violation of or conflict with any laws applicable to him, or any agreement to which he is a party or which has binding effect on his assets.

 

(7) The pledged asset is not sealed up, distrained or frozen or otherwise disposed for asset preservation or performance, without any existing litigation, arbitration or administrative procedure concerning it. In addition, no such event would take place after execution of this Agreement.

 

(8) Notwithstanding the pledge under this Agreement, the Pledgor shall still comply with and perform all the obligations under the articles and/or relevant laws and government branches’ approval.

 

(9) The Pledgor would not take, or agree on, any actions or measures which are likely to be of detrimental effect on the Pledgor’ s rights, interests or pledged asset.

 

ARTICLE 8 - NOTICE

 

8.1 Any notice, request, demand and other correspondences made as required by or in accordance with this Agreement shall be made in writing and delivered to the relevant Party.

 

8.2 The above-mentioned notice or other correspondences shall be deemed to have been delivered when (i) it is transmitted if transmitted by facsimile or telex, or (ii) it is delivered if delivered in person, or (iii) when five (5) days have elapsed after posting the same if posted by mail.

 

ARTICLE 9 - DEFAULT LIABILITY

 

9.1 The Parties agree and confirm that, if any of the Parties (the “DEFAULTING PARTY”) breaches substantially any of the provisions herein or fails substantially to perform any of the obligations hereunder, such a breach or failure shall constitute a default under this Agreement (a “DEFAULT”). In such event any of the other Parties without default (a “NON-DEFAULTING PARTY”) who incurs losses arising from such a Default shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of a Non-defaulting Party’s notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring it to rectify the Default, then the relevant Non-defaulting Party shall be entitled to choose at its discretion to:

 

(1) terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify all damages, or

 

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(2) require specific performance by the Defaulting Party of this Agreement and indemnification against all damages.

 

9.2 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 10 - GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

10.1 The conclusion, validity, execution, amendment, interpretation and termination of this Agreement shall be governed by laws of the PRC.

 

10.2 Any disputes arising from and in connection with this Agreement shall be settled through consultations between the Parties involved, and if the Parties involved fail to reach an agreement regarding such a dispute within thirty (30) days of its occurrence, such dispute shall be submitted to Urumqi Arbitration Commission for arbitration in Urumqi in accordance with the arbitration rules of such commission, and the arbitration award shall be final and binding on all the Parties involved.

 

10.3 Unless otherwise awarded by the arbitration commission, the losing party should bear all the arbitration or prepaid expenses (including but not limited to arbitration expense, arbitrator and lawyer’s fee, travelling expense).

 

ARTICLE 11 - FORCE MAJEURE

 

In the event of earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, war, computer virus, loophole in the design of tooling software, internet system encountering hacker’s invasion, change of policies or laws, and other unforeseeable or unpreventable or unavoidable event of force majeure, which directly prevents a Party from performing this Agreement or performing the same on the agreed condition, the Party encountering such a force majeure event shall forthwith issue a notice by a facsimile and, within thirty (30) days, present the documents proving the details of such force majeure event and the reasons for which this Agreement is unable to be performed or is required to be postponed in its performance, and such proving documents shall be issued by the notaries office of the area where such force majeure event takes place. The Parties shall consult each other and decide whether this Agreement shall be waived in part or postponed in its performance with regard to the extent of impact of such force majeure event on the performance of this Agreement. No Party shall be liable to compensate for the economic losses brought to the other Party by the force majeure event.

 

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ARTICLE 12 – TRANSFER

 

12.1 The Pledgor shall not assign any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third parties without the prior written consent from the Pledgee, and the Pledgee is entitled to transfer its rights and/or obligations to the third party designated by it after notifying the Pledgor.

 

12.2 As for transfer with the consent, this Agreement shall be binding on the legal successors of the Parties.

 

ARTICLE 13 - SEVERABILITY

 

Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more articles herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof.

 

ARTICLE 14 - AMENDMENT AND SUPPLEMENT

 

Any amendment or supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing and take effect as part of this Agreement when properly signed by the Parties, which shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 15 - TEXT

 

This Agreement shall be prepared in the English language in two (2) original copies, with each involved Party holding one (1) copy hereof. Each original copy has the same legal effect.

 

ARTICLE 16 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

16.1 Any failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies hereunder or in accordance with laws (the “PARTY’S RIGHTS”) shall not lead to a waiver of such rights, and the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Party’s Rights shall not preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Party’s Rights.

 

16.2 The titles of the Articles contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstance shall such titles be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof.

 

[THE REMAINDER IS THE SIGNATURE PAGE]

 

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IN WITNESS HEREOF, the following Parties have caused this Pledge Agreement to be executed as of the date and in the place first here above-mentioned.

 

[Name of Pledgor]  
   
Signature by:  /s/ [Name of Pledgor]  
     
Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd
(Company chop)
 
   
Signed by: /s/ Baolin Wang  
Name: Baolin Wang  
Position:    

 

 

 

 

Schedule of Material Differences

 

One or more person signed a pledge agreement under this form. Pursuant to Instruction ii to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, the Registrant may only file this form as an exhibit with a schedule setting forth the material details in which the executed agreements differ from this form:

 

No.   Name of Bakery   Name of Pledgor   Date of Agreement   ID Card No. of Pledgor   Address of Bakery   Unified Social Code of Store
1.   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East St., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
2.   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store 1F1037, Shopping Center, Dehui Wanda Plaza, No. 405, Yining Rd., Shaybak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
3.   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, Jianguo West Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang (Building 46, 2nd Hill, area 125)   [*]
4.   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Huijia Times, 198 Yanan North Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang   [*]
5.   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Shopping Square, Hongshan Xinshiji, No. 38 North Xinhua Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
6.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1/F, Friendly, Baisheng, No. 668, Youhao South Rd., Shaibuk Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

 

 

 

7.   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   7 1-3 Shop, No. 7 Pingdingshan Second Rd., Shaibak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
8.   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Shop No. 2, Rongsheng Garden, No. 81 Xinmin Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
9.   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, No. 148 Minzhu Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
10.   Tianshan District Jianquan No. 3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 215, Jianquan No. 3 Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
11.   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 222, Jiefang North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang 1F-2B   [*]
12.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1-43, Longhai Commercial Building, 499 Kashi West Rd., Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xinjiang   [*]
13.   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 66 Liyushan South Rd., Xinshi Area, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
14.   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, No. 136 Changchun South Rd., East First Lane, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

 

 

 

15.   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   3rd FL, Huijia Times, No. 147 Beijing Middle Rd., Xinshi Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
16.   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East Street, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
17.   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store No. 53, Xiaoxigou Pedestrian St., Suzhou Rd., Xincheng Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
18.   Xinshi District South No. 3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 169, Nanwei San Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
19.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   [*]   [*]
20.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1F4, No. 23 Youhao South Rd., Shayibake Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
21.   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   A07.08, Meishi St., Taigu Town, OL Xingchenhui, No. 139 Xinhua North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
22.   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Road George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   June 17, 2020   [*]   1F, No. 68 Nanhu Rd., Shuimogou Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
23.   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   October 14, 2020   [*]   No. 1046, 1/F, Vanguard Supermarket, No. 996 Hebei East Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
24.   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Gang Li   November 6, 2020   [*]   No. 5009, 5/F, Degang Wanda Plaza, No. 268 Zhongya South Rd., Economic and Technological Development Zone, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
25.   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Hui Wang   May 2, 2020   [*]   Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, 91 Beishsan Rd., 40 Dist., Shihezi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.6

 

CALL OPTION AGREEMENT

 

ON

 

[NAME OF BAKERY]

 

 

 

 

 

BETWEEN

 

[NAME OF OPERATOR]

 

AND

 

XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Date of Agreement]

 

 

 

 

CALL OPTION AGREEMENT

 

This CALL OPTION AGREEMENT (this “AGREEMENT”) is entered into as of [Date of Agreement] (“SIGNING DATE”) in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China (“CHINA” or the “PRC”) by and between the following Parties:

 

(1) [Name of Operator] (“Operator”), a Chinese citizen, and the sole operator of [Name of Bakery]

IDENTITY CARD NUMBER: [ID Card No. of Operator]

 

(2) XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY TRADING CO., LTD (“Xinjiang United Family”), a limited liability company legally established under the laws of PRC,

REGISTERED ADDRESS: No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

UNIFIED SOCIAL CREDIT CODE: [*].

 

(In this Agreement, Operator and Xinjiang United Family shall hereinafter be referred to as a “PARTY” individually, and collectively “PARTIES”.)

 

WHEREAS

1. [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”) is an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, mainly engaged in retailing the prepackaged food and bulk food with relevant authorization, with a food business permit, and [Name of Operator] is the sole operator of Bakery;

 

2. Operator intends to transfer to Xinjiang United Family/or any other entity/natural person designated by it, and Xinjiang United Family is willing to accept, all the assets in Bakery, to the extent not violating PRC Law.

 

3. In order to conduct the above transfer, Operator agrees to grant Xinjiang United Family an irrevocable call option for asset transfer (hereinafter collectively the “CALL OPTION”), under which and to the extent permitted by PRC Law, Operator shall on demand of Xinjiang United Family transfer the assets to Xinjiang United Family and/or any other entity or individual designated by it in accordance with the provisions contained herein.

 

THEREFORE, the Parties hereby have reached the following agreement upon mutual consultations:

 

ARTICLE 1 - DEFINITION

 

1.1 Except as otherwise construed in the context, the following terms in this Agreement shall be interpreted to have the following meanings:

 

“PRC LAW” shall mean the then valid laws, administrative regulations, administrative rules, local regulations, judicial interpretations and other binding regulatory documents of the People’s Republic of China.

 

“BAKERY” means [Name of Bakery], an individually-owned business legally established and validly existing in China, whose operator is [Name of Operator], and registered address is [Address of Bakery], the unified social code is [Unified Social Code of Bakery].

 

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“CALL OPTION” shall mean the call option Operator grants to Xinjiang United Family for the purchase of Bakery’s assets, according to provisions and conditions of this Agreement.

 

“TRANSFERRED ASSET” shall mean the assets of Bakery which Xinjiang United Family has the right to require Operator to transfer to it or its designated entity or individual when Xinjiang United Family exercises its Transferred Asset Option in accordance with Article 3 herein, the amount of which may be all or part of Bakery’s assets and liabilities and the details of which shall be determined by Xinjiang United Family at its sole discretion in accordance with the then valid PRC Law and from its commercial consideration.

 

“EXERCISE OF OPTION” shall mean Xinjiang United Family exercising its Call Option.

 

“TRANSFER PRICE” shall mean all the consideration that Xinjiang United Family or its designated entity or individual is required to pay to Operator in order to obtain the Transferred Assets upon each Exercise of Option, as defined in Article 2.2 of this Agreement.

 

“BUSINESS PERMITS” shall mean any approvals, permits, filings, registrations which Bakery is required to have for legally and validly operating its businesses, including but not limited to the Business License of the Cooperate Legal Person, the Tax Registration Certificate and such other relevant licenses and permits as required by the then PRC Law.

 

“Bakery ASSETS” shall mean, in respect of any Bakery, all the tangible and intangible assets which such Operator owns or has the right to use during the term of this Agreement, including but not limited to any immoveable and moveable assets, and such intellectual property rights as trademarks, copyrights, patents, proprietary know-how, domain names and software use rights.

 

“THE EXCLUSIVE SERVICE AGREEMENT” shall mean the Exclusive Service Agreement entered into between Operator and Xinjiang United Family dated [Date of Agreement].

 

“MATERIAL AGREEMENT” shall mean an agreement to which Operator is a party and which has a material impact on the businesses or assets of Bakery.

 

“CHINA” shall mean People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Region).

 

1.2 The references to any PRC Law (the “LAW”) herein shall be deemed

 

(1) to include the references to the amendments, changes, supplements and reenactments of such law, irrespective of whether they take effect before or after the formation of this Agreement; and

 

(2) to include the references to other decisions, notices or regulations enacted in accordance therewith or effective as a result thereof.

 

1.3 Except as otherwise stated in the context herein, all references to an Article, clause, item or paragraph shall refer to the relevant part of this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE 2 - GRANT OF CALL OPTION

 

2.1 Operator agrees that Operator hereby exclusively, irrevocably, and without any additional conditions grants Xinjiang United Family with a Call Option, under which Xinjiang United Family shall have the right to require Operator to transfer the Transferred Asset to Xinjiang United Family or its designated entity or individual in such method as set out herein and as permitted by PRC Law. Xinjiang United Family also agrees to accept such a Call Option.

 

2.2 In case of Xinjiang United Family exercising the Call Option in its sole discretion upon the occurrence of the situation in which such call option exercise become feasible under the relevant laws in PRC, any additional consideration paid other than the $1.00 which may be required under PRC Law to effect such purchase to comply with such legal formalities shall be either canceled or returned to Xinjiang United Family immediately with no additional compensation to Operator. Operator hereby acknowledges the purpose of such provisions and hereby agrees and authorizes Xinjiang United Family to take any and all actions to effect such transaction and agrees irrevocably to execute any and all documents and instruments and authorizes Xinjiang United Family’s relevant officers to sign on his or her behalf and hereby gives Xinjiang United Family and any of its relevant officers a proxy to execute and deliver such documents and instruments to effect the purpose of this provision and hereby waives any defense or claim of causes of action to challenge or defeat this provision.

 

ARTICLE 3 - METHOD OF EXERCISE OF OPTION

 

3.1 To the extent permitted by PRC Law, Xinjiang United Family shall have the sole discretion to determine the specific time, method and times of its Exercise of Option.

 

3.2 On deciding each Exercise of Option, Xinjiang United Family shall issue to Operator a notice for exercising the Call Option (hereinafter the “EXERCISE NOTICE”, the form of which is set out as Appendix I hereto). Operator shall, upon receipt of the Exercise Notice, forthwith transfer all the Transferred Asset in accordance with the Exercise Notice to Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it.

 

3.3 Operator hereby undertakes and guarantees that once Xinjiang United Family issues the Exercise Notice:

 

(1) Operator shall immediately enter into an asset transfer agreement with Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it;

 

(2) Operator shall provide Xinjiang United Family with necessary support (including providing and executing all the relevant legal documents, processing all the procedures for government approvals and registrations and bearing all the relevant obligations) in accordance with the requirements of Xinjiang United Family and of the laws and regulations, in order that Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it may take all the Transferred Asset free from any legal defect.

 

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ARTICLE 4 - TRANSFER PRICE

 

4.1 Xinjiang United Family and other entity or individual designated by it shall pay the Transfer Price to Operator who has transferred the Transferred Equity. Xinjiang United Family shall have the right to elect to pay the purchase price by settlement of certain credits held by it or its affiliates to Operator.

 

4.2 If there exists any regulatory provision with respect to Transfer Price under the then PRC Law, Xinjiang United Family or its designated entity or individual shall be entitled to determine the lowest price permitted by PRC Law as the Transfer Price.

 

ARTICLE 5 - REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

5.1 Operator hereby represents and warrants as follows:

 

(1) Operator is a PRC citizen with full capacity, full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and may act independently as a litigant party

 

(2) This Agreement is executed and delivered by Operator legally and properly

 

(3) Operator is the enrolled legal owner of the Option Assets as of the effective date of this Agreement, and except the rights created by or disclosed in the Pledge Agreement entered into by Operator and Xinjiang United Family as of the same date with this Agreement, there is no lien, pledge, claim and other encumbrances and third party rights on the Option Assets

 

(4) In accordance with this Agreement, Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it may, after the Exercise of Option, obtain the proper title to the Transferred Assets free from any lien, pledge, claim and other encumbrances and third party rights

 

(5) Operator has full power and authorization to execute and deliver this Agreement and all the other documents to be entered into by it in relation to the transaction referred to herein, and it has the full power and authorization to complete the transaction referred to herein. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, as well as completion of transaction, do not violate regulations of the PRC Law, or any binding agreement, contract or other arrangement made with any third party.

 

5.2 Xinjiang United Family hereby represents and warrants as follows:

 

(1) Xinjiang United Family is a company with limited liability properly registered and legally existing under PRC Law, with an independent status as a legal person. Xinjiang United Family has full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and may act independently as a subject of actions

 

(2) Xinjiang United Family has full power and authorization to execute and deliver this Agreement and all the other documents to be entered into by it in relation to the transaction referred to herein, and it has the full power and authorization to complete the transaction referred to herein.

 

5

 

 

ARTICLE 6 - UNDERTAKINGS BY OPERATOR

 

Operator hereby individually undertakes within the term of this Agreement as follows:

 

6.1 Operator must ensure that Bakery would validly exist and prevent it from being terminated, liquidated or dissolved, and take all necessary measures to ensure that Bakery is able to obtain all the Business Permits necessary for its business in a timely manner and all the Business Permits remain in effect at any time.

 

6.2 Operator hereby individually undertakes within the term of this Agreement that without the prior written consent by Xinjiang United Family,

 

(1) shall not transfer or otherwise dispose of any Option Assets or create any encumbrance or other third party’s rights on any Option Assets;

 

(2) it shall not terminate or cause to terminate any Material Agreements entered into by Operator, or enter into any other Agreements in conflict with the existing Material Agreements;

 

(3) it shall not appoint or cancel or replace any management personnel of Bakery;

 

(4) it shall not individually or collectively cause Bakery to conduct any transactions that may substantively affect the asset, liability, business operation, equity structure, equity of a third party and other legal rights (except those occurring during the arm’s length operations or daily operation, or having been disclosed to and approved by Xinjiang United Family in writing);

 

(5) it shall ensure that Bakery shall not lend or borrow any money, or provide guarantee with Assets of Bakery or engage in security activities in any other forms, or bear any substantial obligations other than on the arm’s length basis.

 

6.3 Operator hereby individually undertakes that it must make all its efforts during the term of this Agreement to develop the business of Bakery, and ensures that the operations of Bakery are legal and in compliance with the regulations and that it shall not engage in any actions or omissions which might harm the Assets of Bakery or its credit standing or affect the validity of the Business Permits of Bakery.

 

6.4 Without limiting the generality of Article 6.2 above, Operator undertakes to, within the term of this Agreement, make full and due performance of any and all of the obligations on the part thereof under the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement, and to procure the full and due performance of any and all of its obligations under the Exclusive Service Agreement and warrants that no adverse impact on exercising the rights under this Agreement by Xinjiang United Family will be incurred due to the breach by Operator of the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement or the Exclusive Service Agreement.

 

6

 

 

ARTICLE 7 - TAXATION

 

Each Party shall pay the due tax fees in relation to execution and performance of this Agreement respectively.

 

ARTICLE 8 - CONFIDENTIALITY

 

8.1 Notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement, Operator shall be obligated to keep in strict confidence the commercial secret, proprietary information and customer information in relation to other parties and any unreleased information of which the performance result might be known to other parties (hereinafter collectively the “CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION”).

 

8.2 Each Party shall not disclose the confidential information or provide any other party other than the Parties in this Agreement with any confidential information, unless with prior written consent of the other Party or in accordance with relevant laws, regulations or listing rules. Except for the purpose of performing its obligations under this Agreement, Operator shall not use or partly use such Confidential Information directly or indirectly, or it shall bear the default liability and indemnify the losses.

 

8.3 Upon termination of this Agreement, each Party shall, upon demand by the Disclosing Party, return, destroy or otherwise dispose of all the documents, materials or software containing the Confidential Information and suspend using such Confidential Information.

 

8.4 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall not be affected by the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 9 - TERM OF AGREEMENT

 

9.1 The Parties hereby confirms, on execution by the Parties, this Agreement shall take effect irrevocably as of the date of formal execution by the Parties.

 

9.2 Unless the Parties otherwise make agreement on termination in writing, this Agreement shall terminate when all the Transferred Asset of Bakery is legally transferred under the name of Xinjiang United Family and/or other entity or individual designated by it in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 10 – NOTICE

 

10.1 Any notice, request, demand and other correspondences made as required by or in accordance with this Agreement shall be made in writing and delivered to the relevant Party.

 

10.2 The above-mentioned notice or other correspondences shall be deemed to have been delivered when it is transmitted if transmitted by facsimile or telex; it shall be deemed to have been delivered when it is delivered if delivered in person; it shall be deemed to have been delivered five (5) days after posting the same if posted by mail.

 

7

 

 

ARTICLE 11 - LIABILITY FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT

 

11.1 The Parties agree and confirm that, if any party (hereinafter the “DEFAULTING PARTY”) breaches substantially any of the provisions herein or fails substantially to perform any of the obligations under this Agreement, such a breach or omission shall constitute a default under this Agreement, then non-defaulting Party shall have the right to require the Defaulting Party to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within a reasonable period. If the Defaulting Party fails to rectify such Default or take remedial measures within such reasonable period or within ten (10) days of non-defaulting Party’s notifying the Defaulting Party in writing and requiring it to rectify the Default, then non-defaulting Party shall have the right at its own discretion to select any of the following remedial measures:

 

(1) to terminate this Agreement and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify it for all the damage; or

 

(2) mandatory performance of the obligations of the Defaulting Party hereunder and require the Defaulting Party to indemnify it for all the damage.

 

11.2 Without limiting the generality of Article 11.1, any breach of the Operating Rights Proxy Agreement, the Pledge Agreement shall be deemed as having constituted the breach by Operator of this Agreement.

 

11.3 Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the validity of this Article shall stand disregarding the suspension or termination of this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 12 - GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

12.1 The formation, validity, execution, amendment, interpretation and termination of this Agreement shall be subject to PRC Law.

 

12.2 Any disputes arising hereunder and in connection herewith shall be settled through consultations between the Parties, and if the Parties cannot reach an agreement regarding such disputes within thirty (30) days of their occurrence, such disputes shall be submitted to Urumqi Arbitration Commission in Urumqi for arbitration in accordance with the arbitration rules of such Commission, and the arbitration award shall be final and binding on all Parties.

 

12.3 Unless otherwise awarded by the arbitration commission, the losing party shall bear all the arbitration or prepaid expenses (including but not limited to arbitration expense, arbitrator and lawyer’s fee, travelling expense, etc.).

 

ARTICLE 13 - FORCE MAJEURE

 

In the event of earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, war, computer virus, loophole in the design of tooling software, internet system encountering hacker’s invasion, change of policies or laws, and other unforeseeable or unpreventable or unavoidable event of force majeure, which directly prevents a Party from performing this Agreement or performing the same on the agreed condition, the Party encountering such a force majeure event shall forthwith issue a notice by a facsimile and, within thirty (30) days, present the documents proving the details of such force majeure event and the reasons for which this Agreement is unable to be performed or is required to be postponed in its performance, and such proving documents shall be issued by the notaries office of the area where such force majeure event takes place. The Parties shall consult each other and decide whether this Agreement shall be waived in part or postponed in its performance with regard to the extent of impact of such force majeure event on the performance of this Agreement. No Party shall be liable to compensate for the economic losses brought to the other Party by the force majeure event.

 

8

 

 

ARTICLE 14 – TRANSFER

 

14.1 Operator shall not assign any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party without the prior written consent from Xinjiang United Family. Xinjiang United Family has the right to assign its rights and/or obligations hereunder to the third party designated by it after notifying Operator.

 

14.2 As for transfer with the consent, this Agreement shall be binding on the legal successors of the Parties.

 

ARTICLE 15 - SEVERABILITY

 

Each provision contained herein shall be severable and independent from each of other provisions, and if at any time any one or more articles herein become invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions herein shall not be affected as a result thereof.

 

ARTICLE 16 - AMENDMENT AND SUPPLEMENT

 

Any amendment or supplement to this Agreement shall be made in writing and take effect as part of this Agreement when properly signed by the Parties, which shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE 17 - TEXT

 

This Agreement shall be prepared in the English language in two (2) original copies, with each involved Party holding one (1) copy hereof. Each original copy has the same legal effect.

 

ARTICLE 18 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

18.1 Any failure or delay by a Party in exercising any of its rights, powers and remedies hereunder or in accordance with laws (the “PARTY’S RIGHTS”) shall not lead to a waiver of such rights, and the waiver of any single or partial exercise of the Party’s Rights shall not preclude such Party from exercising such rights in any other way and exercising the remaining part of the Party’s Rights.

 

18.2 The titles of the Articles contained herein shall be for reference only, and in no circumstances shall such titles be used in or affect the interpretation of the provisions hereof.

 

[THE REMAINDER IS THE SIGNATURE PAGE]

 

9

 

 

IN WITNESS HEREOF, the following Parties have caused this Call Option Agreement to be executed as of the date and in the place first here above mentioned.

 

[Name of Operator]  
   
Signature by:   /s/ [Name of Operator]  
     
Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd
(Company chop)
 
   
Signed by: /s/ Baolin Wang  
Name: Baolin Wang  
Position:  

 

10

 

 

APPENDIX I:

 

FORMAT OF THE OPTION EXERCISE NOTICE

 

To:

 

As our company and you signed an Call Option Agreement as of [Date of Agreement] (hereinafter the “OPTION AGREEMENT”), and reached an agreement that you shall transfer the assets you hold in [Name of Bakery] (hereinafter the “BAKERY”) to our company or any third parties designated by our company on demand of our company to the extent as permitted by PRC Law and regulations.

 

Therefore, our company hereby gives this Notice to you as follows:

 

Our company hereby requires to exercise the Call Option under the Option Agreement and [our company]/[company/individual designated by our company] shall accept the assets of the Bakery you hold. You is required to forthwith transfer all the Proposed Accepted Assets to [our company]/[designated company/individual] upon receipt of this Notice in accordance with the agreed terms in the Option Agreement.

 

Best regards,

 

XINJIANG UNITED FAMILY CO., LTD. (Chop)

 

Authorized Representative:                  

 

Date:                  

 

11

 

 

Schedule of Material Differences

 

One or more person signed a call option agreement under this form. Pursuant to Instruction ii to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, the Registrant may only file this form as an exhibit with a schedule setting forth the material details in which the executed agreements differ from this form:

 

No.   Name of Bakery   Name of Operator   Date of Agreement   ID Card No. of Operator   Address of Bakery   Unified Social
Code
of Bakery
 
1.   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East St., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
2.   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store 1F1037, Shopping Center, Dehui Wanda Plaza, No. 405, Yining Rd., Shaybak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
3.   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, Jianguo West Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang (Building 46, 2nd Hill, area 125)   [*]
4.   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Huijia Times, 198 Yanan North Rd., Changji, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang   [*]
5.   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Shopping Square, Hongshan Xinshiji, No. 38 North Xinhua Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
6.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1/F, Friendly, Baisheng, No. 668, Youhao South Rd., Shaibuk Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

12

 

 

7.   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   7 1-3 Shop, No. 7 Pingdingshan Second Rd., Shaibak Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
8.   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Shop No. 2, Rongsheng Garden, No. 81 Xinmin Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
9.   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, No. 148 Minzhu Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
10.   Tianshan District Jianquan No. 3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 215, Jianquan No. 3 Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
11.   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 222, Jiefang North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang 1F-2B   [*]
12.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1-43, Longhai Commercial Building, 499 Kashi West Rd., Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone, Xinjiang   [*]
13.   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 66 Liyushan South Rd., Xinshi Area, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
14.   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1st FL, Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, No. 136 Changchun South Rd., East First Lane, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
15.   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   3rd FL, Huijia Times, No. 147 Beijing Middle Rd., Xinshi Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]

 

13

 

 

16.   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 118, 1st FL, Baishang Shopping Center, 255 Suzhou East Street, Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
17.   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   Store No. 53, Xiaoxigou Pedestrian St., Suzhou Rd., Xincheng Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
18.   Xinshi District South No. 3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 169, Nanwei San Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
19.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
20.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   1F4, No. 23 Youhao South Rd., Shayibake Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
21.   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   May 2, 2020   [*]   A07.08, Meishi St., Taigu Town, OL Xingchenhui, No. 139 Xinhua North Rd., Tianshan Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
22.   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Road George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   June 17, 2020   [*]   1F, No. 68 Nanhu Rd., Shuimogou Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
23.   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Gang Li   October 14, 2020   [*]   No. 1046, 1/F, Vanguard Supermarket, No. 996 Hebei East Rd., Gaoxin Dist., Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
24.   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Gang Li   November 6, 2020   [*]   No. 5009, 5/F, Degang Wanda Plaza, No. 268 Zhongya South Rd., Economic and Technological Development Zone, Urumqi, Xinjiang   [*]
25.   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Hui Wang   May 2, 2020   [*]   Youhaoshishang Shopping Center, 91 Beishsan Rd., 40 Dist., Shihezi, Xinjiang   [*]
                         

 

 

 

14

 

Exhibit 10.7

 

Spousal Consent

 

The undersigned, [Name of Spouse] (ID card No. [ID Card No. of Spouse]), is the lawful spouse of [Name of Operator] (ID card No. [ID Card No. of Operator]) (hereinafter referred to as “My Spouse”). I hereby unconditionally and irrevocably agree to the execution of the following documents (hereinafter referred to as the “Transaction Documents”) by My Spouse, and the disposal of the operating rights or the assets for the business of [Name of Bakery] (“Bakery”) held by My Spouse and registered in his name according to the following documents:

 

(1) Exclusive Service Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Xinjiang United Family”);

 

(2) Call Option Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family;

 

(3) Operating Rights Proxy Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family;

 

(4) Pledge Agreement entered into with Xinjiang United Family; and

 

(5) Power of Attorney executed by My Spouse.

 

I hereby undertake not to make any assertions in connection with the operating rights and assets of Bakery which are held by My Spouse. I hereby further confirm that My Spouse can perform his obligations under the Transaction Documents and further amend or terminate the Transaction Documents without authorization or consent from me.

 

I hereby undertake to execute all necessary documents and take all necessary actions to ensure appropriate performance of the Transaction Documents (as amended from time to time).

 

I hereby agree and undertake that if I obtain any operating rights and assets of Bakery which are held by My Spouse for any reasons, I shall be bound by the Transaction Documents entered into between My Spouse and Xinjiang United Family (as amended time to time) and comply with the obligations thereunder as an operator of Bakery. For this purpose, upon Xinjiang United Family’s request, I shall sign a series of written documents in substantially the same format and content as the Transaction Documents (as amended from time to time).

 

  Signature:  /s/ [Name of Spouse]
  Date:  [Date of Consent]

 

 

 

 

Schedule of Material Differences

 

One or more person signed a spousal consent under this form. Pursuant to Instruction ii to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, the Registrant may only file this form as an exhibit with a schedule setting forth the material details in which the executed agreements differ from this form:

 

No.   Name of Bakery   Name of Spouse   ID Card No. of Spouse   Name of Operator   ID Card No. of Operator   Date of Consent
1.   Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
2.   Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
3.   Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
4.   Changji George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
5.   Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
6.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
7.   Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
8.   Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
9.   Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
10.   Tianshan District Jianquan No.3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
11.   Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
12.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
13.   Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
14.   Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
15.   Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
16.   Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
17.   Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
18.   Xinshi District South No.3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
19.   Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
20.   Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
21.   Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   May 2, 2020  
22.   Shuimogou District South Nanhu Road George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   June 17, 2020  
23.   Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   October 14, 2020  
24.   Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   Ying Xiong   [*]   Gang Li   [*]   November 6, 2020  
25.   Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   Xianxue Zhou   [*]   Hui Wang   [*]   May 2, 2020  

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.8

 

Premises Use Agreement

 

Party A: Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

 

According to the Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China and relevant laws and regulations, Party A and Party B have reached the following agreement through friendly negotiation on the basis of equality and voluntariness:

 

1. Basic situation of the premises:

 

Party B uses the premises of Party A, which covering an area of about 1500 square meters, located on the first floor, the basement ground floor and the sixth floor of Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital (Mary Maternity Hospital Building), No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, for the purpose of production and office.

 

2. Period of use

 

Period of use: From January 1, 2020 to May 20, 2029.

 

3. Party A’s rights and obligations

 

3.1 During the term of use, Party B shall properly keep the premises and use them for the agreed purposes, and shall not engage in illegal activities, otherwise, Party A may terminate this agreement at any time.

 

3.2 If the quality problem of the premises occurs during the term of use, which affects the normal use of Party B, Party A shall repair it in time.

 

3.3 Party A shall help Party B to contact the relevant local units for the settlement of the living and other necessary procedures of Party B’s service personnel.

 

4. Party B’s rights and obligations

 

4.1 During the term of use, Party B shall bear the natural gas and electricity expenses incurred in the whole building. Among the natural gas and electricity expenses paid by Party B, the amount exceeding the self-use portion shall be used to offset the rental of Party B’s use of Party A’s premises, and both parties agree not refund for any overpayment or a supplemental payment for any deficiency.

 

4.2 During the term of use, Party A shall uniformly manage the outdoor sanitation, premises renovation and greening maintenance used by Party B, and the expenses incurred shall be borne by Party B.

 

 

 

 

4.3 During the term of use, Party A shall not lease (sell) the premises used by Party B to a third party.

 

4.4 During the term of use, Party A shall not terminate this agreement without cause.

 

5. Settlement of dispute

 

If disputes arise between Party A and Party B during the implementation of this Agreement, they shall settle the dispute through friendly consultation at first, if both parties fail to reach an agreement, they shall bring a suit in the people’s court of the place where the premises are located.

 

6. Miscellaneous

 

6.1. This contract is in duplicate, two pages in total, with each party holding one.

 

6.2 This contract shall take effect after both parties sign and seal it. The matters unfulfilled in this contract shall be agreed by both parties separately.

 

Party A:   Party B:
     
/s/ Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.   /s/ Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.
     
    Special seal for contract
     
Date: April 30, 2020   Date: April 30, 2020

 

  2  

 

 

Supplemental Agreement

 

Party A: Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.

 

Party B: Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

 

Party A and Party B entered into a certain Premises Use Agreement on April 30, 2020, the Provision 2 of which stated that the period of use is from January 1, 2020 to May 20, 2029. Since Party A’s rights of use of the premises does not cover the period of use of specified in the agreement, Party A and Party B, through friendly negotiation, hereby enter into the following supplemental provisions:

 

1. Party B’s period of use of the premises: From January 1, 2020 to June 25, 2028.

 

2. With regard to any inconsistency between this Supplemental Agreement and the Premises Use Agreement, this Supplemental Agreement shall prevail.

 

3. This contract is in duplicate with each party holding one, has the same legal effect as the Premises Use Agreement, and shall take effect after both parties sign and seal it.

 

Party A:   Party B:
     
/s/ Urumqi Plastic Surgery Hospital Co., Ltd.   /s/ Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.
     
    Special seal for contract
     
Date: June 18, 2020   Date: June 18, 2020

 

3

 

 

Exhibit 10.9

 

Working Capital Loan Contract

 

No.: [*]

 

Party A (Borrower): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Residence: No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Postal Code: 830000

Tel.: [*]

Basic Account Opening Bank: Urumqi Renmin Road

Sub-branch of China Construction Bank

Legal Representative: Baolin Wang

Fax: None

Account No.: [*]

 

Party B (Lender): Urumqi Youhao Road Sub-Branch of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd.

Residence: No.654 Youhao North Road Shayibake District Urumqi

Postal Code: 830000

Legal Representative/Principal: Li Meng

Tel.: [*] Fax: None

 

In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China, and on the basis of abiding by the principle of fairness, this contract is concluded through consultation between the two parties.

 

Article I Type of Loan

 

1.1 The loan under this contract is working capital loan.

 

Article II Loan Amount and Currency

 

2.1 Loan currency under this contract is RMB.

 

2.2 The loan amount under this contract is (in words) Fifteen Million Yuan Only.

 

Article III Purpose of Loan

 

3.1 Loans under this contract shall only be used for the purposes stated in the Application for Withdrawal Loans from Working Capital Loan (hereinafter referred to as the “Application for Withdrawal”, see attachment for the format) approved by Party B, without the written consent of Party B, Party A shall not change the purpose of the loan.

 

Article IV Period of Loan

 

4.1 The term of the loan under this contract is one year, from May 7, 2020 to May 7, 2021.

 

4.2 Party A chooses the following method to withdraw the loan hereunder:

 

þ Make one-time withdrawal on May 7, 2020. Party A shall issue a request for withdrawal to Party B at least one working day before the agreed withdrawal date, and the withdrawal can be made only after Party B’s approval.

 

     

 

 

☒ Withdrawal during the withdrawal period stated below:

 

The withdrawal period shall be from the date of signing this contract to                                 , all withdrawals shall be made within the withdrawal period. Party A shall issue an application for withdrawal to Party B at least three working days before the planned withdrawal date, and the withdrawal can be made only after Party B’s approval.

 

Before each planned withdrawal by Party A, all the withdrawal conditions stipulated in Article 6 of this contract shall be satisfied, otherwise Party B shall not be obliged to provide any loans to Party A.

 

4.3 Party A chooses the following method to repay the loan principal hereunder:

 

þ Make one-time repayment of the principal on May 7, 2021.

 

Repay the principal in installments according to the following order, time and amount.

 

On ___day ___ month ___year, Amount (in words) none;

 

On ___day ___month ___ year, Amount (in words) none;

 

On ___day ___month ___year, Amount (in words) none;

 

On ___day ___month ___year, Amount (in words) none;

 

On ___day ___ month ___ year, Amount (in words) none;

 

None

 

 

Repayment shall be made on the due date specified in the withdrawal application approved by Party B.

 

4.4 If the loan withdrawal date and maturity date recorded in the loan certificate under this contract are inconsistent with the above agreed withdrawal application, the time recorded in the loan certificate under this contract shall prevail. The Application for Withdrawal, the loan certificate and other documents affirmed by both parties as appendixes to this contract form an integral part of this contract and have the same legal effect as this contract.

 

Article V Interest Rate of Loan

 

5.1 The loan interest rate under this contract shall be determined in the following way:

 

5.1.1 The loan interest rate is set as a (þfixed/☒floating) interest rate.

 

5.1.2 Fixed interest rate, the interest rate remains unchanged during the life of the contract. The source of the fixed interest rate is the one-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR) (þplus/minus) 113 prime points (one prime point is 0.01%) published by the national interbank lending center one working day before (þfirst withdrawal date / date of each withdrawal). The specific interest rate shall be in accordance with Party B’s loan certificate.

 

5.1.3 Floating interest rate, the interest rate for each loan is set at the base rate (þplus/minus) a floating range, among them, the benchmark interest rate is the     /     (year/month) Loan Prime Rate (LPR) published by the national interbank lending center one working day before     /     the (withdrawal date for each loan /effective date of the contract), the floating range is     /     (up/down/zero)     /     % or     /     (plus/minus/zero)     /     prime points (one prime point is 0.01%).

 

5.1.4 If the loan interest rate is the floating interest rate, after each loan withdrawal, if the Loan Prime Rate changes, the loan interest rate shall be adjusted in the following manner:

 

If interest is settled and the rate is adjusted monthly, the adjusted loan interest rate becomes effective on the next day of the first interest settlement date after the Loan Prime Rate readjusts;

 

If the interest is settled and the rate is adjusted quarterly, the adjusted loan interest rate becomes effective on the next day of the first interest settlement date after the Loan Prime Rate readjusts;

 

If the interest is settled and the rate is adjusted annually, the adjusted contract loan interest rate:

 

becomes effective on the next day after the first interest settlement date of the following year;

 

becomes effective on the next day after the first interest settlement date one year after the loan starts

 

Others: No content here, adding content is invalid.

 

     

 

 

5.1.5 When adjusted according to 5.1.4 above, the adjusted loan interest rate shall be calculated according to the periodical Loan Prime Rate under 5.1.3 on the prior business day of the corresponding interest settlement date, plus or minus the base rate.

 

5.2 The loan under this contract is charged interest from the actual withdrawal date, the formula for calculating interest is as follows: Interest = Actual loan balance × Actual days of interest-bearing period × Annual interest rate/360 (days).

 

5.3 The interest rate of the loan under this contract shall be chosen in one of the following ways:

 

þ Monthly interest settlement, the date of interest payment is 20th of the month, the last interest payment date is the expiration date of the contract:

 

Quarterly interest settlement, the date of interest payment is 20th at the end of each quarter, the last interest payment date is the expiration date of the contract:

 

Pay off the principal and interest in one lump sum, the interest shall be paid off in one lump sum on the principal due date;

 

Others: No content here, adding content is invalid.

  

5.4 If the contract loan interest rate changes, the penalty interest rate under this contract will automatically change accordingly, and it will be applicable at the same time as the contract loan interest rate, segment calculation.

 

5.5 Party B does not need to obtain the consent of Party A for the adjustment made in accordance with the above provisions.

 

5.6 If the national interbank lending center cancels (or no longer publishes) the lending base rate for the loans issued under this contract, the lender has the right to directly change the borrowing interest rate pricing benchmark according to the corresponding national interest rate policy, and in accordance with the principle of fairness and integrity, according to the redetermination of borrowing interest rates. Before making the above adjustment, the lender shall notify the borrower at a reasonable time in advance, and the notice shall be made by SMS, branches announcement or any other method considered reasonable by the lender. If the borrower does not accept the change of the benchmark interest rate, it may prepay, otherwise, it shall be deemed that the borrower accepts the change and adjustment of the benchmark interest rate.

 

Article VI Conditions of Withdrawal

 

6.1 When withdrawing the money, Party A must meet the following preconditions:

 

6.1.1 Party A has completed the administrative licensing, approval, registration and other legal procedures related to loans under this contract in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and rules;

 

6.1.2 Party A has submitted relevant documents that meet Party B’s requirements;

 

6.1.3 Guarantee under this contract has completed the procedures agreed upon by both parties and has entered into force/Mortgage has been established/Pledge has been established;

 

6.1.4 Party A does not have any breach of contract;

 

6.1.5 Up to the time of withdrawal, the statements and guarantees made by Party A in this contract are still true, accurate and valid;

 

6.1.6 Up to the time of withdrawal, Party A’s operating and financial conditions are basically the same as those at the time of signing this contract, without any significant adverse changes.

 

6.2 After satisfying the above conditions, Party A shall go through the withdrawal formalities at Party B as stipulated in this contract and sign the loan certificate with Party B. The loan certificate is an integral part of this contract and has the same effect as this contract.

 

6.3 If Party A fails to meet the withdrawal conditions, the loan does not constitute a performance defect of Party B, nor does it indicate that Party B abandons the requirement of Party A to meet the above withdrawal conditions, Party A shall submit relevant information to Party B immediately upon meeting the withdrawal conditions.

 

6.4 Even if Party A meets the withdrawal conditions, in any case, Party B has the right to terminate or suspend all or part of the loan at any time without prior notice to Party A, qt this time, it does not constitute a default defect of Party B.

 

     

 

 

Article VII Issuance and Payment of Loan Capital

 

7.1 Loans under this contract shall be issued and paid in the following manner:

 

Party A’s independent payment method.

 

þ Party B’s method of entrusted payment.

 

If the payment object has been determined and the single payment fee does not reach RMB     /    Yuan (or equivalent foreign currency), Party A shall pay the payment independently: the payment object has been determined and the single payment amount reaches or exceeds     /    RMB yuan (or foreign currency equivalent). Adopt entrusted payment by Party B. If the payment object is not determined, Party A shall make the payment independently.

 

7.2 Adopt payment by Party A independently, Party B shall examine and verify the Application for Withdrawal Loans from Working Capital Loan (applicable to independent payment) with Party A’s official seal, after consent, the loan fund shall be issued to Party A’s account, and then Party A shall independently pay to the counterparty who meets the agreed purpose in accordance with the agreed manner.

 

7.3 If adopt entrusted payment by Party B, according to the agreed purpose of the loan, Party B shall examine whether the information provided by Party A concerning the object of payment and the amount of payment listed in the application for payment is in conformity with the corresponding business contract and other supporting materials, after examination and approval, the Application for Withdrawal Loans from Working Capital Loan (applicable to entrusted payment) with Party A’s official seal and the expression of the intention of entrusted payment therein shall be followed, Party B shall issue the loan funds to Party A’s account and pay directly to Party A’s counterparty who meets the agreed purpose.

 

7.4 If the payment is made independently by Party A, Party A shall summarize and report the payment of loan capital to Party B every /    months, and Party B shall have the right to check whether the loan payment conforms to the agreed purpose at any time by means of account analysis, voucher verification and on-site investigation.

 

7.5 If the payment is made independently by Party A, if the single payment amount of Party A reaches the entrusted payment standard of Party B, Party A shall apply to Party B for changing the payment method, and the external payment shall be made only after the approval of Party B.

 

7.6 If Party B is entrusted to pay, Party A shall provide relevant information such as counterparty information, borrowing materials and so on according to Party B’s requirements, Party B shall not be liable for the failure of the entrusted payment due to the untruthfulness, inaccuracy, incompleteness and invalidity of the information provided by Party A.

 

7.7 The loan funds shall not be paid to Party A’s brokerage company in the capital market or to its counterpart who is related to Party A and does not conform to the purpose of the loan.

 

Article VIII After-Loan Capital Monitoring

 

8.1 Party A shall designate a special fund withdrawal account (account number: [*]) in Party B, or a special fund withdrawal account (account number: no content here). If the fund withdrawal account is another bank account, the statement shall be provided every no content here months.

 

8.2 Party B shall have the right to monitor the withdrawal account of the above-mentioned capital, Party A shall provide Party B with the entry and exit of the capital in the account in time.

 

8.3 Party B shall have the right to negotiate with Party A to sign another account management agreement according to Party A’s credit status and financing situation, and to clearly agree on the management of the withdrawal of capital from designated accounts.

 

     

 

 

Article IX Repayment of Loan

 

9.1 Party A’s source of repayment includes but is not limited to its operating income, Party A undertakes not to use the aforementioned agreement to refuse to perform its repayment obligations under this contract under any circumstances, and no matter Party A has any agreement on the source of repayment funds of Party A in any other contract as a party, this agreement cannot affect the performance of Party A’s repayment obligations under this contract.

 

9.2 Party A shall deposit the repayable amount (interest, principal) in full in the account opened by Party B before the termination of Party B's business hours on the repayment date (interest date, repayment date), and Party B shall have the right to draw directly from its account. In case of a statutory holiday, it shall be extended to the first working day after the end of the statutory holiday.

 

9.3 Party B shall have the right to directly remit the amount payable by Party A from the accounts opened by Party A in all the business institutions of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd. When the currencies remitted for receipt are different from those under this contract, they shall be converted to the foreign exchange license price announced by Party B on the date of remittance.

 

9.4 Payments made by Party A (including the amount received by Party B in accordance with this contract) shall be settled in the following order: expenses, damages, liquidated damages, compound interest, overdue interest and penalty interest, interest and principal for the realization of creditor’s rights and security rights, Party B shall have the right to change the above order.

 

9.5 Party A shall submit a written application to Party B ten working days in advance for the advance repayment, with the written consent of Party B, and handle it in the following manner:

 

þ Party B shall collect interest according to the loan interest rate and actual days of use stipulated in this contract;

 

In addition to the interest charged on the loan interest rate and the actual number of days used in the loan as stipulated in this contract, Party B shall collect compensation at no content here % of the amount of advance payment, but it shall no more than prepayment amount × the loan interest rate agreed in this contract/360×number of days in advance.

 

Article X Loan Guarantee

 

10.1 Where the loan under this contract is a guaranteed loan, the guaranteed method shall be: þGuarantee Mortgage Pledge ☒         /       .

 

The guarantee contract shall be signed separately by the guarantor and Party B.

 

10.2 If the loan guarantee under this contract is the maximum amount guarantee, the corresponding maximum amount guarantee contract shall be:

 

Maximum Guarantee Contract signed by guarantor no content here and Party B (No.: no content here);

 

Maximum Guarantee Contract signed by mortgager no content here and Party B (No.: no content here);

 

Maximum Guarantee Contract signed by pledgor no content here and Party B (No.: no content here);

 

No content here.

 

Article XI Financial Agreement

 

During the term of this contract, Party A shall abide by the following financial indicators:

 

No content here and the addition clause is invalid

 

Article XII Party A’s Statement and Warranties

 

Party A hereby states and warrants to Party B as follows:

 

12.1 Party A is a legitimate unit registered and validly existing according to law, it shall have the right to dispose of the property it operates and manages, to conduct business related to the purpose of the loan under this contract, and to sign and perform this contract.

 

12.2 The signing of this contract by Party A has been legally approved by the superior competent authority or the board of directors of the company and other competent bodies, and has obtained all necessary authorization.

 

     

 

 

12.3 Party A shall sign and perform this contract without violating any provisions or agreements binding on Party A and its assets, and without violating any guarantee agreement, other agreements and any other documents, agreements and commitments binding on Party A.

 

12.4 Party A guarantees to provide complete documents and materials as required by Party B and to ensure that the documents and materials provided are authentic, accurate, complete, legal and effective.

 

12.5 All the behaviors and performances of Party A related to environmental and social risks meet the requirements of laws and regulations, and there are no major litigation cases involving environmental and social risks.

 

Article XIII Party A’s Rights and Obligations

 

13.1 Party B shall open settlement accounts in Party B or its designated institutions as required by Party B, and accept Party B’s supervision over such accounts in accordance with the relevant provisions of this contract.

 

13.2 Loans shall be used for the purposes stipulated in this contract, it shall not be used for investment in fixed assets, equity, etc. or for areas and purposes where production, production and operation are prohibited by the state.

 

13.3 Party A shall not embezzle the working loans for other purposes, and shall provide timely, including but not limited to, pre-loan investigation, loan payment management, after-loan management and other relevant inspection of Party B according to Party B’s requirements:

 

13.3.1 Business license, organization code certificate, statutory representative’s identity certificate and necessary personal information, board members and principal officials, list of financial officials, business license and tax registration certificate of qualified annual inspection by tax department, copies of tax certificates and loan certificates (cards) of tax authorities shall be provided in accordance with Party B’s requirements;

 

13.3.2 All account-opening banks, accounts and deposits and loans;

 

13.3.3 Provide audited balance sheet, profit and loss statement, shareholder equity statement, sales, cash flow statement, financial statements and notes and explanations according to Party B’s requirements;

 

13.3.4 Production and operation plans, statistical statements;

 

13.3.5 All external guarantees (including any organization of Party B);

 

13.3.6 Information on all affiliated enterprises and their affiliations and related transactions that have occurred or are about to occur that account for more than 10% of their net assets and mutual guarantee among group customers;

 

13.3.7 The occurrence of litigation, arbitration, administrative punishment, debt disputes with others and the criminal filing, prosecution and punishment of management personnel;

 

13.3.8 Records and information on the use of loans under this contract.

 

13.4 The principal and interest of the loan shall be repaid as stipulated in this contract.

 

13.5 It shall notify Party B in writing 30 days in advance includes but not limited to foreign investment, substantial increase in debt financing, contracting, leasing, trusteeship, asset restructuring, debt restructuring, equity restricting, equity transfer, joint management, merger, division, joint venture (cooperation), reduction of registered capital or application for business rectification, application for dissolution (or cancellation), application for reorganization, reconciliation and bankruptcy and other business methods, own system, solvency and legal status change, and fulfill the obligation to pay off the debts under this contract with the written consent of Party B, or provide new guarantees approved in writing by Party B, otherwise, the above-mentioned activities shall not be carried out until all debts under this contract have been paid off.

 

13.6 Party B shall notify Party B in writing within three days including, but not limited to, the change of its own system and legal status, such as the announcement of closure, closure, dissolution, application for reorganization, bankruptcy, etc., and take effective measures to protect Party B’s creditor’s rights.

 

13.7 Party B shall notify Party B in writing within three days of any other situation which may endanger its normal operation or the safety of Party B's creditor's rights, and take effective measures to protect Party B’s creditor’s rights.

 

     

 

 

13.8 Party A shall notify Party B in writing within seven days after Party A changes its domicile, name, legal representative or other middle and senior management personnel.

 

13.9 Before repaying the principal and interest of Party B’s loan, Party A shall not sell specific assets, pay off other long-term debts in advance and provide additional debt guarantee for third parties without Party B’s consent.

 

13.10 Party A shall not sign a contract with any third party that is detrimental to Party B's rights and interests under this contract.

 

13.11 In the case of guarantee, the guarantor violates any obligation or declaration, guarantee and undertaking stipulated in the guarantee contract, or in case of loss of guarantee ability, Party A shall immediately provide new guarantee approved by Party B or pay off the loan hereunder in advance.

 

13.12 Party A shall sign and receive all kinds of notices sent by Party B or served by other means in time.

 

13.13 Party A shall strengthen environmental and social risk management and accept and cooperate with Party B or its accredited third party for supervision and inspection. If Party B requests, it shall timely submit environmental and social risk report to Party B.

 

Article XIV Party B’s Rights and Obligations

 

14.1 Party B shall have the right to request Party A to provide information relating to the loan under this contract.

 

14.2 Party B shall have the right to supervise and inspect the use of loans under this contract, and to know Party A’s business activities, financial situation, guarantee and disputes over creditor’s rights.

 

14.3 Party B shall have the right to require Party A to open settlement accounts in Party B’s designated institutions and to monitor such accounts in accordance with the relevant provisions of this contract.

 

14.4 Party B shall have the right to participate in Party A’s large-scale financing, asset sales, mergers, separation, joint-stock reform, bankruptcy liquidation and other activities without violating laws, regulations and regulatory provisions to safeguard its creditor’s rights.

 

14.5 In the process of loan payment, if Party A’s credit condition drops, the profitability of its main business is poor, the loan funds are not used according to the agreed purpose or the loan funds are not paid in accordance with the agreed way, Party B shall have the right to change the terms and methods of loan payment, or take measures such as stopping the issuance and payment of loan funds, announcing the immediate maturity of all loans issued and recovering the principal and interest of loans issued in advance.

 

14.6 If all the loan funds of Party A are withdrawn in advance before the maturity of the loan, Party B shall have the right to withdraw the loan in advance according to the withdrawal of funds of Party A.

 

14.7 Party B shall keep confidential the information provided by Party A and the information inquired by Party B. Party B shall have the right to retain and use the information provided by Party A and the information inquired by Party B within the time limit stipulated by laws, regulations, supervision regulations and authorities (Party B shall have the right to destroy the information beyond the time limit mentioned above); shall have the right to provide information in accordance with laws and regulations, regulatory provisions and compulsory orders of judicial organs; shall have the right to disclose the information to Party B’s agents and cooperative agencies for the purpose of fulfilling this agreement, and to obtain the confidentiality promises of the agents and cooperative agencies.

 

14.8 During the validity period of this contract, when Party B changes its residence, it shall issue a notice of change of address in time.

 

Article XV Responsibility for Breach of Contract

 

15.1 After the entry into force of this contract, both parties shall fulfill their obligations under this contract, any failure or incomplete performance of the obligations stipulated in this contract, or breach of the declarations, guarantees and commitments made by either party under this contract, constitutes a breach of contract and shall be liable for breach of contract.

 

     

 

 

15.2 For the reasons of Party A or the guarantor under this contract, Party A fails to complete the corresponding guaranty procedures in accordance with the contract, or Party A fails to go to Party B for withdrawal formalities in accordance with the time stipulated in this contract, and the loan issuance time exceeds 30 days (including statutory holidays and rest days), Party B shall have the right to cancel the contract and recover the payment in advance.

 

15.3 If Party A fails to repay the principal of the loan due (including early maturity) within the repayment period stipulated in this contract, it shall, from the date of expiration, charge a penalty interest rate of 50% at the interest rate stipulated in this contract, and collect the overdue interest; If Party A fails to pay the interest within the term of the loan, it shall collect and recover the interest according to the loan interest rate stipulated in this contract; interest that has not been paid after the expiration of the loan shall be recovered at the penalty interest rate stipulated in this paragraph.

 

15.4 If Party A fails to use the loan for the purpose specified in this contract, the principal and interest of the loan shall be increased by 50% as the penalty interest rate from the date of breach of contract, and the penalty interest and compound interest shall be calculated and collected.

 

15.5 If the loan under this contract is overdue or used for the purpose specified in the contract, the overdue interest, penalty interest and compound interest shall be charged monthly.

 

15.6 If Party A breaches the contract and causes Party B to realize its creditor’s rights through litigation, Party A shall bear the appraisal fee, appraisal fee, auction fee, litigation fee, arbitration fee, notarization fee, lawyer’s fee and other reasonable expenses for Party B to realize its creditor’s rights.

 

Article XVI Recover the Loan in Advance

 

In case of any of the following acts by Party A, Party B shall have the right to declare that all loans issued are due immediately, to recover the principal and interest of the loans issued in advance, and to stop extending loans, and to take corresponding measures in accordance with the law:

 

16.1 Party A fails to use the loan for the purpose specified in this contract or fails to pay the principal, interest and other payables in full and on time;

 

16.2 Party A fails to pay the loan capital in the agreed way;

 

16.3 Party A breaks through the agreed financial indicators;

 

16.4 Party A fails to disburse the loan capital in the agreed way;

 

16.5 Party A breaches the contract and evades Party B’s entrusted payment by the method of breaking up the whole into parts;

 

16.6 Party A provides Party B with false or concealed financial statements and other loan information or concealed important business financial facts;

 

16.7 Refusing to accept Party B’s supervision and inspection of its use of loans and related production, operation and financial activities;

 

16.8 Party A engages in equity investment with loans;

 

16.9 Party A engages in speculative business or other illegal and illegal transactions in securities, futures and real estate by using loans;

 

16.10 Party A arbitrages loans for borrowing and earning illegal income;

 

16.11 Party A defrauds loans by fraudulent means;

 

16.12 Using the false contract with the related party to pledge to Party B the creditor’s rights such as bills receivable and accounts receivable without actual trade background and to arbitrage the bank’s funds;

 

16.13 Those who intentionally evade bank creditor's rights through related party transactions;

 

16.14 Party A breaches any contract or agreement signed by Party A and others (including Party B of this contract) as a party, or any promise or guarantee made by Party A unilaterally, thus constituting a serious breach of contract for other debts;

 

16.15 Party A’s business method, system, solvency or legal status has changed, including but not limited to, foreign investment, substantial increase in debt financing, contracting, leasing, trusteeship, asset restructuring, debt restructuring, equity transfer, stock system reform, joint venture, merger, acquisition, division, compensatory transference of proprietary rights, joint venture (cooperation), reducing registered capital or applying for closure and rectification, applying for dissolution (or revocation), applying for reorganization, reconciliation and bankruptcy, etc., failing to obtain Party B’s written consent and fulfill the liability for liquidation of debts under this contract or to provide new guarantees approved by Party B;

 

     

 

 

16.16 The guarantee under this contract has changed to the detriment of Party B's creditor’s rights, including but not limited to collateral, collateral damage, loss, value reduction, or if the guarantor breaches any obligation established for him in the guarantee contract and Party A fails to provide additional guarantees as required by Party B;

 

16.17 If the guarantee contract or other means of guarantee are not in force, invalid or revoked, or if the guarantor loses part or all of the guaranty capacity or expressly expresses his non-performance of the guarantee obligation, if the guarantor breaches any obligation or undertaking stipulated in the guarantee contract or the contract signed with a third party, and Party A fails to provide additional guarantees as required by Party B;

 

16.18 The statements and warranties made by Party A are not true, accurate or have major concealment;

 

16.19 Where Party A expressly expresses or manifests in its own conduct that Party A does not perform its obligations under this Contract;

 

16.20 Party A breaches any other obligations and commitments stipulated in this contract, and Party B considers that it is sufficient to affect the realization of its creditor’s rights;

 

16.21 Party A’s description in the application for withdrawal and/or the attached application materials for withdrawal is untrue or Party A violates its commitments in the application for withdrawal;

 

16.22 Liability accidents, major environmental and social risks or events caused by Party A’s violation of food safety, production safety, environmental protection and other laws, regulations, regulatory provisions or industrial standards related to environmental and social risk management have or may affect the performance of its obligations hereunder;

 

16.23 The deterioration of Party A’s business and financial situation, the failure to pay the debts due, or the involvement of major economic lawsuits or arbitration and other legal disputes, has seriously affected and threatened the realization of Party B’s creditor’s rights;

 

16.24 Party A’s group customers’ overall credit, business and financial situation are in serious crisis, which poses a major threat to the safety of Party B’s loans;

 

16.25 Where Party A is suspended, dissolved, suspended, revoked or cancelled its business license, etc.;

 

16.26 Other situations may result in the threat or serious loss of the realization of Party B’s creditor’s rights under this contract.

 

Article XVII Effectiveness of Contract

 

This contract shall come into force on the date of signing by both parties.

 

Article XVIII Transfer and alteration of the Contract

 

18.1 Party A agrees that after the entry into force of this contract, Party B may transfer all or part of the creditor’s rights under this contract to a third party.

 

18.2 After the entry into force of this contract, if Party A transfers all or part of the debts under this contract to a third party, it shall submit to Party B in advance written documents or provide new guarantees after the Guarantor agrees to transfer, and with Party B’s written consent.

 

18.3 After the entry into force of this contract, neither Party A nor Party B shall alter it without authorization. In case of any change, both parties shall reach a written agreement on the change.

 

18.4 If Party A requests the extension of the loan under this contract, the extension agreement shall be signed after Party B’s examination and approval. If Party B does not agree to the extension, Party A shall still fulfill its repayment obligations as stipulated in this contract.

 

     

 

 

Article XIX Confidentiality

 

Either party A or B shall have the obligation to keep confidential the other party’s trade secrets, contract terms and other information related to interests obtained during the signing and performance of the contract; unless otherwise stipulated by laws, regulations and regulatory policies, such information shall not be disclosed or disclosed to any third party without the consent of the other party.

 

Article XX Governing Law and Settlement of Disputes

 

20.1 This contract shall be governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China.

 

20.2 All disputes arising from this contract between Party A and Party B shall be settled through consultation; if consultation fails, the two sides choose to settle it in the following way:

 

þ To bring a suit in the people’s court where Party B is located.

 

To apply to no content here arbitration commission for arbitration.

 

Article XXI Notification and Delivery

 

During the term of validity of the contract, all documents sent by Party B to Party A according to Party A’s information contained in this contract shall be deemed to be served as the same when Party A's information, such as the name, legal representative, domicile and telephone number, changes occur and Party B has not been notified in writing.

 

Article XXII Appendix

 

22.1 If Party A and Party B have signed the Maximum Financing Contract which number is no content here, then this contract:

 

It is the specific business contract under the Maximum Financing Contract.

 

It is managed independently of the Maximum Financing Contract.

 

If the two parties have not explicitly agreed or agreed on the above matters, this contract will automatically become a specific business contract under the Maximum Financing Contract signed by both parties.

 

22.2 Party A authorizes Party B to provide information on this contract and other relevant information to the credit information base database of the People’s Bank of China or other credit databases established by law in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations or other normative documents or the requirements of the financial supervision machine, for inquiry and use by suitably qualified institutions or individuals, at the same time, Party B is authorized to inquire Party A’s relevant information through the People’s Bank of China’s Credit Information Base Database and other credit databases established according to law for the purpose of the conclusion and performance of this contract.

 

22.3 If one party of the contract proposes to amend the contract in order to comply with the changed laws, regulations, judicial interpretations and regulations, the other party shall cooperate. Otherwise, loans that have not been issued will cease to be issued.

 

22.4 Other matters agreed by both parties

 

No content here and the addition clause is invalid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

     

 

 

22.5 When ☐ mode is adopted as option under this contract, please tick in the ☐ to express the clause is applicable, tick × means that this clause does not apply.

 

22.6 This contract is made in two copies by Party A, two copies by Party B and one copy by the notary party, all of which shall have the same legal effect.

 

22.7 The relevant annexes under this contract are an integral part of this contract and have the same legal effect as this contract.

 

22.8 Party B has taken reasonable measures to draw Party A’s attention to the provisions of this contract exempting or limiting Party B’s responsibilities, and fully explain the relevant terms and conditions as required by Party A; there is no objection to the understanding of all the terms and conditions of this contract between Party A and Party B.

 

Appendix: Application for Withdrawal of Working Capital Loan

 

     

 

 

Signature page (No text on this page)

 

Party A: (Seal): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.
Legal Representative:  
(or Entrusted Agent) (Signature): /s/ Baolin Wang (seal)                               

  

May 7, 2020

  

Party B: (Seal): Urumqi Youhao Road Sub-Branch of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd.
Legal Representative/Principal:  
(or Entrusted Agent) (Signature or seal): /s/ Li Meng (seal)                           

  

May 7, 2020

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.10

 

Guarantee Agreement

Contract No.: [*]

 

Party A (Client): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Wang Baolin

 

Party B (Trustee): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): Tiancheng Square, No.222 Jiefang North Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Zhou Jun

 

Party A entrusts Party B to guarantee, Party B agrees and decides to guarantee after study. The parties hereby enter into this agreement by mutual agreement in accordance with the provisions of the Guarantee Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws.

 

Article I Guarantee Object and Amount

 

1.1 Party B provides guarantee to creditors for the working capital loan business applied by Party A to Urumqi Youhao Road Sub-Branch of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Creditor”). The term of Party A’s financing is two years, and the purpose is: supplementary working capital.

 

1.2 Party A and Party B agree through negotiation that the principal amount of Party B’s secured creditor’s right is: RMB15,000,000 (in words: Renminbi Fifteen Million). The principal amount of the secured creditor’s right shall be subject to the terms of the guarantee agreement signed by Party B and the Creditor.

 

Article II Scope, Manner of Guarantee and Guaranty Period

 

The scope, manner and guaranty period of Party B shall be subject to the guarantee agreement signed by Party B and the Creditor.

 

Article III Guarantee Fees:

 

3.1 Party A shall pay Party B a guarantee evaluation fee of RMB5,000 in a lump sum, which shall be paid separately if there is no conflict with the fees stipulated in paragraph 2 of this Article.

 

3.2 Through full negotiation by both parties, Party A shall pay the guarantee fees to Party B in accordance with the Article 3.2.1 below.

 

3.2.1 Party A and Party B determine that the charge ratio of the guarantee fees shall be 1% of the principal amount of the secured creditor’s right, which shall be paid by Party A in a lump sum before Party B issues the Guarantee Letter to the Creditor.

 

3.2.2 Party A and Party B determine the charge ratio of guarantee fees: Party B charges \% of the principal amount of the secured creditor’s right each year, the guarantee fees shall be paid by Party A to Party B in a lump sum before \ day \ month of each year.

 

3.2.3 Other payment methods:

 

3.3 If Party A fails to repay the Creditor on time, it shall pay the overdue premium to Party B, which shall be calculated at 4% of the total amount of principal and interest of Party A’s outstanding creditor’s right annually.

 

3.4 If Party A negotiates with the Creditor of the loan extension, and Party B agrees in writing to extend the guarantee liability of Party B, Party A shall pay Party B guarantee fees for the loan extension with a ratio of 2% of the amount of loans extended.

 

Article IV Post-Guarantee Supervision and Management Right:

 

After the release of the guarantee funds, Party B shall have the right to make periodic or irregular investigations on Party A’s production and operation conditions, creditor’s rights and debts, use of financing funds, project progress, etc., and require Party A to provide relevant documents and materials. Party A must answer all questions raised by Party B truthfully and without any evasion or concealment, Party A shall not, for any reason, obstruct or interfere with Party B’s regular or regular inspection, understanding and supervision in any way.

 

 

 

 

Article V Party B’s Right of recourse and Right of Subrogation

 

5.1 If Party A fails to repay the debt in full and on schedule as agreed in the financing business agreement with the Creditor, Party B shall have the right to immediately exercise the right of recourse against Party A after fulfilling the guarantee obligation under the guarantee agreement, and require Party A to repay the following funds:

 

5.1.1 All the compensation paid by Party B to the Creditor and the interest occupied by compensation funds on behalf of Party A due to the performance of the guaranty liability, the interest occupied by compensation funds shall be calculated on the basis of the total amount reimbursed by Party B, at an annual interest rate of 24% from the day after compensation; the compensation shall include but not limited to the principal, interest, compound interest, penalty interest, liquidated damages payable by Party A to the Creditor, indemnity, and expenses incurred by the Creditor in realizing the creditor’s rights, etc.

 

5.1.2 All expenses incurred by Party B in realizing the right of recourse (including but not limited to legal costs, attorney’s costs, execution costs, appraisal costs, registration costs, transfer costs, storage costs, travel expenses, etc.).

 

5.1.3 Overdue premium as stipulated in 3.3 of Article III of this agreement.

 

Party A shall repay Party B within 5days after Party B makes the compensation.

 

5.2 Party B shall have the right to exercise all rights against Party A in place of the original creditor within the scope of liquidation, including the right to take over any security interest established for the Creditor’s rights and the right of claim of third party to provide guarantee for Party A’s borrowings.

 

Article VI Party A’s Obligations

 

6.1 All materials provided to Party B shall be true and accurate; all submitted copies shall be in accordance with the original; the facts stated shall not be false.

 

6.2 The premium shall be paid on schedule as stipulated in Article III of this agreement.

 

6.3 The fund shall be used strictly in accordance with the purposes agreed in the financing business agreement with the Creditor, and the purpose shall not be changed.

 

6.4 Strictly implement the repayment plan in accordance with the repayment method, capital source, time and amount stipulated in the financing agreement, timely inform Party B of the repayment situation, and provide necessary repayment documents.

 

6.5 Accept Party B’s supervision of its production and management, financial accounting, and provide Party B with financial statements on a monthly basis or as required by Party B.

 

6.6 If Party A provides guarantee for a third party beyond its capacity, shall obtain Party B’s written consent.

 

6.7 If Party A changes the company name, business scope, registered capital, legal representative, project’s responsible person and responsible person of financial, address and telephone number, etc., and Party A’s business mechanism or equity structure changes (including but not limited to contracting, leasing, joint venture, partnership, transfer, merger, division, share-holding reform, joint venture or cooperation with foreign companies, etc.), it shall give a written notice to Party B 30 days in advance, and shall not affect Party B’s interests as the guarantor;

 

6.8 If other major operation decisions that may affect the interests of Party B as guarantor are implemented, Party B’s written consent shall be obtained in advance.

 

6.9 Party A shall not change the financing business agreement with the Creditor without the written consent of Party B.

 

Article VII In case of any of the following circumstances, Party A shall promptly notify Party B in writing, Party B may notify the Creditor of the financing business agreement to stop generating new creditor’s rights or recover the incurred creditor’s rights in advance:

 

7.1 Arbitrarily change the use of funds;

 

7.2 Providing guarantee to a third party beyond its own capabilities without the written consent of Party B;

 

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7.3 Financial condition deteriorates, and production and management produce serious difficulties;

 

7.4 Involving major economic disputes or administrative penalties, causing major property losses and casualties due to major safety liability accidents or involving criminal proceedings, which are enough to seriously affect production and management and financial situation;

 

7.5 Counter-guaranteed property is not insured, or the value of anti- guarantee property may be severely depreciated, or anti- guaranteed property may be lost, or dispose (transfer) counter-guarantee property without authorization, which is enough to endanger the interests of Party B;

 

7.6 Other major matters affecting Party B’s interests.

 

Article VIII Party B’s Obligations

 

8.1 Fulfill the guarantee obligation in accordance with the agreement;

 

8.2 Party B shall keep confidential the information provided by Party A and the operation information it has learned.

 

Article IX Party A recognizes the guarantee agreement signed by Party B and the Creditor of the financing business agreement, the scope of Party B’s compensation shall be based on the guarantee agreement signed by Party B and the Creditor, Party A shall not, on the ground that the amount of Party B’s compensation exceeds the amount agreed in the financing business agreement between Party A and the Creditor, disagree the amount of Party B’s compensation, Party B may claim the full amount stipulated in Article V hereof from Party A.

 

Article X Party B shall have the right to require Party A to provide counter-guarantee, and sign the relevant Counter-guarantee Agreement separately.

 

Party A shall be obliged to provide effective counter-guarantee as required by Party B, and sign the relevant Counter-guarantee Agreement.

 

Article XI Enforcement Notarization

 

This agreement shall have the effect of enforcement if it has received the notarial certificate of creditor’s rights document with the effect of enforcement. In case of compensation, Party B shall have the right to apply to the people’s court with jurisdiction in the place where Party B is located for the enforcement of all enforceable property such as Party A’s current assets, fixed assets and external creditor’s rights. The amount of application for enforcement is: the total amount stipulated in 5.1 of Article V of this Agreement, the liquidated damages stipulated in Article XII and all other expenses payable by Party A.

 

Article XII Responsibility for Breach of Contract

 

12.1 If Party A fails to pay the premium to Party B as stipulated in this agreement, for each day of delay, Party A shall pay Party B liquidated damages calculated on the basis of five ten thousandths of the unpaid premium amount per day.

 

12.2 If Party A fails to repay the debts as stipulated in the financing business agreement with the Creditor, and involving the guarantee liability and other civil liability of Party B, except that Party A shall bear all the liabilities for compensation to Party B, Party A shall also pay liquidated damages to Party B in accordance with all debts paid by Party B on behalf of Party A and 30% of all expenses incurred by Party B in the process of realizing the creditor’s rights.

 

Article XIII Appendix

 

13.1 “Financing business agreement” refers to the agreement signed by Party A and the Creditor for borrowing, bank’s acceptance bill, establishment of a letter of credit, issuing letter of guarantee and other financing services.

 

13.2 “Creditor” refers to the borrower in the financing business agreement, the acceptance bank in the bank’s acceptance bill, the beneficiary in the guarantee letter and other business, etc.

 

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13.3 “Guarantee agreement” refers to a (maximum) guarantee agreement signed by Party B and the Creditor, a guarantee letter issued by Party B to the Creditor, a (maximum) irrevocable guarantee letter, etc.

 

Article XIV Miscellaneous

 

14.1 Any dispute arising from this agreement shall be settled by both parties through friendly negotiation, if no settlement can be reached through negotiation, such dispute shall be under the jurisdiction of the people’s court at the place where Party B is located

 

14.2 This agreement shall come into force on the date when it is signed by both parties.

 

14.3 This agreement is made in five copies, one held by Party A and one held by Party B, which shall have the same legal effect.

 

14.4 Party A’s operator of this agreement: Cai Jihong Contact number: [*]

 

Party B’s operator of this agreement: Zhao Bin Contact number: [*]

 

Article XV Notice:

 

Party B has asked Party A to understand the terms of this agreement comprehensively and accurately, and to explain the relevant terms at the request of Party A, the signing parties have the same understanding of the meaning of this agreement.

 

Party A (seal): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/ Wang Baolin (seal)

(or entrusted agent):

 

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

Party B (seal): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/ Zhou Jun (seal)

(or entrusted agent):

 

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

 

 

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Exhibit 10.11

 

Mortgage Counter-guarantee Agreement

Contract No.: [*]

 

Mortgagee (Party A): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): Floor 20, Tiancheng Square, No.222 Jiefang North Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Zhou Jun

 

Mortgagor (Party B): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Wang Baolin

 

Because Party B and Urumqi Youhao Road Sub-Branch of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Creditor”) have signed the Working Capital Loan Agreement which number is [*] (hereinafter referred to as the “financing business agreement), Party A is willing to provide guarantee to the Creditor for the debts of Party B formed under the financing business contract, for this reason, Party A and Party B signed the Guarantee Agreement which number is [*], and signed the Guarantee Agreement No. [*] with the Creditor (hereinafter referred to as the “guarantee agreement”), it is agreed that the type of financing business provided by A to the Creditor shall be working capital loan, guarantee of the principal amount of the creditor’s right is (in words) fifteen million yuan. This agreement is concluded by consensus between Party A and Party B in accordance with the provisions of national law as follows:

 

Article I Party B’s Statement and Guarantee

 

I. Party B shall have full capacity for civil conduct in accordance with the Chinese law and may provide security to other parties, or be a company established under the Chinese law and have the right to enter into this agreement and perform its obligations under this agreement.

 

II. The signing and performance of this agreement by Party B is voluntary, is the expression of its true intention, and is subject to all necessary legal authorization, the above authorization and execution under the authorization do not violate any laws or contracts binding on Party B, and all procedures required by Party B to sign and perform this agreement have been legally and effectively completed.

 

III. All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party B to Party A for setting up mortgage guarantee under this agreement are accurate, true, complete and effective.

 

IV. Party B guarantees that it has the right of ownership or disposal of the mortgaged property in accordance with the law, and there is no external guarantee in any form during the mortgage period to Party A, and have no defects of rights.

 

V. Party B shall not lose the ability to pay debts to other creditors or impair the legitimate rights and interests of any other creditors of Party A at present or in the future due to the establishment of mortgage under this agreement.

 

VI. If Party B is a company established under the Chinese law, Party B has obtained the consent of its shareholders’ meeting on mortgage matters before the conclusion of this agreement.

 

VII. If Party A simultaneously sets a number of counter-guarantee measures for the financing business hereunder, the change of any one or more of the counter-guarantee measures shall not affect Party B’s counter-guarantee obligations hereunder.

 

VIII. If the Creditor and Party B reach an extension agreement on the time limit for the performance of the main debt, Party B shall continue to assume the responsibility of mortgage counter-guarantee for the extended debt, and shall be obliged to cooperate with Party A in the formalities of mortgage registration and alteration of the extended debt. The extension of the registration of the mortgaged property shall not affect the mortgage right enjoyed by Party A according to law.

 

Article II Items of Mortgage

 

I. Name: Baking equipment ____________________;

 

II. Quantity, quality: Good _____________________;

 

III. Status: Good ___________________;

 

IV. Location: No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi ;

 

V. Attribution of the ownership (right to use): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd. ;

 

VI. Others: See Mortgage List _________;

 

 

 

 

Article III Mortgage Value of Mortgage

 

After full consultation between Party A and Party B, the value of the mortgage shall be determined in the following second way:

 

I. The mortgage value of the mortgage shall be determined according to the value of the Assets Appraisal Report (No.: / ) which issued by / recognized by both parties. The value of the mortgage is / yuan (in words: / ) according to the discount rate required by Party A.

 

II. The mortgage value of the mortgage agreed upon by both parties is: RMB15,000,000 (in words: Renminbi Fifteen Million Yuan Only).

 

The foregoing agreement on the value of the mortgage does not serve as the basis for Party A’s valuation of the disposition of the mortgaged property in accordance with this agreement, nor does it constitute any restriction on Party A’s exercise of the mortgage right. The final value of the mortgaged property shall be based on the net income from the actual disposal of the mortgage when Party A realizes the mortgage right.

 

Without Party A’s consent, Party B shall not set any other security interest in the mortgage.

 

Article IV Inventory, Registration of Mortgage

 

I. Inventory: before signing this agreement, Party A and Party B shall make an inventory and verify the mortgage together, and make a list which shall be signed and sealed by both parties as one of the appendixes of this agreement. During the mortgage period, all relevant legal documents of the mortgage shall be kept by Party A.

 

Article V Scope of Party’s Counter Guarantee

 

I. All debts paid by Party A on behalf of Party B, including but not limited to, principal, interest, penalty, compound interest, liquidated damages, compensation for damages and expenses for the Creditor to realize their claims, as well as the interest occupied by compensation funds to be paid by Party B to Party A, the interest occupied by compensation funds shall be calculated on the basis of the total amount reimbursed by Party A, at an annual interest rate of 24% from the day after compensation;

 

II. According to the agreement of the Guarantee Agreement, Party B shall pay the guarantee fee, overdue insurance premium and liquidated damages to Party A’s sub-branch, which shall be subject to the agreement of the Guarantee Agreement;

 

III. All expenses incurred by Party A in realizing the mortgage right, including but not limited to litigation fees, arbitration fees, notarization fees, lawyers’ fees, travel fees, evaluation fees, auction or sale fees, transfer fees, security fees, announcement fees, execution fees, etc. The parties confirm that the expenses of realizing the mortgage right and interest occupied by compensation funds should be calculated separately, not totally not exceeding 24% of the annual interest rate;

 

IV. This agreement stipulates all debts borne by Party B, including, but not limited to, the liquidated damages, indemnities and expenses for the custody of mortgage that Party B shall pay to Party A;

 

Article VI Party B’s Obligations

 

I. Party B shall insure the mortgage to the insurance company before signing this agreement, Party A shall be the beneficiary of the insurance and pay the insurance premium, and the insurance policy shall be kept by Party A. The insurance period shall be longer than the guaranty period of at least six months. If the guaranty period is extended, Party B shall go through the procedure of extending the insurance period. In case of disaster losses, Party A shall have the right to receive priority from insurance compensation.

 

II. During the period of mortgage, Party B shall be responsible for the proper possession and custody of the mortgage, as well as for the maintenance and repair of the mortgage, so as to ensure that the mortgage is in perfection condition, and is subject to inspection by Party A at any time. Party B shall bear the relevant expenses (such as warehouse, operation, repair, maintenance, etc.).

 

III. Without the written consent of Party A, Party B shall not lease, sell, in real object contribution, set other security interests, lend, transfer, grant or otherwise dispose of the mortgage in its possession, and shall not carry out the act of reducing the value of the mortgage. When Party A finds that Party B has improper custody of the mortgaged property in its possession or acts that impair its value, Party A shall have the right to request Party B to stop the infringement and provide the guarantee.

 

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IV. During the term of the mortgage, if the present value of the mortgaged property is reduced, damaged or lost for any reason, Party B shall take immediate measures to prevent further expansion of the loss, and notify Party A in writing immediately. Party A shall have the right to require Party B to restore the value of the mortgage or to provide a guarantee equivalent to the reduced value or to provide new mortgage approved by Party A separately.

 

V. Where the mortgage is lost, damaged or/or expropriated, the effect of the mortgage right shall be the insurance, compensation and indemnity that Party B obtains for the loss, damage or expropriation of the mortgage. The insurance, compensation and indemnity shall be deposited by Party A and have the priority of compensation within the scope of the mortgage guarantee; if the loss of the mortgage does not result in insurance, compensation or indemnity, or the amount of the income is less than the value of the mortgage, Party A shall have the right to require Party B to provide new mortgage approved by Party A separately, and to register and insure the new mortgage in accordance with the manner stipulated in this agreement.

 

VI. In the case of clause III, IV and V of this Article, Party B shall, within five days from the date of receipt of Party A’s notification, provide Party A with additional guarantees equivalent to the reduced value or new mortgage approved by Party A as required by Party A, if Party B fails to provide the mortgage, Party A shall pay 30% of the total value of the collateral as liquidated damages.

 

VII. If Party B conceals the existence of joint ownership, disputes, being detained, involved in litigation or arbitration, and having a security right established and other situations that endanger the realization of the mortgage, and shall pay Party A liquidated damages equal to 30% of the total value of the mortgage, if the liquidated damages are insufficient to cover Party A’s losses, Party B shall compensate for the insufficient part.

 

VIII. Party B shall bear the registration, notarization, insurance, appraisal, transportation, storage and other expenses related to this agreement.

 

Article VII Realization of Mortgage

 

I. If the Creditor declares that Party B’s debts are due ahead of schedule according to law or in accordance with the financing business agreement, and requests Party B to perform the debts ahead of time, but Party B fails to perform or fails to perform in full, which results in Party A’s compensation, it shall be deemed to be an important condition for Party A to claim guarantee liability to Party B. If Party B fails to pay off the mortgage within five days after Party A’s compensation, Party A shall have the right to dispose of the mortgage to realize the mortgage, which shall not be subject to the limitation of the repayment period.

 

II. If Party A fails to be liquidated by Party B within five days after fulfilling its obligation of compensation, Party A may apply to the people’s court for the disposal of the mortgage in accordance with the form prescribed by law, giving priority to the payment received, and Party B shall not raise any objection to Party A’s application for the disposal of the mortgage.

 

III. If the value of the mortgage after disposal is still insufficient, Party A shall have the right to continue to recover the insufficient part.

 

Article VIII Notification and Delivery

 

Party B agrees and confirms: all notices of Party A, and legal documents issued in respect of any lawsuit brought by Party B shall be sent to the following address of Party B, which shall be deemed to be valid as long as they are served at the following address. If Party B changes its address and telephone number, Party A shall be notified in writing within three days after the change. Otherwise, a notice is given at the following address, which is deemed to have been served.

 

Party B’s address: No.501, Unit 1, Building 1, No.74 Xihou Street, Tianshan District, Urumqi

 

Tel.: [*]

 

Recipient: Wang Baolin

 

Article IX Notarization

 

Party B hereby undertakes that this agreement shall have the effect of compulsory execution if it is notarized by the creditor’s rights documents with the effect of compulsory execution. In case of compensation, Party A may apply to the people’s court for enforcement on the basis of a notary execution certificate, and Party B voluntarily accepts enforcement by the people’s court without any objection.

 

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Article X Responsibility for Breach of Contract

 

I. If Party B makes false statements and declarations in violation of the stipulation of “Statement and Guarantee” in Article I of this counter-guarantee agreement, or Party B has other faults, which lead to the invalidity of this agreement or other consequences, and cause losses to Party A, Party B shall be liable for all compensation, Party B shall compensate Party A for all the principal, interest, compound interest, penalty, liquidated damages, compensation and the cost of realizing the creditor’s rights guaranteed by Party A under the financing business agreement, and all the premiums, overdue premiums, liquidated damages and all other expenses payable under the guarantee agreement.

 

II. Any of the following circumstances shall constitute Party B’s breach hereof:

 

(1) Party B violates the statements and commitments made in this agreement;
   
(2) Party B fails to perform its obligations as stipulated in this agreement;
   
(3) The mortgage is invalid due to the reasons of Party B;
   
(4) Party B in any way (act or omission) prevents Party A from disposing of the mortgage in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement.

 

III. In the event of such breach of contract, Party A shall have the right to take one or more of the following measures:

 

(1) Party B is required to restore the total value of the mortgage or provide other guarantees;
   
(2) Requires Party B to compensate Party A for all direct or indirect losses incurred as a result of Party B’s breach of contract;

 

IV. During the validity of this agreement, both parties shall fully perform the obligations agreed herein. If either party fails to perform or fails fully performs its obligations, it shall pay liquidated damages to the non-breaching party at the rate of 10% of the total amount of all debts paid by party a to the Creditor on behalf of Party B and all expenses incurred in the realization of the creditors’ right, and compensate the other party for the losses caused thereby.

The amount of liquidated damages stipulated in other clauses of this agreement shall be paid in accordance with the amount stipulated in this clause.

 

Article XI Continuity of Obligations and Responsibilities

 

All obligations and responsibilities of Party B under this agreement shall not be exempted from any directives of Party B’s superior units, changes in Party B’s financial resources and status, or invalidity of any agreement, document or main contract signed by Party B with other units; Party B shall not be exempted from such circumstances as merger, division or alteration of legal representatives or undertakers. In case of any merger, division or alteration of the parties under this agreement, the parties after the alteration shall bear the obligations and responsibilities set forth in this agreement.

 

Article XII Effectiveness, Change, Rescission and Termination of the Agreement

 

I. This Counter-guarantee Agreement shall become effective on the date of signing by both parties.

 

II. During the performance of this agreement, Party B and the Creditor shall notify Party A in writing of any changes to the financing business agreement. Party A and the Creditor guarantee if the agreement changes, Party B shall recognize and guarantee to continue to bear the counter-guarantee liability under this agreement, and Party A does not need to inform Party B separately.

 

III. This agreement shall not be invalid due to the invalidity of the guarantee agreement or guarantee agreement. If the guarantee agreement is invalid, Party B shall still bear the responsibility as stipulated in this agreement.

 

IV. After this agreement comes into force, neither party shall change or terminate it without authorization.

 

If it is necessary to change or terminate the agreement, both parties shall reach a consensus through consultation and reach a written agreement.

 

Article XIII Settlement of Disputes

 

Disputes arising from this agreement may be settled through negotiation between both parties, if the negotiation fails, it shall be under the jurisdiction of the people’s court where Party A is located.

 

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Party XIV Appendix

 

This agreement is made in five copies, one held by Party A and one held by Party B, and other two copies submitted to the registration department for filing.

 

Party A’s operator of this agreement: Zhao Bin Contact number: [*]

 

Party B’s operator of this agreement: Cai Jihong Contact number: [*]

 

Article XV Other Terms Agreed by Both Parties

......................................../ ....................................................

 

This agreement is the true intention of both parties, and the terms of this agreement shall be legally binding on both parties. Both parties have carefully read all the terms and conditions of this agreement, and have taken reasonable measures to draw the other party’s attention to the terms of the agreement that exempt or limit the other party’s liability, and have explained the relevant terms and conditions in accordance with the requirements of the other party.

 

Appendix I: List of Equipment Mortgage

 

Party A (seal): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/Zhou Jun (seal)

(Or entrusted agent):

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

 

Party B (seal): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/Wang Baolin (seal)

(Or entrusted agent):

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

 

 

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Exhibit 10.12

 

Operating Rights Counter Guarantee Agreement

Contract No.: [*]

 

Mortgagee (Party A): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): Floor 20, Tiancheng Square, No.222 Jiefang North Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Zhou Jun

 

Mortgagor (Party B): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Residence (Address): No.26 Wenhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi

Legal Representative: Wang Baolin

 

Because Party B and Urumqi Youhao Road Sub-Branch of Huaxia Bank Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Creditor”) have signed the Working Capital Loan Agreement which number is [*] (hereinafter referred to as the “financing business agreement), Party A is willing to provide guarantee to the Creditor for the debts of Party B formed under the financing business agreement, for this reason, Party A and Party B signed the Guarantee Agreement which number is [*], and signed the Guarantee Agreement No. [*] with the Creditor (hereinafter referred to as the “guarantee agreement”), it is agreed that the type of financing business provided by A to the Creditor shall be working capital loan, guarantee of the principal amount of the creditor’s right is (in words) fifteen million yuan. This agreement is concluded by consensus between Party A and Party B in accordance with the provisions of national law as follows:

 

Article I Party B’s Statement and Guarantee

 

I. Party B shall have full capacity for civil conduct in accordance with the Chinese law and may provide security to other parties, or be a company established under the Chinese law and have the right to enter into this agreement and perform its obligations under this agreement.

 

II. The signing and performance of this agreement by Party B is voluntary, is the expression of its true intention, and is subject to all necessary legal authorization, the above authorization and execution under the authorization do not violate any laws or contracts binding on Party B, and all procedures required by Party B to sign and perform this agreement have been legally and effectively completed.

 

III. All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party B to Party A for setting up mortgage guarantee under this agreement are accurate, true, complete and effective.

 

IV. Party B guarantees that it has the right of ownership or disposal of the mortgaged property in accordance with the law, and there is no external guarantee in any form during the mortgage period to Party A, and have no defects of rights.

 

V. Party B shall not lose the ability to pay debts to other creditors or impair the legitimate rights and interests of any other creditors of Party A at present or in the future due to the establishment of mortgage under this agreement.

 

VI. If Party B is a company established under the Chinese law, Party B has obtained the consent of the shareholders’ meeting of / on mortgage matters before the conclusion of this agreement.

 

VII. Party B hereby agrees: If Party A simultaneously sets a number of counter-guarantee measures for the financing business hereunder, the change of any one or more of the counter-guarantee measures, Party a need not notify Party B, and shall not affect Party B’s counter-guarantee obligations hereunder. Party B shall not plead against the change of counter-guarantee measures provided by other anti-creditors other than Party B, and ask for the mitigation or exemption of counter-guarantee liability.

 

VIII. If the Creditor and Party B reach an extension agreement on the time limit for the performance of the main debt, Party B shall continue to assume the responsibility of mortgage counter-guarantee for the extended debt, and shall be obliged to cooperate with Party A in the formalities of mortgage registration and alteration of the extended debt. The extension of the registration of the mortgaged property shall not affect the mortgage right enjoyed by Party A according to law.

 

Article II Items of Mortgage

 

Party B mortgages to Party A the operating right of the shops located in Level No.1F-2B, Wanyancheng, No.222 Jiefang North Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang with building area of 107 square meters, according to the Shop Leasing Contract signed on March 1, 2017 by Party B and Xinjiang Hefeng Yourong Enterprise Management Co., Ltd, Party B rent the shops from March 30, 2017 to March 29, 2023, and Party B may renew the lease. Party A and Party B confirm that the term of operating right of mortgage is the same as that of Party B’s leasing term, if Party B renews the lease, the term of operating right of mortgage will be renewed at the same time.

 

 

 

 

Without Party A’s consent, Party B shall not set any other security interest in the mortgage.

 

Party B agrees: if the debt is guaranteed by both the debtor and the third party (including Party B) against the mortgage or pledge provided to Party A at the same time, Party A shall have the right to decide on the order of exercising its rights on its own after the occurrence of compensation, without the precondition of exercising the debtor’s right of set-off (pledge) in advance; if Party A gives up the debtor’s security interest or its right sequence or changes the security interest, any anti-guarantor, including Party B, shall remain liable for the guarantee under this agreement and shall not be released from any liability.

 

Where the creditor’s rights guaranteed by this agreement coexist with the guarantee of the object (including the debtor or the third party) and the guarantee, Party A may realize the creditor’s rights with respect to the guarantee of the object, or may require the guarantor to assume the guarantee liability.

 

Article III Scope of Mortgage Counter-guarantee of Party B

 

I. All debts paid by Party A on behalf of Party B, including but not limited to, principal, interest, penalty, compound interest, liquidated damages, compensation for damages and expenses for the Creditor to realize their claims, as well as the interest occupied by compensation funds to be paid by Party B to Party A. The interest occupied by compensation funds shall be calculated on the basis of the total amount reimbursed by Party A, at an annual interest rate of 24% from the day after compensation;

 

II. According to the agreement of the Guarantee Agreement, Party B shall pay the guarantee fee, overdue insurance premium and liquidated damages to Party A’s sub-branch, which shall be subject to the agreement of the Guarantee Agreement;

 

III. All expenses incurred by Party A in realizing the mortgage right, including but not limited to litigation fees, arbitration fees, notarization fees, lawyers’ fees, travel fees, evaluation fees, auction or sale fees, transfer fees, security fees, announcement fees, execution fees, etc. The parties confirm that the expenses of realizing the mortgage right and interest occupied by compensation funds should be calculated separately, not totally not exceeding 24% of the annual interest rate;

 

IV. This agreement stipulates all debts borne by Party B, including, but not limited to, the liquidated damages, indemnities and expenses for the custody of mortgage that Party B shall pay to Party A;

 

Article IV Party B’s Obligations

 

I. During the validity period of this agreement, Party B shall not, without the consent of Party A, give, transfer, contract, lease or any other means of disposition of the right of operation under this agreement to another party other than Party A or the third party designated by Party A. Party B shall not sublease the premises.

 

II. When the mortgage is infringed or may be infringed by any third party, Party B is obliged to notify and assist Party A to avoid infringement.

 

III. If Party A transfers the principal creditor’s right to a third party according to law, Party B shall assume the guarantee liability within the scope of the original mortgage guarantee.

 

IV. If Party B set up duplicate mortgage or pledge of the operating right, Party B shall pay Party A 30% of the total loan amount as liquidated damages in addition to compensating Party A for the losses incurred by Party A due to the existence of joint ownership, disputes, seizure, litigation or arbitration of facilities and equipment for Party B’s operation.

 

V. Party B shall bear the registration, notarization, insurance, appraisal, transportation, storage and other expenses related to this agreement.

 

2

 

 

Article VII Realization of Mortgage

 

I. If the Creditor declares that Party B’s debts are due ahead of schedule according to law or in accordance with the financing business agreement, and requests Party B to perform the debts ahead of time, but Party B fails to perform or fails to perform in full, which results in Party A’s compensation, it shall be deemed to be an important condition for Party A to claim guarantee liability to Party B. If Party B fails to pay off the mortgage within five days after Party A’s compensation, Party A shall have the right to dispose of the mortgage to realize the mortgage, which shall not be subject to the limitation of the repayment period.

 

II. If Party A fails to be liquidated by Party B within five days after fulfilling its obligation of compensation, Party A may apply to the people’s court for the disposal of the mortgage in accordance with the form prescribed by law, giving priority to the payment received, and Party B shall not raise any objection to Party A’s application for the disposal of the mortgage.

 

III. If Party A fails to be liquidated by Party B within five days after fulfilling its obligation of compensation, Party A shall have the right to negotiate with Party B, to possess and exercise the mortgaged property management rights according to law, and the income will be used to repay all the debts of Party B under this agreement. Party A may occupy and exercise the property management right, or entrust or contract to a third party for operation and management. When Party A disposes of its rights in accordance with this agreement, Party B shall cooperate and shall not set any obstacles.

 

Article VI Notification and Delivery

 

Party B agrees and confirms: all notices of Party A, and legal documents issued in respect of any lawsuit brought by Party B shall be sent to the following address of Party B, which shall be deemed to be valid as long as they are served at the following address. If Party B changes its address and telephone number, Party A shall be notified in writing within three days after the change. Otherwise, a notice is given at the following address, which is deemed to have been served.

 

Party B’s address: No.501, Unit 1, Building 1, No.74 Xihou Street, Tianshan District, Urumqi

 

Tel.: [*]

 

Recipient: Wang Baolin

 

Article VII Notarization

 

Party B hereby undertakes that this agreement shall have the effect of compulsory execution if it is notarized by the creditor’s rights documents with the effect of compulsory execution. In case of compensation, Party A may apply to the people’s court for enforcement on the basis of a notary execution certificate, and Party B voluntarily accepts enforcement by the people’s court without any objection.

 

Article VIII Responsibility for Breach of Contract

 

I. If Party B makes false statements and declarations in violation of the stipulation of “Statement and Guarantee” in Article I of this counter-guarantee agreement, or Party B has other faults, which lead to the invalidity of this agreement or other consequences, and cause losses to Party A, Party B shall be liable for all compensation, Party B shall compensate Party A for all the principal, interest, compound interest, penalty, liquidated damages, compensation and the cost of realizing the creditor’s rights guaranteed by Party A under the financing business agreement, and all the premiums, overdue premiums, liquidated damages and all other expenses payable under the guarantee agreement.

 

II. Any of the following circumstances shall constitute Party B’s breach hereof:

 

(1) Party B violates the statements and commitments made in this agreement;
   
(2) Party B fails to perform its obligations as stipulated in this agreement;
   
(3) The mortgage is invalid due to the reasons of Party B;
   
(4) Party B in any way (act or omission) prevents Party A from disposing of the mortgage in accordance with the relevant provisions of this agreement.

 

III. In the event of such breach of contract, Party A shall have the right to take one or more of the following measures:

 

(1) Party B is required to restore the total value of the mortgage or provide other guarantees;
   
(2) Requires Party B to compensate Party A for all direct or indirect losses incurred as a result of Party B’s breach of contract;

 

IV. During the validity of this agreement, both parties shall fully perform the obligations agreed herein. If either party fails to perform or fails fully performs its obligations, it shall pay liquidated damages to the non-breaching party at the rate of 10% of the total amount of all debts paid by party a to the Creditor on behalf of Party B and all expenses incurred in the realization of the creditors’ right, and compensate the other party for the losses caused thereby.

 

3

 

 

The amount of liquidated damages stipulated in other clauses of this agreement shall be paid in accordance with the amount stipulated in this clause.

 

Article IX Continuity of Obligations and Responsibilities

 

All obligations and responsibilities of Party B under this agreement shall not be exempted from any directives of Party B’s superior units, changes in Party B’s financial resources and status, or invalidity of any agreement, document or main contract signed by Party B with other units; Party B shall not be exempted from such circumstances as merger, division or alteration of legal representatives or undertakers. In case of any merger, division or alteration of the parties under this agreement, the parties after the alteration shall bear the obligations and responsibilities set forth in this agreement.

 

Article XII Effectiveness, Change, Rescission and Termination of the Contract

 

I. This Counter-guarantee Agreement shall become effective on the date of signing by both parties.

 

II. During the performance of this agreement, if the debtor and Creditor make changes to the contract financing amount, interest rate and repayment method of the financing business agreement, or Party A and the Creditor guarantee if the agreement changes, Party B shall recognize and guarantee to continue to bear the counter-guarantee liability under this agreement, and Party A does not need to inform Party B separately.

 

III. This agreement shall not be invalid due to the invalidity of the guarantee agreement or guarantee agreement. If the guarantee agreement is invalid, Party B shall still bear the responsibility as stipulated in this agreement.

 

IV. After this agreement comes into force, neither party shall change or terminate it without authorization.

 

If it is necessary to change or terminate the agreement, both parties shall reach a consensus through consultation and reach a written agreement.

 

Article XI Settlement of Disputes

 

Disputes arising from this agreement may be settled through negotiation between both parties, if the negotiation fails, it shall be under the jurisdiction of the people’s court where Party A is located.

 

Party XII Appendix

 

This agreement is made in four copies, one held by Party A and one held by Party B, and one copies submitted to the registration department for filing.

 

Party A’s operator of this agreement: Zhao Bin Contact number: [*]

 

Party B’s operator of this agreement: Cai Jihong Contact number: [*]

 

Article XV Other Terms Agreed by Both Parties

................................................./ ........................................

 

This agreement is the true intention of both parties, and the terms of this agreement shall be legally binding on both parties. Both parties have carefully read all the terms and conditions of this agreement, and have taken reasonable measures to draw the other party’s attention to the terms of the agreement that exempt or limit the other party’s liability, and have explained the relevant terms and conditions in accordance with the requirements of the other party.

 

Party A (seal): Xinjiang Financing Guaranty Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/ Zhou Jun (seal)

(Or entrusted agent):

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

 

Party B (seal): Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.

Legal Representative: /s/ Wang Baolin (seal)

(Or entrusted agent):

Date of Signing: May 9, 2020

 

 

4

 

 

Exhibit 10.13

 

 

*00003000298417-100007004292020*

 

BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT

 

Principal Loan Date Maturity Loan No Call / Coll Account Officer Initials
$209,291.00 04-29-2020 04-29-2022 3000298417-100 004A / 00   2161  

References in the boxes above are for Lender’s use only and do not limit the applicability of this document to any particular loan or item.

Any item above containing “***” has been omitted due to text length limitations.

 

Borrower:

CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

240 LONG HILL DRIVE

SHORT HILL, NJ 07078

  Lender:

CATHAY BANK, a California Banking Corporation

SBA DEPARTMENT

777 N. BROADWAY, 2ND FLOOR
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

 

 

 

THIS BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT dated April 29, 2020, is made and executed between CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC (“Borrower”) and CATHAY BANK, a California Banking Corporation (“Lender”) on the following terms and conditions. Borrower has received prior commercial loans from Lender or has applied to Lender for a commercial loan or loans or other financial accommodations, including those which may be described on any exhibit or schedule attached to this Agreement. Borrower understands and agrees that: (A) in granting, renewing, or extending any Loan, Lender is relying upon Borrower’s representations, warranties, and agreements as set forth in this Agreement; (B) the granting, renewing, or extending of any Loan by Lender at all times shall be subject to Lender’s sole judgment and discretion; and (C) all such Loans shall be and remain subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

TERM. This Agreement shall be effective as of April 29, 2020, and shall continue in full force and effect until such time as all of Borrower’s Loans in favor of Lender have been paid in full, including principal, interest, costs, expenses, attorneys’ fees, and other fees and charges, or until such time as the parties may agree in writing to terminate this Agreement.

 

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO EACH ADVANCE. Lender’s obligation to make the initial Advance and each subsequent Advance under this Agreement shall be subject to the fulfillment to Lender’s satisfaction of all of the conditions set forth in this Agreement and in the Related Documents.

 

Loan Documents. Borrower shall provide to Lender the following documents for the Loan: (1) the Note; (2) together with all such Related Documents as Lender may require for the Loan; all in form and substance satisfactory to Lender and Lender’s counsel.

 

Borrower’s Authorization. Borrower shall have provided in form and substance satisfactory to Lender properly certified resolutions, duly authorizing the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Note and the Related Documents. In addition, Borrower shall have provided such other resolutions, authorizations, documents and instruments as Lender or its counsel, may require.

 

Payment of Fees and Expenses. Borrower shall have paid to Lender all fees, charges, and other expenses which are then due and payable as specified in this Agreement or any Related Document.

 

Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement, in the Related Documents, and in any document or certificate delivered to Lender under this Agreement are true and correct.

 

No Event of Default. There shall not exist at the time of any Advance a condition which would constitute an Event of Default under this Agreement or under any Related Document.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 2
     

 

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. Borrower represents and warrants to Lender, as of the date of this Agreement, as of the date of each disbursement of loan proceeds, as of the date of any renewal, extension or modification of any Loan, and at all times any Indebtedness exists:

 

Organization. Borrower is a limited liability company which is, and at all times shall be, duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of New York. Borrower is duly authorized to transact business in all other states in which Borrower is doing business, having obtained all necessary filings, governmental licenses and approvals for each state in which Borrower is doing business. Specifically, Borrower is, and at all times shall be, duly qualified as a foreign limited liability company in all states in which the failure to so qualify would have a material adverse effect on its business or financial condition. Borrower has the full power and authority to own its properties and to transact the business in which it is presently engaged or presently proposes to engage. Borrower maintains an office at 240 LONG HILL DRIVE, SHORT HILL, NJ 07078. Unless Borrower has designated otherwise in writing, the principal office is the office at which Borrower keeps its books and records including its records concerning the Collateral. Borrower will notify Lender prior to any change in the location of Borrower’s state of organization or any change in Borrower’s name. Borrower shall do all things necessary to preserve and to keep in full force and effect its existence, rights and privileges, and shall comply with all regulations, rules, ordinances, statutes, orders and decrees of any governmental or quasi-governmental authority or court applicable to Borrower and Borrower’s business activities.

 

Assumed Business Names. Borrower has filed or recorded all documents or filings required by law relating to all assumed business names used by Borrower. Excluding the name of Borrower, the following is a complete list of all assumed business names under which Borrower does business: None.

 

Authorization. Borrower’s execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement and all the Related Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary action by Borrower and do not conflict with, result in a violation of, or constitute a default under (1) any provision of (a) Borrower’s articles of organization or membership agreements, or (b) any agreement or other instrument binding upon Borrower or (2) any law, governmental regulation, court decree, or order applicable to Borrower or to Borrower’s properties.

 

Financial Information. Each of Borrower’s financial statements supplied to Lender truly and completely disclosed Borrower’s financial condition as of the date of the statement, and there has been no material adverse change in Borrower’s financial condition subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statement supplied to Lender. Borrower has no material contingent obligations except as disclosed in such financial statements.

 

Legal Effect. This Agreement constitutes, and any instrument or agreement Borrower is required to give under this Agreement when delivered will constitute legal, valid, and binding obligations of Borrower enforceable against Borrower in accordance with their respective terms.

 

Properties. Except as contemplated by this Agreement or as previously disclosed in Borrower’s financial statements or in writing to Lender and as accepted by Lender, and except for property tax liens for taxes not presently due and payable, Borrower owns and has good title to all of Borrower’s properties free and clear of all Security Interests, and has not executed any security documents or financing statements relating to such properties. All of Borrower’s properties are titled in Borrower’s legal name, and Borrower has not used or filed a financing statement under any other name for at least the last five (5) years.

 

Hazardous Substances. Except as disclosed to and acknowledged by Lender in writing, Borrower represents and warrants that: (1) During the period of Borrower’s ownership of the Collateral, there has been no use, generation, manufacture, storage, treatment, disposal, release or threatened release of any Hazardous Substance by any person on, under, about or from any of the Collateral. (2) Borrower has no knowledge of, or reason to believe that there has been (a) any breach or violation of any Environmental Laws; (b) any use, generation, manufacture, storage, treatment, disposal, release or threatened release of any Hazardous Substance on, under, about or from the Collateral by any prior owners or occupants of any of the Collateral; or (c) any actual or threatened litigation or claims of any kind by any person relating to such matters. (3) Neither Borrower nor any tenant, contractor, agent or other authorized user of any of the Collateral shall use, generate, manufacture, store, treat, dispose of or release any Hazardous Substance on, under, about or from any of the Collateral; and any such activity shall be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances, including without limitation all Environmental Laws. Borrower authorizes Lender and its agents to enter upon the Collateral to make such inspections and tests as Lender may deem appropriate to determine compliance of the Collateral with this section of the Agreement. Any inspections or tests made by Lender shall be at Borrower’s expense and for Lender’s purposes only and shall not be construed to create any responsibility or liability on the part of Lender to Borrower or to any other person. The representations and warranties contained herein are based on Borrower’s due diligence in investigating the Collateral for hazardous waste and Hazardous Substances. Borrower hereby (1) releases and waives any future claims against Lender for indemnity or contribution in the event Borrower becomes liable for cleanup or other costs under any such laws, and (2) agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Lender against any and all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, penalties, and expenses which Lender may directly or indirectly sustain or suffer resulting from a breach of this section of the Agreement or as a consequence of any use, generation, manufacture, storage, disposal, release or threatened release of a hazardous waste or substance on the Collateral. The provisions of this section of the Agreement, including the obligation to indemnify and defend, shall survive the payment of the Indebtedness and the termination, expiration or satisfaction of this Agreement and shall not be affected by Lender’s acquisition of any interest in any of the Collateral, whether by foreclosure or otherwise.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 3
     

 

Litigation and Claims. No litigation, claim, investigation, administrative proceeding or similar action (including those for unpaid taxes) against Borrower is pending or threatened, and no other event has occurred which may materially adversely affect Borrower’s financial condition or properties, other than litigation, claims, or other events, if any, that have been disclosed to and acknowledged by Lender in writing.

 

Taxes. To the best of Borrower’s knowledge, all of Borrower’s tax returns and reports that are or were required to be filed, have been filed, and all taxes, assessments and other governmental charges have been paid in full, except those presently being or to be contested by Borrower in good faith in the ordinary course of business and for which adequate reserves have been provided.

 

Lien Priority. Unless otherwise previously disclosed to Lender in writing, Borrower has not entered into or granted any Security Agreements, or permitted the filing or attachment of any Security Interests on or affecting any of the Collateral directly or indirectly securing repayment of Borrower’s Loan and Note, that would be prior or that may in any way be superior to Lender’s Security Interests and rights in and to such Collateral.

 

Binding Effect. This Agreement, the Note, all Security Agreements (if any), and all Related Documents are binding upon the signers thereof, as well as upon their successors, representatives and assigns, and are legally enforceable in accordance with their respective terms.

 

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS. Borrower covenants and agrees with Lender that, so long as this Agreement remains in effect, Borrower will:

 

Notices of Claims and Litigation. Promptly inform Lender in writing of (1) all material adverse changes in Borrower’s financial condition, and (2) all existing and all threatened litigation, claims, investigations, administrative proceedings or similar actions affecting Borrower or any Guarantor which could materially affect the financial condition of Borrower or the financial condition of any Guarantor.

 

Financial Records. Maintain its books and records in accordance with GAAP, applied on a consistent basis, and permit Lender to examine and audit Borrower’s books and records at all reasonable times.

 

Financial Statements. Furnish Lender with such financial statements and other related information at such frequencies and in such detail as Lender may reasonably request.

 

Additional Information. Furnish such additional information and statements, as Lender may request from time to time.

 

Insurance. Maintain fire and other risk insurance, public liability insurance, and such other insurance as Lender may require with respect to Borrower’s properties and operations, in form, amounts, coverages and with insurance companies acceptable to Lender. Borrower, upon request of Lender, will deliver to Lender from time to time the policies or certificates of insurance in form satisfactory to Lender, including stipulations that coverages will not be cancelled or diminished without at least thirty (30) days prior written notice to Lender. Each insurance policy also shall include an endorsement providing that coverage in favor of Lender will not be impaired in any way by any act, omission or default of Borrower or any other person. In connection with all policies covering assets in which Lender holds or is offered a security interest for the Loans, Borrower will provide Lender with such lender’s loss payable or other endorsements as Lender may require.

 

Insurance Reports. Furnish to Lender, upon request of Lender, reports on each existing insurance policy showing such information as Lender may reasonably request, including without limitation the following: (1) the name of the insurer; (2) the risks insured; (3) the amount of the policy; (4) the properties insured; (5) the then current property values on the basis of which insurance has been obtained, and the manner of determining those values; and (6) the expiration date of the policy. In addition, upon request of Lender (however not more often than annually), Borrower will have an independent appraiser satisfactory to Lender determine, as applicable, the actual cash value or replacement cost of any Collateral. The cost of such appraisal shall be paid by Borrower.

 

Other Agreements. Comply with all terms and conditions of all other agreements, whether now or hereafter existing, between Borrower and any other party and notify Lender immediately in writing of any default in connection with any other such agreements.

 

Loan Proceeds. Use all Loan proceeds solely for Borrower’s business operations, unless specifically consented to the contrary by Lender in writing.

 

Taxes, Charges and Liens. Pay and discharge when due all of its indebtedness and obligations, including without limitation all assessments, taxes, governmental charges, levies and liens, of every kind and nature, imposed upon Borrower or its properties, income, or profits, prior to the date on which penalties would attach, and all lawful claims that, if unpaid, might become a lien or charge upon any of Borrower’s properties, income, or profits. Provided however, Borrower will not be required to pay and discharge any such assessment, tax, charge, levy, lien or claim so long as (1) the legality of the same shall be contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, and (2) Borrower shall have established on Borrower’s books adequate reserves with respect to such contested assessment, tax, charge, levy, lien, or claim in accordance with GAAP.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 4
     

 

Performance. Perform and comply, in a timely manner, with all terms, conditions, and provisions set forth in this Agreement, in the Related Documents, and in all other instruments and agreements between Borrower and Lender. Borrower shall notify Lender immediately in writing of any default in connection with any agreement.

 

Operations. Maintain executive and management personnel with substantially the same qualifications and experience as the present executive and management personnel; provide written notice to Lender of any change in executive and management personnel; conduct its business affairs in a reasonable and prudent manner.

 

Environmental Studies. Promptly conduct and complete, at Borrower’s expense, all such investigations, studies, samplings and testings as may be requested by Lender or any governmental authority relative to any substance, or any waste or by-product of any substance defined as toxic or a hazardous substance under applicable federal, state, or local law, rule, regulation, order or directive, at or affecting any property or any facility owned, leased or used by Borrower.

 

Compliance with Governmental Requirements. Comply with all laws, ordinances, and regulations, now or hereafter in effect, of all governmental authorities applicable to the conduct of Borrower’s properties, businesses and operations, and to the use or occupancy of the Collateral, including without limitation, the Americans With Disabilities Act. Borrower may contest in good faith any such law, ordinance, or regulation and withhold compliance during any proceeding, including appropriate appeals, so long as Borrower has notified Lender in writing prior to doing so and so long as, in Lender’s sole opinion, Lender’s interests in the Collateral are not jeopardized. Lender may require Borrower to post adequate security or a surety bond, reasonably satisfactory to Lender, to protect Lender’s interest.

 

Inspection. Permit employees or agents of Lender at any reasonable time to inspect any and all Collateral for the Loan or Loans and Borrower’s other properties and to examine or audit Borrower’s books, accounts, and records and to make copies and memoranda of Borrower’s books, accounts, and records. If Borrower now or at any time hereafter maintains any records (including without limitation computer generated records and computer software programs for the generation of such records) in the possession of a third party, Borrower, upon request of Lender, shall notify such party to permit Lender free access to such records at all reasonable times and to provide Lender with copies of any records it may request, all at Borrower’s expense.

 

Environmental Compliance and Reports. Borrower shall comply in all respects with any and all Environmental Laws; not cause or permit to exist, as a result of an intentional or unintentional action or omission on Borrower’s part or on the part of any third party, on property owned and/or occupied by Borrower, any environmental activity where damage may result to the environment, unless such environmental activity is pursuant to and in compliance with the conditions of a permit issued by the appropriate federal, state or local governmental authorities; shall furnish to Lender promptly and in any event within thirty (30) days after receipt thereof a copy of any notice, summons, lien, citation, directive, letter or other communication from any governmental agency or instrumentality concerning any intentional or unintentional action or omission on Borrower’s part in connection with any environmental activity whether or not there is damage to the environment and/or other natural resources.

 

Additional Assurances. Make, execute and deliver to Lender such promissory notes, mortgages, deeds of trust, security agreements, assignments, financing statements, instruments, documents and other agreements as Lender or its attorneys may reasonably request to evidence and secure the Loans and to perfect all Security Interests.

 

Maintain Primary Operating Account with Lender. Borrower agrees to maintain Borrower’s Primary Operating Account with Lender or any banking affiliate of Lender and keep such account at all times in good standing. If Borrower does not maintain a separate operating account for its operations, but rather its operations are primarily administered through an operating account of Borrower’s parent or affiliate, then Borrower agrees to cause such parent or affiliate to maintain its Primary Operating Account with Lender or any banking affiliate of Lender. Borrower shall also provide specific authorization to Lender to debit the applicable Primary Operating Account for payments and fees due in connection with documentary credit financings, collections, loans and advances, if applicable, as they become due and payable. As used herein, “Primary Operating Account” means the deposit account into which substantially all of the receipts from the operations of Borrower, or of Borrower’s parent or affiliate if applicable, are deposited and from which substantially all of its disbursements for its operations are made.

 

Notice of Litigation. Promptly inform Lender in writing of any proceedings (whether or not purportedly on behalf of Borrower) against Borrower involving an amount in excess of $25,000.00 and which are not fully covered by insurance.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 5
     

 

RECOVERY OF ADDITIONAL COSTS. If the imposition of or any change in any law, rule, regulation, guideline, or generally accepted accounting principle, or the interpretation or application of any thereof by any court, administrative or governmental authority, or standard-setting organization (including any request or policy not having the force of law) shall impose, modify or make applicable any taxes (except federal, state or local income or franchise taxes imposed on Lender), reserve requirements, capital adequacy requirements or other obligations which would (A) increase the cost to Lender for extending or maintaining the credit facilities to which this Agreement relates, (B) reduce the amounts payable to Lender under this Agreement or the Related Documents, or (C) reduce the rate of return on Lender’s capital as a consequence of Lender’s obligations with respect to the credit facilities to which this Agreement relates, then Borrower agrees to pay Lender such additional amounts as will compensate Lender therefor, within five (5) days after Lender’s written demand for such payment, which demand shall be accompanied by an explanation of such imposition or charge and a calculation in reasonable detail of the additional amounts payable by Borrower, which explanation and calculations shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error.

 

LENDER’S EXPENDITURES. If any action or proceeding is commenced that would materially affect Lender’s interest in the Collateral or if Borrower fails to comply with any provision of this Agreement or any Related Documents, including but not limited to Borrower’s failure to discharge or pay when due any amounts Borrower is required to discharge or pay under this Agreement or any Related Documents, Lender on Borrower’s behalf may (but shall not be obligated to) take any action that Lender deems appropriate, including but not limited to discharging or paying all taxes, liens, security interests, encumbrances and other claims, at any time levied or placed on any Collateral and paying all costs for insuring, maintaining and preserving any Collateral. All such expenditures incurred or paid by Lender for such purposes will then bear interest at the rate charged under the Note from the date incurred or paid by Lender to the date of repayment by Borrower. All such expenses will become a part of the Indebtedness and, at Lender’s option, will (A) be payable on demand; (B) be added to the balance of the Note and be apportioned among and be payable with any installment payments to become due during either (1) the term of any applicable insurance policy; or (2) the remaining term of the Note; or (C) be treated as a balloon payment which will be due and payable at the Note’s maturity.

 

NEGATIVE COVENANTS. Borrower covenants and agrees with Lender that while this Agreement is in effect, Borrower shall not, without the prior written consent of Lender:

 

Additional Financial Restrictions.

 

Other Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or permit to exist any indebtedness or liabilities resulting from borrowings, guaranties, leasing, loans or advances, whether secured or unsecured, matured or un-matured, liquidated or un-liquidated, direct or contingent, joint or several, except (a) the liabilities of Borrower to Lender, and (b) any other liabilities of Borrower existing as of, and disclosed to Lender prior to, the date hereof.

 

Loans, Acquisitions and Guaranties. Except as expressly stated hereafter, (1) loan, invest in or advance money or assets to any other person, enterprise or entity, (2) purchase, create or acquire any interest in any other enterprise or entity, or (3) incur any obligation as surety or guarantor other than in the ordinary course of business.

 

Use Of Funds. Use any of the proceeds of any Credit extended hereunder except for the purposes stated in the Agreement and Related Documents.

 

Dividends, Distributions. Declare or pay any dividends or other distributions with respect to, purchase, redeem, or otherwise acquire for value any of its outstanding stock, partnership interests or membership interests or return any capital of its shareholders, partners, members or managers. Notwithstanding the foregoing, provided that an Event of Default does not exist or after giving effect to the dividend or distribution will exist, Borrower may make a dividend or distribution in a total amount not to exceed the amount either of the federal and state income taxes due and owing by the shareholders of Borrower, if it is an S corporation as defined in the Code, the partners or the members for the most recently ended fiscal year or for estimated federal and state income taxes for the current fiscal year due and owing by the shareholders, partners or members of Borrower.

 

Merger, Consolidation, Transfer of Assets. Merge into or consolidate with any other entity; make any substantial change in the nature of Borrower’s business as conducted as of the date hereof; acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any other entity; nor sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or a substantial or material portion of Borrower’s assets except in the ordinary course of its business.

 

No Pledge Of All Borrower’s Assets Or Acceleration of Debt. Mortgage, pledge, grant or permit to exist a security interest in, or lien upon, all or any portion of Borrower’s assets now owned or hereafter acquired or accelerate payment on any existing debt, except any of the foregoing in favor of Lender or which is existing as of, and disclosed to Lender in writing prior to, the date of this Agreement.

 

Agreements. Enter into any agreement containing any provisions which would be violated or breached by the performance of Borrower’s obligations under this Agreement or in connection herewith.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 6
     

 

CESSATION OF ADVANCES. If Lender has made any commitment to make any Loan to Borrower, whether under this Agreement or under any other agreement, Lender shall have no obligation to make Loan Advances or to disburse Loan proceeds if: (A) Borrower or any Guarantor is in default under the terms of this Agreement or any of the Related Documents or any other agreement that Borrower or any Guarantor has with Lender; (B) Borrower or any Guarantor dies, becomes incompetent or becomes insolvent, files a petition in bankruptcy or similar proceedings, or is adjudged a bankrupt; (C) there occurs a material adverse change in Borrower’s financial condition, in the financial condition of any Guarantor, or in the value of any Collateral securing any Loan; or (D) any Guarantor seeks, claims or otherwise attempts to limit, modify or revoke such Guarantor’s guaranty of the Loan or any other loan with Lender; or (E) Lender in good faith deems itself insecure, even though no Event of Default shall have occurred.

 

RIGHT OF SETOFF. To the extent permitted by applicable law, Lender reserves a right of setoff in all Borrower’s accounts with Lender (whether checking, savings, or some other account). This includes all accounts Borrower holds jointly with someone else and all accounts Borrower may open in the future. However, this does not include any IRA or Keogh accounts, or any trust accounts for which setoff would be prohibited by law. Borrower authorizes Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to charge or setoff all sums owing on the debt against any and all such accounts, and, at Lender’s option, to administratively freeze all such accounts to allow Lender to protect Lender’s charge and setoff rights provided in this paragraph.

 

DEFAULT. Each of the following shall constitute an Event of Default under this Agreement:

 

Payment Default. Borrower fails to make any payment when due under the Loan.

 

Other Defaults. Borrower fails to comply with or to perform any other term, obligation, covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any of the Related Documents or to comply with or to perform any term, obligation, covenant or condition contained in any other agreement between Lender and Borrower.

 

Default in Favor of Third Parties. Borrower or any Grantor defaults under any loan, extension of credit, security agreement, purchase or sales agreement, or any other agreement, in favor of any other creditor or person that may materially affect any of Borrower’s or any Grantor’s property or Borrower’s or any Grantor’s ability to repay the Loans or perform their respective obligations under this Agreement or any of the Related Documents.

 

False Statements. Any warranty, representation or statement made or furnished to Lender by Borrower or on Borrower’s behalf under this Agreement or the Related Documents is false or misleading in any material respect, either now or at the time made or furnished or becomes false or misleading at any time thereafter.

 

Death or Insolvency. The dissolution of Borrower (regardless of whether election to continue is made), any member withdraws from Borrower, or any other termination of Borrower’s existence as a going business or the death of any member, the insolvency of Borrower, the appointment of a receiver for any part of Borrower’s property, any assignment for the benefit of creditors, any type of creditor workout, or the commencement of any proceeding under any bankruptcy or insolvency laws by or against Borrower.

 

Defective Collateralization. This Agreement or any of the Related Documents ceases to be in full force and effect (including failure of any collateral document to create a valid and perfected security interest or lien) at any time and for any reason.

 

Creditor or Forfeiture Proceedings. Commencement of foreclosure or forfeiture proceedings, whether by judicial proceeding, self-help, repossession or any other method, by any creditor of Borrower or by any governmental agency against any collateral securing the Loan. This includes a garnishment of any of Borrower’s accounts, including deposit accounts, with Lender. However, this Event of Default shall not apply if there is a good faith dispute by Borrower as to the validity or reasonableness of the claim which is the basis of the creditor or forfeiture proceeding and if Borrower gives Lender written notice of the creditor or forfeiture proceeding and deposits with Lender monies or a surety bond for the creditor or forfeiture proceeding, in an amount determined by Lender, in its sole discretion, as being an adequate reserve or bond for the dispute.

 

Events Affecting Guarantor. Any of the preceding events occurs with respect to any Guarantor of any of the Indebtedness or any Guarantor dies or becomes incompetent, or revokes or disputes the validity of, or liability under, any Guaranty of the Indebtedness.

 

Adverse Change. A material adverse change occurs in Borrower’s financial condition, or Lender believes the prospect of payment or performance of the Loan is impaired.

 

Insecurity. Lender in good faith believes itself insecure.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 7
     

 

Change of Control. Any change of control in Borrower. “Change of Control” means: (a) the sale of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of Borrower to any third party; (b) a sale or transfer resulting in no less than a majority of the Units of Borrower being held by a third party purchaser; or (c) a merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization of Borrower with or into a third party purchaser that results in the inability of the members to designate or elect a majority of the managers (or the board of directors (or its equivalent) of the resulting entity or its parent company). “Unit” means a unit representing a fractional part of the membership interests of the members and shall include all types and classes of units, including the preferred units, the common units and the incentive units.

 

EFFECT OF AN EVENT OF DEFAULT. If any Event of Default shall occur, except where otherwise provided in this Agreement or the Related Documents, all commitments and obligations of Lender under this Agreement or the Related Documents or any other agreement immediately will terminate (including any obligation to make further Loan Advances or disbursements), and, at Lender’s option, all Indebtedness immediately will become due and payable, all without notice of any kind to Borrower, except that in the case of an Event of Default of the type described in the “Insolvency” subsection above, such acceleration shall be automatic and not optional. In addition, Lender shall have all the rights and remedies provided in the Related Documents or available at law, in equity, or otherwise. Except as may be prohibited by applicable law, all of Lender’s rights and remedies shall be cumulative and may be exercised singularly or concurrently. Election by Lender to pursue any remedy shall not exclude pursuit of any other remedy, and an election to make expenditures or to take action to perform an obligation of Borrower or of any Grantor shall not affect Lender’s right to declare a default and to exercise its rights and remedies.

 

COUNTERPARTS. This document (i) may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute the same instrument, and (ii) shall be effective when executed by all parties thereto.

 

BANK SECRECY ACT. Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any of its subsidiaries, if applicable, to: (a) be or become a Sanctioned Person or be or become subject at any time to any Sanctions or any foreign asset control, anti-terrorism, money laundering or other similar law, regulation or list of any governmental authority of the United States (including, without limitation, the OFAC list) that prohibits or limits Lender from making any advance or extension of credit to any Obligor or from otherwise conducting business with any Obligor; (b) fail to provide documentation and other evidence of the identity of the Obligors as may be requested by Lender at any time to enable Lender to verify the identity of the Obligors or to comply with any applicable law, including, without limitation, Section 326 of the Patriot Act at 31 U.S.C. Section 5318; or (c) use any part of the proceeds from the Loan, directly or indirectly, (i) in connection with any investment in, or any transactions or dealings with, any Sanctioned Country or Sanctioned Person, (ii) for any purpose that would cause Lender to be in violation of any Sanctions, or (iii) otherwise in violations of Sanctions. For the purpose of this provision: “Obligor” shall mean Borrower, each Guarantor and any other person that is or becomes primarily or secondarily liable on this Agreement, the Note or any of the other Related Documents. “OFAC” shall mean the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury. “Sanctioned Country” shall mean a country or territory that is subject to Sanctions. “Sanctioned Person” shall mean (a) a Person that is, or is owned or controlled by, Persons that are (i) the subject/target of any Sanctions or (ii) located, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country, or (b) a Person named on the list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” or other similar sanctions party list maintained by OFAC and available at http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/ SDN-List/Pages/default.aspx, or as otherwise published from time to time. “Sanctions” shall mean any trade, economic or financial sanctions administered or enforced by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the EU, Her Majesty’s Treasury or other relevant sanctions authority.

 

WAIVER OF CONFIDENTIALITY OF BUSINESS ADDRESS. Borrower hereby waives any and all rights to keep the business address of Borrower confidential from Lender whether on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent governmental agency. Borrower hereby authorizes Lender, its agents, successors, and/or assigns, to obtain the business address from any agency whenever Lender deems it has a legitimate need for this information.

 

SBA FORMS. Borrower agrees to execute and deliver at any time and from time to time, upon the request of Lender, any additional instrument, document or certificate which, in the sole judgment of the SBA, may be necessary to evidence such Loan.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 8
     

 

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. The following miscellaneous provisions are a part of this Agreement:

 

Amendments. This Agreement, together with any Related Documents, constitutes the entire understanding and agreement of the parties as to the matters set forth in this Agreement. No alteration of or amendment to this Agreement shall be effective unless given in writing and signed by the party or parties sought to be charged or bound by the alteration or amendment.

 

Arbitration. Borrower and Lender agree that all disputes, claims and controversies between them whether individual, joint, or class in nature, arising from this Agreement or otherwise, including without limitation contract and tort disputes, shall be arbitrated pursuant to the Rules of the American Arbitration Association in effect at the time the claim is filed, upon request of either party. No act to take or dispose of any Collateral shall constitute a waiver of this arbitration agreement or be prohibited by this arbitration agreement. This includes, without limitation, obtaining injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order; invoking a power of sale under any deed of trust or mortgage; obtaining a writ of attachment or imposition of a receiver; or exercising any rights relating to personal property, including taking or disposing of such property with or without judicial process pursuant to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Any disputes, claims, or controversies concerning the lawfulness or reasonableness of any act, or exercise of any right, concerning any Collateral, including any claim to rescind, reform, or otherwise modify any agreement relating to the Collateral, shall also be arbitrated, provided however that no arbitrator shall have the right or the power to enjoin or restrain any act of any party. Borrower and Lender agree that in the event of an action for judicial foreclosure pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 726, or any similar provision in any other state, the commencement of such an action will not constitute a waiver of the right to arbitrate and the court shall refer to arbitration as much of such action, including counterclaims, as lawfully may be referred to arbitration. Judgment upon any award rendered by any arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Nothing in this Agreement shall preclude any party from seeking equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction. The statute of limitations, estoppel, waiver, laches, and similar doctrines which would otherwise be applicable in an action brought by a party shall be applicable in any arbitration proceeding, and the commencement of an arbitration proceeding shall be deemed the commencement of an action for these purposes. The Federal Arbitration Act shall apply to the construction, interpretation, and enforcement of this arbitration provision.

 

Attorneys’ Fees; Expenses. Borrower agrees to pay upon demand all of Lender’s costs and expenses, including Lender’s attorneys’ fees and Lender’s legal expenses, incurred in connection with the enforcement of this Agreement. Lender may hire or pay someone else to help enforce this Agreement, and Borrower shall pay the costs and expenses of such enforcement. Costs and expenses include Lender’s attorneys’ fees and legal expenses whether or not there is a lawsuit, including attorneys’ fees and legal expenses for bankruptcy proceedings (including efforts to modify or vacate any automatic stay or injunction), appeals, and any anticipated post-judgment collection services. Borrower also shall pay all court costs and such additional fees as may be directed by the court.

 

Caption Headings. Caption headings in this Agreement are for convenience purposes only and are not to be used to interpret or define the provisions of this Agreement.

 

Consent to Loan Participation. Borrower agrees and consents to Lender’s sale or transfer, whether now or later, of one or more participation interests in the Loan to one or more purchasers, whether related or unrelated to Lender. Lender may provide, without any limitation whatsoever, to any one or more purchasers, or potential purchasers, any information or knowledge Lender may have about Borrower or about any other matter relating to the Loan, and Borrower hereby waives any rights to privacy Borrower may have with respect to such matters. Borrower additionally waives any and all notices of sale of participation interests, as well as all notices of any repurchase of such participation interests. Borrower also agrees that the purchasers of any such participation interests will be considered as the absolute owners of such interests in the Loan and will have all the rights granted under the participation agreement or agreements governing the sale of such participation interests. Borrower further waives all rights of offset or counterclaim that it may have now or later against Lender or against any purchaser of such a participation interest and unconditionally agrees that either Lender or such purchaser may enforce Borrower’s obligation under the Loan irrespective of the failure or insolvency of any holder of any interest in the Loan. Borrower further agrees that the purchaser of any such participation interests may enforce its interests irrespective of any personal claims or defenses that Borrower may have against Lender.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 9
     

 

Applicable Law. The Loan secured by this lien was made under a United States Small Business Administration (SBA) nationwide program which uses tax dollars to assist small business owners. If the United States is seeking to enforce this document, then under SBA regulations: (a) When SBA is the holder of the Note, this document and all documents evidencing or securing this Loan will be construed in accordance with federal law. (b) Lender or SBA may use local or state procedures for purposes such as filing papers, recording documents, giving notice, foreclosing liens, and other purposes. By using these procedures, SBA does not waive any federal immunity from local or state control, penalty, tax or liability. No Borrower or Guarantor may claim or assert against SBA any local or state law to deny any obligation of Borrower, or defeat any claim of SBA with respect to this Loan. (c) Any clause in this document requiring arbitration is not enforceable when SBA is the holder of the Note secured by this instrument.

 

Choice of Venue. If there is a lawsuit, Borrower agrees upon Lender’s request to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Los Angeles County, State of California.

 

No Waiver by Lender. Lender shall not be deemed to have waived any rights under this Agreement unless such waiver is given in writing and signed by Lender. No delay or omission on the part of Lender in exercising any right shall operate as a waiver of such right or any other right. A waiver by Lender of a provision of this Agreement shall not prejudice or constitute a waiver of Lender’s right otherwise to demand strict compliance with that provision or any other provision of this Agreement. No prior waiver by Lender, nor any course of dealing between Lender and Borrower, or between Lender and any Grantor, shall constitute a waiver of any of Lender’s rights or of any of Borrower’s or any Grantor’s obligations as to any future transactions. Whenever the consent of Lender is required under this Agreement, the granting of such consent by Lender in any instance shall not constitute continuing consent to subsequent instances where such consent is required and in all cases such consent may be granted or withheld in the sole discretion of Lender.

 

Notices. Any notice required to be given under this Agreement shall be given in writing, and shall be effective when actually delivered, when actually received by telefacsimile (unless otherwise required by law), when deposited with a nationally recognized overnight courier, or, if mailed, when deposited in the United States mail, as first class, certified or registered mail postage prepaid, directed to the addresses shown near the beginning of this Agreement. Any party may change its address for notices under this Agreement by giving formal written notice to the other parties, specifying that the purpose of the notice is to change the party’s address. For notice purposes, Borrower agrees to keep Lender informed at all times of Borrower’s current address. Unless otherwise provided or required by law, if there is more than one Borrower, any notice given by Lender to any Borrower is deemed to be notice given to all Borrowers.

 

Severability. If a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable as to any circumstance, that finding shall not make the offending provision illegal, invalid, or unenforceable as to any other circumstance. If feasible, the offending provision shall be considered modified so that it becomes legal, valid and enforceable. If the offending provision cannot be so modified, it shall be considered deleted from this Agreement. Unless otherwise required by law, the illegality, invalidity, or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the legality, validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement.

 

Subsidiaries and Affiliates of Borrower. To the extent the context of any provisions of this Agreement makes it appropriate, including without limitation any representation, warranty or covenant, the word “Borrower” as used in this Agreement shall include all of Borrower’s subsidiaries and affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing however, under no circumstances shall this Agreement be construed to require Lender to make any Loan or other financial accommodation to any of Borrower’s subsidiaries or affiliates.

 

Successors and Assigns. All covenants and agreements by or on behalf of Borrower contained in this Agreement or any Related Documents shall bind Borrower’s successors and assigns and shall inure to the benefit of Lender and its successors and assigns. Borrower shall not, however, have the right to assign Borrower’s rights under this Agreement or any interest therein, without the prior written consent of Lender.

 

Survival of Representations and Warranties. Borrower understands and agrees that in making the Loan, Lender is relying on all representations, warranties, and covenants made by Borrower in this Agreement or in any certificate or other instrument delivered by Borrower to Lender under this Agreement or the Related Documents. Borrower further agrees that regardless of any investigation made by Lender, all such representations, warranties and covenants will survive the making of the Loan and delivery to Lender of the Related Documents, shall be continuing in nature, and shall remain in full force and effect until such time as Borrower’s Indebtedness shall be paid in full, or until this Agreement shall be terminated in the manner provided above, whichever is the last to occur.

 

Time is of the Essence. Time is of the essence in the performance of this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 10
     

 

DEFINITIONS. The following capitalized words and terms shall have the following meanings when used in this Agreement. Unless specifically stated to the contrary, all references to dollar amounts shall mean amounts in lawful money of the United States of America. Words and terms used in the singular shall include the plural, and the plural shall include the singular, as the context may require. Words and terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings attributed to such terms in the Uniform Commercial Code. Accounting words and terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as in effect on the date of this Agreement:

 

Advance. The word “Advance” means a disbursement of Loan funds made, or to be made, to Borrower or on Borrower’s behalf on a line of credit or multiple advance basis under the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

Agreement. The word “Agreement” means this Business Loan Agreement, as this Business Loan Agreement may be amended or modified from time to time, together with all exhibits and schedules attached to this Business Loan Agreement from time to time.

 

Borrower. The word “Borrower” means CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC and includes all co-signers and co-makers signing the Note and all their successors and assigns.

 

Collateral. The word “Collateral” means all property and assets granted as collateral security for a Loan, whether real or personal property, whether granted directly or indirectly, whether granted now or in the future, and whether granted in the form of a security interest, mortgage, collateral mortgage, deed of trust, assignment, pledge, crop pledge, chattel mortgage, collateral chattel mortgage, chattel trust, factor’s lien, equipment trust, conditional sale, trust receipt, lien, charge, lien or title retention contract, lease or consignment intended as a security device, or any other security or lien interest whatsoever, whether created by law, contract, or otherwise.

 

Environmental Laws. The words “Environmental Laws” mean any and all state, federal and local statutes, regulations and ordinances relating to the protection of human health or the environment, including without limitation the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 9601, et seq. (“CERCLA”), the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-499 (“SARA”), the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 1801, et seq., the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 6901, et seq., Chapters 6.5 through 7.7 of Division 20 of the California Health and Safety Code, Section 25100, et seq., or other applicable state or federal laws, rules, or regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

 

Event of Default. The words “Event of Default” mean any of the events of default set forth in this Agreement in the default section of this Agreement.

 

GAAP. The word “GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.

 

Grantor. The word “Grantor” means each and all of the persons or entities granting a Security Interest in any Collateral for the Loan, including without limitation all Borrowers granting such a Security Interest.

 

Guarantor. The word “Guarantor” means any guarantor, surety, or accommodation party of any or all of the Loan.

 

Guaranty. The word “Guaranty” means the guaranty from Guarantor to Lender, including without limitation a guaranty of all or part of the Note.

 

Hazardous Substances. The words “Hazardous Substances” mean materials that, because of their quantity, concentration or physical, chemical or infectious characteristics, may cause or pose a present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly used, treated, stored, disposed of, generated, manufactured, transported or otherwise handled. The words “Hazardous Substances” are used in their very broadest sense and include without limitation any and all hazardous or toxic substances, materials or waste as defined by or listed under the Environmental Laws. The term “Hazardous Substances” also includes, without limitation, petroleum and petroleum by-products or any fraction thereof and asbestos.

 

 

 

 

  BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT  
  (Continued) Page 11
     

 

Indebtedness. The word “Indebtedness” means the indebtedness evidenced by the Note or Related Documents, including all principal and interest together with all other indebtedness and costs and expenses for which Borrower is responsible under this Agreement or under any of the Related Documents.

 

Lender. The word “Lender” means CATHAY BANK, a California Banking Corporation, its successors and assigns.

 

Loan. The word “Loan” means any and all loans and financial accommodations from Lender to Borrower whether now or hereafter existing, and however evidenced, including without limitation those loans and financial accommodations described herein or described on any exhibit or schedule attached to this Agreement from time to time.

 

Note. The word “Note” means the Note dated April 29, 2020 and executed by CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC in the principal amount of $209,291.00, together with all renewals of, extensions of, modifications of, refinancings of, consolidations of, and substitutions for the note or credit agreement.

 

Related Documents. The words “Related Documents” mean all promissory notes, credit agreements, loan agreements, environmental agreements, guaranties, security agreements, mortgages, deeds of trust, security deeds, collateral mortgages, and all other instruments, agreements and documents, whether now or hereafter existing, executed in connection with the Loan.

 

Security Agreement. The words “Security Agreement” mean and include without limitation any agreements, promises, covenants, arrangements, understandings or other agreements, whether created by law, contract, or otherwise, evidencing, governing, representing, or creating a Security Interest.

 

Security Interest. The words “Security Interest” mean, without limitation, any and all types of collateral security, present and future, whether in the form of a lien, charge, encumbrance, mortgage, deed of trust, security deed, assignment, pledge, crop pledge, chattel mortgage, collateral chattel mortgage, chattel trust, factor’s lien, equipment trust, conditional sale, trust receipt, lien or title retention contract, lease or consignment intended as a security device, or any other security or lien interest whatsoever whether created by law, contract, or otherwise.

 

BORROWER ACKNOWLEDGES HAVING READ ALL THE PROVISIONS OF THIS BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT AND BORROWER AGREES TO ITS TERMS. THIS BUSINESS LOAN AGREEMENT IS DATED APRIL 29, 2020.

 

BORROWER:

 

CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

 

GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP., Member of CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

 

By: /s/ GANG LI   By: /s/ FIFI ZHENG
  GANG LI, President of GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP.     FIFI ZHENG, Secretary of GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP.

 

LENDER:

 

CATHAY BANK, A CALIFORNIA BANKING CORPORATION

 

By: /s/ CATHAY BANK  
  Authorized Signer  

 

 

 

LaserPro, Ver. 19.4.10.036 Copr. Finastra USA Corporation 1997, 2020. All Rights Reserved. - CA C:\CFI\LPL\C40.FC TR-40897 PR-291

 

 

 

 

 

*00003000298417-100095504292020*

 

PROMISSORY NOTE

 

Principal Loan Date Maturity Loan No Call / Coll Account Officer Initials
$209,291.00 04-29-2020 04-29-2022 3000298417-100 004A / 00   2161  

References in the boxes above are for Lender’s use only and do not limit the applicability of this document to any particular loan or item.

Any item above containing “***” has been omitted due to text length limitations.

 

Borrower:

CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

240 LONG HILL DRIVE

SHORT HILL, NJ 07078

  Lender:

CATHAY BANK, a California Banking Corporation

SBA DEPARTMENT

777 N. BROADWAY, 2ND FLOOR

LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

 

 

 

Principal Amount: $209,291.00 Interest Rate: 1.000% Date of Note: April 29, 2020

 

PURPOSE. The proceeds of the Loan shall be used for the following purposes only: (i) payroll costs (as defined in the CARES Act and in Section 2.f of the SBA Interim Final Rule dated April 2, 2020); (ii) costs related to the continuation of group health care benefits during periods of paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums; (iii) mortgage interest payments (but not mortgage prepayments or principal payments); (iv) rent payments; (v) utility payments; (vi) interest payments on any other debt obligations that were incurred before February 15, 2020; and/or (vii) refinancing an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) made between January 31, 2020 and April 3, 2020, under the conditions as specified in Section 2.r.vii of the SBA Interim Final Rule dated April 2, 2020. “SBA” means the U.S. Small Business Administration and “CARES Act” means the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116-136).

 

PROMISE TO PAY. CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC (“Borrower”) promises to pay to CATHAY BANK, a California Banking Corporation (“Lender”), or order, in lawful money of the United States of America, the principal amount of Two Hundred Nine Thousand Two Hundred Ninety-one & 00/100 Dollars ($209,291.00), together with interest on the unpaid principal balance from April 29, 2020, calculated as described in the “INTEREST CALCULATION METHOD” paragraph using an interest rate of 1.000%, until paid in full. The interest rate may change under the terms and conditions of the “INTEREST AFTER DEFAULT” section.

 

PAYMENT. Borrower will pay this loan in accordance with the following payment schedule:

 

During the first 6 months of this loan, interest will accrue on the unpaid principal balance at the rate as stated above and no payments will be due. On the date which is seven months after the date of this Note, and on the same day of each month after that, Borrower will pay this loan in 18 payments in an amount sufficient to repay the accrued unpaid interest and the then-outstanding principal balance that has not been forgiven as described in the Loan Forgiveness provision below amortized over a period of 18 months. Borrower’s final payment will be for all principal and all accrued interest not yet paid, together with any other unpaid amounts due under this Note. Payments include principal and interest.

 

Unless otherwise agreed or required by applicable law, payments will be applied first to any accrued unpaid interest; then to principal; and then to any unpaid collection costs. Borrower will pay Lender at Lender’s address shown above or at such other place as Lender may designate in writing.

 

INTEREST CALCULATION METHOD. Interest on this Note is computed on a 365/365 simple interest basis; that is, by applying the ratio of the interest rate over the number of days in a year (365 for all years, including leap years), multiplied by the outstanding principal balance, multiplied by the actual number of days the principal balance is outstanding. All interest payable under this Note is computed using this method.

 

PREPAYMENT. Borrower may pay without penalty all or a portion of the amount owed earlier than it is due. Early payments will not, unless agreed to by Lender in writing, relieve Borrower of Borrower’s obligation to continue to make payments under the payment schedule. Rather, early payments will reduce the principal balance due and may result in Borrower’s making fewer payments. Borrower agrees not to send Lender payments marked “paid in full”, “without recourse”, or similar language. If Borrower sends such a payment, Lender may accept it without losing any of Lender’s rights under this Note, and Borrower will remain obligated to pay any further amount owed to Lender. All written communications concerning disputed amounts, including any check or other payment instrument that indicates that the payment constitutes “payment in full” of the amount owed or that is tendered with other conditions or limitations or as full satisfaction of a disputed amount must be mailed or delivered to: Cathay Bank, Loan Servicing Department, RS-15, 9650 Flair Drive, El Monte, CA 91731.

 

 

 

 

  PROMISSORY NOTE  
  (Continued) Page 2
     

 

INTEREST AFTER DEFAULT. Upon default, at Lender’s option, and if permitted by applicable law, Lender may add any unpaid accrued interest to principal and such sum will bear interest therefrom until paid at the rate provided in this Note (including any increased rate). Upon default, the interest rate on this Note shall, if permitted under applicable law, immediately increase by 5.000 percentage points.

 

DEFAULT. Each of the following shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”) under this Note:

 

Payment Default. Borrower fails to make any payment when due under this Note.

 

Other Defaults. Borrower fails to comply with or to perform any other term, obligation, covenant or condition contained in this Note or in any of the related documents or to comply with or to perform any term, obligation, covenant or condition contained in any other agreement between Lender and Borrower.

 

Default in Favor of Third Parties. Borrower or any Grantor defaults under any loan, extension of credit, security agreement, purchase or sales agreement, or any other agreement, in favor of any other creditor or person that may materially affect any of Borrower’s property or Borrower’s ability to repay this Note or perform Borrower’s obligations under this Note or any of the related documents.

 

False Statements. Any warranty, representation or statement made or furnished to Lender by Borrower or on Borrower’s behalf under this Note or the related documents is false or misleading in any material respect, either now or at the time made or furnished or becomes false or misleading at any time thereafter.

 

Death or Insolvency. The dissolution of Borrower (regardless of whether election to continue is made), any member withdraws from Borrower, or any other termination of Borrower’s existence as a going business or the death of any member, the insolvency of Borrower, the appointment of a receiver for any part of Borrower’s property, any assignment for the benefit of creditors, any type of creditor workout, or the commencement of any proceeding under any bankruptcy or insolvency laws by or against Borrower.

 

Creditor or Forfeiture Proceedings. Commencement of foreclosure or forfeiture proceedings, whether by judicial proceeding, self-help, repossession or any other method, by any creditor of Borrower or by any governmental agency against any collateral securing the loan. This includes a garnishment of any of Borrower’s accounts, including deposit accounts, with Lender. However, this Event of Default shall not apply if there is a good faith dispute by Borrower as to the validity or reasonableness of the claim which is the basis of the creditor or forfeiture proceeding and if Borrower gives Lender written notice of the creditor or forfeiture proceeding and deposits with Lender monies or a surety bond for the creditor or forfeiture proceeding, in an amount determined by Lender, in its sole discretion, as being an adequate reserve or bond for the dispute.

 

Events Affecting Guarantor. Any of the preceding events occurs with respect to any guarantor, endorser, surety, or accommodation party of any of the indebtedness or any guarantor, endorser, surety, or accommodation party dies or becomes incompetent, or revokes or disputes the validity of, or liability under, any guaranty of the indebtedness evidenced by this Note.

 

Adverse Change. A material adverse change occurs in Borrower’s financial condition, or Lender believes the prospect of payment or performance of this Note is impaired.

 

Insecurity. Lender in good faith believes itself insecure.

 

 

 

 

  PROMISSORY NOTE  
  (Continued) Page 3
     

 

CHANGE OF CONTROL. Any change of control in Borrower shall constitute an Event of Default. “Change of Control” means: (a) the sale of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of Borrower to any third party; (b) a sale or transfer resulting in no less than a majority of the Units of Borrower being held by a third party purchaser; or (c) a merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization of Borrower with or into a third party purchaser that results in the inability of the members to designate or elect a majority of the managers (or the board of directors (or its equivalent) of the resulting entity or its parent company). “Unit” means a unit representing a fractional part of the membership interests of the members and shall include all types and classes of units, including the preferred units, the common units and the incentive units.

 

LENDER’S RIGHTS. Upon default, Lender may declare the entire unpaid principal balance under this Note and all accrued unpaid interest immediately due, and then Borrower will pay that amount.

 

ATTORNEYS’ FEES; EXPENSES. Lender may hire or pay someone else to help collect this Note if Borrower does not pay. Borrower will pay Lender that amount. This includes, subject to any limits under applicable law, Lender’s attorneys’ fees and Lender’s legal expenses, whether or not there is a lawsuit, including attorneys’ fees, expenses for bankruptcy proceedings (including efforts to modify or vacate any automatic stay or injunction), and appeals. Borrower also will pay any court costs, in addition to all other sums provided by law.

 

WHEN FEDERAL LAW APPLIES. When SBA is the holder, this Note will be interpreted and enforced under federal law, including SBA regulations. Lender or SBA may use state or local procedures for filing papers, recording documents, giving notice, foreclosing liens, and other purposes. By using such procedures, SBA does not waive any federal immunity from state or local control, penalty, tax, or liability. As to this Note, Borrower may not claim or assert against SBA any local or state law to deny any obligation, defeat any claim of SBA, or preempt federal law.

 

CHOICE OF VENUE. If there is a lawsuit, Borrower agrees upon Lender’s request to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Los Angeles County, State of California.

 

RIGHT OF SETOFF. To the extent permitted by applicable law, Lender reserves a right of setoff in all Borrower’s accounts with Lender (whether checking, savings, or some other account). This includes all accounts Borrower holds jointly with someone else and all accounts Borrower may open in the future. However, this does not include any IRA or Keogh accounts, or any trust accounts for which setoff would be prohibited by law. Borrower authorizes Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to charge or setoff all sums owing on the debt against any and all such accounts, and, at Lender’s option, to administratively freeze all such accounts to allow Lender to protect Lender’s charge and setoff rights provided in this paragraph.

 

COLLATERAL. This loan is unsecured.

 

ARBITRATION. Borrower and Lender agree that all disputes, claims and controversies between them whether individual, joint, or class in nature, arising from this Note or otherwise, including without limitation contract and tort disputes, shall be arbitrated pursuant to the Rules of the American Arbitration Association in effect at the time the claim is filed, upon request of either party. No act to take or dispose of any collateral securing this Note shall constitute a waiver of this arbitration agreement or be prohibited by this arbitration agreement. This includes, without limitation, obtaining injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order; invoking a power of sale under any deed of trust or mortgage; obtaining a writ of attachment or imposition of a receiver; or exercising any rights relating to personal property, including taking or disposing of such property with or without judicial process pursuant to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Any disputes, claims, or controversies concerning the lawfulness or reasonableness of any act, or exercise of any right, concerning any collateral securing this Note, including any claim to rescind, reform, or otherwise modify any agreement relating to the collateral securing this Note, shall also be arbitrated, provided however that no arbitrator shall have the right or the power to enjoin or restrain any act of any party. Borrower and Lender agree that in the event of an action for judicial foreclosure pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 726, or any similar provision in any other state, the commencement of such an action will not constitute a waiver of the right to arbitrate and the court shall refer to arbitration as much of such action, including counterclaims, as lawfully may be referred to arbitration. Judgment upon any award rendered by any arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Nothing in this Note shall preclude any party from seeking equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction. The statute of limitations, estoppel, waiver, laches, and similar doctrines which would otherwise be applicable in an action brought by a party shall be applicable in any arbitration proceeding, and the commencement of an arbitration proceeding shall be deemed the commencement of an action for these purposes. The Federal Arbitration Act shall apply to the construction, interpretation, and enforcement of this arbitration provision.

 

 

 

 

  PROMISSORY NOTE  
  (Continued) Page 4
     

 

COUNTERPARTS. This document (i) may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute the same instrument, and (ii) shall be effective when executed by all parties thereto.

 

LOAN FORGIVENESS. Pursuant to Section 1106 of the “CARES Act”, the following provisions shall apply to the Loan:

 

A. The Loan is subject to the limited loan forgiveness provisions of Section 1106 of the CARES Act, and the SBA Interim Final Rule dated April 2, 2020.

 

B. The amount of loan forgiveness is determined by and is subject to the sole approval of the SBA.

 

C. Limited loan forgiveness is provided for amounts spent on payroll costs, rent and utilities payments, and interest payments on mortgages for Borrowers that apply. No more than 25.0% of the amount forgiven may be for costs other than payroll costs.

 

D. The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced if Borrower reduces the number of their employees (layoffs).

 

E. Borrower is eligible for debt forgiveness on a covered loan in an amount equal to the following payments made during the 8-week period beginning on the Loan Date (“covered period”):

 

(i) payroll costs;

 

(ii) interest payments on mortgage obligations (excluding principal and prepaid principal);

 

(iii) rent; and

 

(iv) utility payments.

 

F. The amount of forgiveness cannot exceed the principal balance of the Loan.

 

G. Cancelled indebtedness will not be included in the Borrower’s taxable income.

 

H. To receive loan forgiveness, Borrower must apply for Debt Forgiveness through Lender. The Borrower must submit to the Lender servicing the loan an application, which must include documents verifying the number of full-time employees and the pay rates for the period described, including payroll tax filings to the IRS and State, income, payroll, and unemployment insurance filings, cancelled checks, payment receipts, transcript of accounts, or other documents verifying payments on covered mortgage loan obligations, lease obligations and utility payments, plus any other documentation the SBA deems necessary.

 

I. There will be no loan forgiveness without Borrower’s submission of the proper application and documentation to Lender.

 

SBA FORMS. Borrower agrees to execute and deliver at any time and from time to time, upon the request of Lender, any additional instrument, document or certificate which, in the sole judgment of the SBA, may be necessary to evidence such Loan.

 

SUCCESSOR INTERESTS. The terms of this Note shall be binding upon Borrower, and upon Borrower’s heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of Lender and its successors and assigns.

 

 

 

 

  PROMISSORY NOTE  
  (Continued) Page 5
     

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS. If any part of this Note cannot be enforced, this fact will not affect the rest of the Note. Lender may delay or forgo enforcing any of its rights or remedies under this Note without losing them. Borrower and any other person who signs, guarantees or endorses this Note, to the extent allowed by law, waive any applicable statute of limitations, presentment, demand for payment, and notice of dishonor. Upon any change in the terms of this Note, and unless otherwise expressly stated in writing, no party who signs this Note, whether as maker, guarantor, accommodation maker or endorser, shall be released from liability. All such parties agree that Lender may renew or extend (repeatedly and for any length of time) this loan or release any party or guarantor or collateral; or impair, fail to realize upon or perfect Lender’s security interest in the collateral; and take any other action deemed necessary by Lender without the consent of or notice to anyone. All such parties also agree that Lender may modify this loan without the consent of or notice to anyone other than the party with whom the modification is made. The obligations under this Note are joint and several.

 

PRIOR TO SIGNING THIS NOTE, BORROWER READ AND UNDERSTOOD ALL THE PROVISIONS OF THIS NOTE. BORROWER AGREES TO THE TERMS OF THE NOTE.

 

BORROWER ACKNOWLEDGES RECEIPT OF A COMPLETED COPY OF THIS PROMISSORY NOTE.

 

BORROWER:

 

CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

 

GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP., Member of CHANSON 23RD STREET LLC

 

By: /s/ GANG LI   By: /s/ FIFI ZHENG
  GANG LI, President of GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP.     FIFI ZHENG, Secretary of GEORGE CHANSON (NY) CORP.

 

 

 

LaserPro, Ver. 19.4.10.036 Copr. Finastra USA Corporation 1997, 2020. All Rights Reserved. - CA C:\CFI\LPL\D20.FC TR-40897 PR-291

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.14

 

ASSIGNMENT OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INTEREST

 

This Assignment of Limited Liability Company Interest (this “Assignment”) is made and entered into as of the 28th day of September, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), by Gang Li (the “Assignor”) the sole member of Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC, a New York limited liability company (the “Company”), and George Chanson (NY) Corp., a New York corporation (the “Assignee”).

 

WHEREAS, Assignor owns 100% of the limited liability company interest in the Company (the “Subject Interests”) and the Subject Interests collectively constitute 100% of the limited liability company interests of the Company issued and outstanding;

 

WHEREAS, Assignor desires to hereby evidence the conveyance, contribution, transfer, and assignment of the Subject Interests to the Assignee as set forth in this Assignment.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of Ten Dollars ($10) and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Assignor and the Assignee do hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Assignment and Assumption. Assignor does hereby assign, transfer, set over, convey, and contribute unto Assignee, free and clear of all encumbrances, all of the Subject Interests. Assignee does hereby accept the aforesaid assignment and does hereby assume all of the obligations of the Assignor related to the Subject Interests arising or accruing from and after the Effective Date.

 

2. Continuation of the Company. The parties hereto agree that the assignment of the Subject Interests, the admission of the Assignee as a substitute member of the Company with respect to the Subject Interests transferred hereby shall not dissolve the Company and that the business of the Company shall continue without dissolution.

 

3.  Miscellaneous. This Assignment is effective as of the Effective Date. This Assignment shall be governed by and construed under the laws of the State of New York and shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties, and their respective successors, assigns, and legal representatives.

 

4. Successors and Assigns. This Assignment shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.

 

5. Counterparts. This Assignment may be executed in any number of counterparts, and each counterpart hereof shall be deemed to be an original instrument, but all such counterparts shall constitute but one instrument.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Assignment as of the date first above written.

  

  Assignor:
   
  Gang Li
     
  By: /s/ Gang Li
   
   
  Assignee:
   
  George Chanson (NY) Corp.
     
  By: /s/ Gang Li
     
  Name:  Gang Li
     
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Assignment of Limited Liability Company Interest]

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 21.1

 

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

 

Subsidiaries   Place of Incorporation
Dean Global Limited   British Virgin Islands
Jenyd Holdings Limited   Hong Kong
Xinjiang United Family Trading Co., Ltd.   PRC
George Chanson (NY) Corp.   New York
Chanson 23rd Street LLC   New York
Chanson 355 Greenwich LLC   New York
     
Variable Interest Entities   Place of Incorporation
Urumqi Midong District George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Shayibake District Yining Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Changji George Chanson Youhao Supermarket Bakery   PRC
Changji George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Xinhua North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery Store   PRC
Shayibake District Pingding Shandong No.2 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Xinmin Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Minzhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Jianquan No.3 Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Jiefang North Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Kashi West Rd.   PRC
Xinshi District Liyushan South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District Changchun South Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District Beijing Middle Rd. United Family Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District Suzhou East Rd. Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District Suzhou Rd. Xiaoxigou Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District South No.3 Rd. Chanson Bakery   PRC
Urumqi Economics and Technology Development District George Chanson Bakery on Xuanwuhu Rd.   PRC
Shayibake District Youhao South Rd. Chanson Bakery   PRC
Tianshan District Xingchenhui Chanson Bakery   PRC
Shuimogou District South Nanhu Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Xinshi District Hebei East Rd. George Chanson Bakery   PRC
Urumqi Toutunhe District George Chanson Bakery on Zhongya South Rd.   PRC
Shihezi Hemeijia Bakery No.1   PRC

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the use in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 of Chanson International Holding of our report dated September 30, 2020, except for Notes 1, 2, and 13, as to which the date is January 27, 2021, and notes 8 and 15, as to which the date is March 27, 2021, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Chanson International Holding and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes, included in this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the Prospectus.

 

/s/ Friedman LLP
 
New York, New York
March 31, 2021

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS OF

CHANSON INTERNATIONAL HOLDING

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Purpose

 

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting the business of Chanson International Holding, a Cayman Islands company (the “Company”), consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, we adhere to these higher standards.

 

This Code applies to all of the directors, officers, and employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (which, unless the context otherwise requires, are collectively referred to as the “Company” in this Code). We refer to all persons covered by this Code as “Company employees” or simply “employees.” We also refer to our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer as our “principal financial officers.”

 

Seeking Help and Information

 

This Code is not intended to be a comprehensive rulebook and cannot address every situation that you may face. If you feel uncomfortable about a situation or have any doubts about whether it is consistent with the Company’s ethical standards, seek help. We encourage you to contact your supervisor for help first. If your supervisor cannot answer your question or if you do not feel comfortable contacting your supervisor, contact the Compliance Officer of the Company, who shall be a person appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company. Cheng Chen has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Company as the Compliance Officer for the Company. The Company will notify you if the Board of Directors appoints a different Compliance Officer. You may remain anonymous and will not be required to reveal your identity in your communication to the Company.

 

Reporting Violations of the Code

 

All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of the laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. If you know of or suspect a violation of this Code, immediately report the conduct to your supervisor. Your supervisor will contact the Compliance Officer, who will work with you and your supervisor to investigate the matter. If you do not feel comfortable reporting the matter to your supervisor or you do not get a satisfactory response, you may contact the Compliance Officer directly. Employees making a report need not leave their name or other personal information and reasonable efforts will be used to conduct the investigation that follows from the report in a manner that protects the confidentiality and anonymity of the employee submitting the report. All reports of known or suspected violations of the law or this Code will be handled sensitively and with discretion. Your supervisor, the Compliance Officer and the Company will protect your confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with law and the Company’s need to investigate your report.

 

It is the Company policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to appropriate discipline, which may include termination of employment. This determination will be based upon the facts and circumstances of each particular situation. An employee accused of violating this Code will be given an opportunity to present his or her version of the events at issue prior to any determination of appropriate discipline. Employees who violate the law or this Code may expose themselves to substantial civil damages, criminal fines and prison terms. The Company may also face substantial fines and penalties and many incur damage to its reputation and standing in the community. Your conduct as a representative of the Company, if it does not comply with the law or with this Code, can result in serious consequences for both you and the Company.

 

Policy Against Retaliation

 

The Company prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, seeks help or reports known or suspected violations. Any reprisal or retaliation against an employee because the employee, in good faith, sought help or filed a report will be subject to disciplinary action, including potential termination of employment.

 

 

 

Waivers of the Code

 

Waivers of this Code for employees may be made only by an executive officer of the Company. Any waiver of this Code for our directors, executive officers or other principal financial officers may be made only by our Board of Directors or the appropriate committee of our Board of Directors and will be disclosed to the public as required by law or the rules of Nasdaq.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

Identifying Potential Conflicts of Interest

 

A conflict of interest can occur when an employee’s private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole. You should avoid any private interest that influences your ability to act in the interests of the Company or that makes it difficult to perform your work objectively and effectively.

 

Identifying potential conflicts of interest may not always be clear-cut. The following situations are examples of conflicts of interest:

 

  Outside Employment. No employee should be employed by, serve as a director of, or provide any services not in his or her capacity as a Company employee to a company that is a material customer, supplier, or competitor of the Company.

 

  Improper Personal Benefits. No employee should obtain any material (as to him or her) personal benefits or favors because of his or her position with the Company. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.

 

  Financial Interests. No employee should have a significant financial interest (ownership or otherwise) in any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. A “significant financial interest” means (i) ownership of greater than 1% of the equity of a material customer, supplier or competitor or (ii) an investment in a material customer, supplier or competitor that represents more than 5% of the total assets of the employee.

 

  Loans or Other Financial Transactions. No employee should obtain loans or guarantees of personal obligations from, or enter into any other personal financial transaction with, any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. This guideline does not prohibit arms-length transactions with banks, brokerage firms or other financial institutions.

 

  Service on Boards and Committees. No employee should serve on a board of directors or trustees or on a committee of any entity (whether profit or not-for-profit) whose interests reasonably would be expected to conflict with those of the Company.

 

  Actions of Family Members. The actions of family members outside the workplace may also give rise to the conflicts of interest described above because they may influence an employee’s objectivity in making decisions on behalf of the Company. For purposes of this Code, “family members” include your spouse or life-partner, brothers, sisters and parents, in-laws and children whether such relationships are by blood or adoption.

 

For purposes of this Code, a company is a “material” customer if that company has made payments to the Company in the past year in excess of US$100,000 or 10% of the customer’s gross revenues, whichever is greater. A company is a “material” supplier if that company has received payments from the Company in the past year in excess of US$100,000 or 10% of the supplier’s gross revenues, whichever is greater. A company is a “material” competitor if that company competes in the Company’s line of business and has annual gross revenues from such line of business in excess of US$500,000. If you are uncertain whether a particular company is a material customer, supplier or competitor, please contact the Compliance Officer for assistance.

 

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

 

The Company requires that employees disclose any situations that reasonably would be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If you suspect that you have a conflict of interest, or something that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, you must report it to your supervisor or the Compliance Officer. Your supervisor and the Compliance Officer will work with you to determine whether you have a conflict of interest and, if so, how best to address it. Although conflicts of interest are not automatically prohibited, they are not desirable and may only be waived as described in “Waivers of the Code” above.

 

2

 

 

CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES

 

As an employee of the Company, you have an obligation to advance the Company’s interests when the opportunity to do so arises. If you discover or are presented with a business opportunity through the use of corporate property, information, or because of your position with the Company, you should first present the business opportunity to the Company before pursuing the opportunity in your individual capacity. No employee may use corporate property, information, or his or her position with the Company for personal gain or should compete with the Company.

 

You should disclose to your supervisor the terms and conditions of each business opportunity covered by this Code that you wish to pursue. Your supervisor will contact the Compliance Officer and the appropriate management personnel to determine whether the Company wishes to pursue the business opportunity. If the Company waives its right to pursue the business opportunity, you may pursue the business opportunity on the same terms and conditions as originally proposed and consistent with the other ethical guidelines set forth in this Code.

 

Confidential Information and Company Property

 

Employees have access to a variety of confidential information while employed at the Company. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or, if disclosed, harmful to the Company or its customers. Every employee has a duty to respect and safeguard the confidentiality of the Company’s information and the information of our suppliers and customers, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. In addition, you must refrain from using any confidential information from any previous employment if, in doing so, you could reasonably be expected to breach your duty of confidentiality to your former employers. An employee’s obligation to protect confidential information continues after he or she leaves the Company. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information could cause competitive harm to the Company or its customers and could result in legal liability to you and the Company.

 

Employees also have a duty to protect the Company’s intellectual property and other business assets. The intellectual property, business systems and the security of the Company property are critical to the Company.

 

Any questions or concerns regarding whether disclosure of Company information is legally mandated should be promptly referred to the Compliance Officer.

 

Safeguarding Confidential Information and Company Property

 

Care must be taken to safeguard and protect confidential information and Company property. Accordingly, the following measures should be adhered to:

 

  The Company’s employees should conduct their business and social activities so as not to risk inadvertent disclosure of confidential information. For example, when not in use, confidential information should be secretly stored. Also, review of confidential documents or discussion of confidential subjects in public places (e.g., airplanes, trains, taxis, buses, etc.) should be conducted so as to prevent overhearing or other access by unauthorized persons.

 

  Within the Company’s offices, confidential matters should not be discussed within hearing range of visitors or others not working on such matters.

 

  Confidential matters should not be discussed with other employees not working on such matters or with friends or relatives including those living in the same household as a Company employee.

 

  The Company’s employees are only to access, use, and disclose confidential information that is necessary for them to have in the course of performing their duties. They are not to disclose confidential information to other employees or contractors at the Company unless it is necessary for those employees or contractors to have such confidential information in the course of their duties.

 

  The Company’s files, personal computers, networks, software, internet access, internet browser programs, emails, voice mails, and other business equipment (e.g. desks and cabinets) and resources are provided for business use and they are the exclusive property of the Company. Misuse of such Company property is not tolerated.

 

3

 

 

COMPETITION AND FAIR DEALING

 

All employees are obligated to deal fairly with fellow employees and with the Company’s customers, suppliers and competitors. Employees should not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice.

 

Relationships with Customers

 

Our business success depends upon our ability to foster lasting customer relationships. The Company is committed to dealing with customers fairly, honestly, and with integrity. Specifically, you should keep the following guidelines in mind when dealing with customers:

 

  Information we supply to customers should be accurate and complete to the best of our knowledge. Employees should not deliberately misrepresent information to customers.

 

  Employees should not refuse to sell, service, or maintain products the Company has produced simply because a customer is buying products from another supplier.

 

  Customer entertainment should not exceed reasonable and customary business practice. Employees should not provide entertainment or other benefits that could be viewed as an inducement to or a reward for customer purchase decisions. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.

 

Relationships with Suppliers

 

The Company deals fairly and honestly with its suppliers. This means that our relationships with suppliers are based on price, quality, service, and reputation, among other factors. Employees dealing with suppliers should carefully guard their objectivity. Specifically, no employee should accept or solicit any personal benefit from a supplier or potential supplier that might compromise, or appear to compromise, their objective assessment of the supplier’s products and prices. Employees can give or accept promotional items of nominal value or moderately scaled entertainment within the limits of responsible and customary business practice. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.

 

Relationships with Competitors

 

The Company is committed to free and open competition in the marketplace. Employees should avoid actions that would be contrary to laws governing competitive practices in the marketplace, including antitrust laws. Such actions include misappropriation and/or misuse of a competitor’s confidential information or making false statements about the competitor’s business and business practices.

 

PROTECTION AND USE OF COMPANY ASSETS

 

Employees should protect the Company’s assets and ensure their efficient use for legitimate business purposes only. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company’s profitability. The use of Company funds or assets, whether or not for personal gain, for any unlawful or improper purpose is prohibited.

 

To ensure the protection and proper use of the Company’s assets, each employee should:

 

  exercise reasonable care to prevent theft, damage or misuse of Company property;

 

  report the actual or suspected theft, damage or misuse of Company property to a supervisor;

 

  use the Company’s telephone system, other electronic communication services, written materials and other property primarily for business-related purposes;

 

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  safeguard all electronic programs, data, communications and written materials from inadvertent access by others; and

 

  use Company property only for legitimate business purposes, as authorized in connection with your job responsibilities.

 

Employees should be aware that Company property includes all data and communications transmitted or received to or by, or contained in, the Company’s electronic or telephonic systems. Company property also includes all written communications. Employees and other users of Company property should have no expectation of privacy with respect to these communications and data. To the extent permitted by law, the Company has the ability, and reserves the right, to monitor all electronic and telephonic communication. These communications may also be subject to disclosure to law enforcement or government officials.

 

GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

 

The giving and receiving of gifts is a common business practice. Appropriate business gifts and entertainment are welcome courtesies designed to build relationships and understanding among business partners. However, gifts and entertainment should not compromise, or appear to compromise, your ability to make objective and fair business decisions.

 

It is your responsibility to use good judgment in this area. As a general rule, you may give or receive gifts or entertainment to or from customers or suppliers only if the gift or entertainment would not be viewed as an inducement to or reward for any particular business decision. All gifts and entertainment expenses should be properly accounted for on expense reports. The following specific examples may be helpful:

 

  Meals and Entertainment. You may occasionally accept or give meals, refreshments or other entertainment if:

 

  The items are of reasonable value;

 

  The purpose of the meeting or attendance at the event is business related; and

 

  The expenses would be paid by the Company as a reasonable business expense if not paid for by another party.

 

Entertainment of reasonable value may include food and tickets for sporting and cultural events if they are generally offered to other customers, suppliers or vendors.

 

  Advertising and Promotional Materials. You may occasionally accept or give advertising or promotional materials of nominal value.

 

  Personal Gifts. You may accept or give personal gifts of reasonable value that are related to recognized special occasions such as a graduation, promotion, new job, wedding, retirement or a holiday. A gift is also acceptable if it is based on a family or personal relationship and unrelated to the business involved between the individuals.

 

  Gifts Rewarding Service or Accomplishment. You may accept a gift from a civic, charitable or religious organization specifically related to your service or accomplishment.

 

You must be particularly careful that gifts and entertainment are not construed as bribes, kickbacks, or other improper payments. See “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” below for a more detailed discussion of our policies regarding giving or receiving gifts related to business transactions.

 

You should make every effort to refuse or return a gift that is beyond these permissible guidelines. If it would be inappropriate to refuse a gift or you are unable to return a gift, you should promptly report the gift to your supervisor. Your supervisor will bring the gift to the attention of the Compliance Officer, who may require you to donate the gift to an appropriate community organization. If you have any questions about whether it is permissible to accept a gift or something else of value, contact your supervisor or the Compliance Officer for additional guidance.

 

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COMPANY RECORDS

 

Accurate and reliable records are crucial to our business. Our records are the basis of our earnings statements, financial reports and other disclosures to the public and guide our business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include booking information, payroll, timecards, travel and expense reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, measurement and performance records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of our business.

 

All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all material respects. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are inconsistent with our business practices and are prohibited. You are responsible for understanding and complying with our record keeping policy. Ask your supervisor if you have any questions.

 

ACCURACY OF FINANCIAL REPORTS AND OTHER PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

 

As a public company we are subject to various securities laws, regulations and reporting obligations. These laws, regulations and obligations and our policies require the disclosure of accurate and complete information regarding the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.

 

It is essential that the Company’s financial records, including all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) be accurate and timely. Accordingly, in addition to adhering to the conflict of interest policy and other policies and guidelines in this Code, the principal financial officers and other senior financial officers must take special care to exhibit integrity at all times and to instill this value within their organizations. In particular, these senior officers must ensure their conduct is honest and ethical that they abide by all public disclosure requirements by providing full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosures, and that they comply with all other applicable laws and regulations. These financial officers must also understand and strictly comply with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. and all standards, laws and regulations for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts.

 

In addition, U.S. federal securities law requires the Company to maintain proper internal books and records and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. The SEC has supplemented the statutory requirements by adopting rules that prohibit (1) any person from falsifying records or accounts subject to the above requirements and (2) officers or directors from making any materially false, misleading, or incomplete statement to an accountant in connection with an audit or any filing with the SEC. These provisions reflect the SEC’s intent to discourage officers, directors, and other persons with access to the Company’s books and records from taking action that might result in the communication of materially misleading financial information to the investing public.

 

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS

 

Each employee has an obligation to comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company’s operations. These include, without limitation, laws covering bribery and kickbacks, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, information privacy, insider trading, illegal political contributions, antitrust prohibitions, foreign corrupt practices, offering or receiving gratuities, environmental hazards, employment discrimination or harassment, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information or misuse of corporate assets. You are expected to understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to your job position. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, you should seek advice from your supervisor or the Compliance Officer.

 

COMPLIANCE WITH INSIDER TRADING LAWS

 

The Company has an insider trading policy, which may be obtained from the Compliance Officer. The following is a summary of some of the general principles relevant to insider trading, and should be read in conjunction with the aforementioned specific policy.

 

Company employees are prohibited from trading in shares or other securities of the Company while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the Company. In addition, Company employees are prohibited from recommending, “tipping” or suggesting that anyone else buy or sell shares or other securities of the Company on the basis of material, nonpublic information. Company employees who obtain material nonpublic information about another company in the course of their employment are prohibited from trading in shares or securities of the other company while in possession of such information or “tipping” others to trade on the basis of such information. Violation of insider trading laws can result in severe fines and criminal penalties, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment.

 

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Information is “non-public” if it has not been made generally available to the public by means of a press release or other means of widespread distribution. Information is “material” if a reasonable investor would consider it important in a decision to buy, hold or sell stock or other securities. As a rule of thumb, any information that would affect the value of stock or other securities should be considered material. Examples of information that is generally considered “material” include:

 

  Financial results or forecasts, or any information that indicates the Company’s financial results may exceed or fall short of forecasts or expectations;

 

  Important new products or services;

 

  Pending or contemplated acquisitions or dispositions, including mergers, tender offers or joint venture proposals;

 

  Possible management changes or changes of control;

 

  Pending or contemplated public or private sales of debt or equity securities;

 

  Acquisition or loss of a significant customer or contract;

 

  Significant write-offs;

 

  Initiation or settlement of significant litigation; and

 

  Changes in the Company’s auditors or a notification from its auditors that the Company may no longer rely on the auditor’s report.

 

The laws against insider trading are specific and complex. Any questions about information you may possess or about any dealings you have had in the Company’s securities should be promptly brought to the attention of the Compliance Officer.

 

PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS AND PREVENTION OF SELECTIVE DISCLOSURE

 

Public Communications Generally

 

The Company places a high value on its credibility and reputation in the community. What is written or said about the Company in the news media and investment community directly impacts our reputation, positively or negatively. Our policy is to provide timely, accurate and complete information in response to public requests (media, analysts, etc.), consistent with our obligations to maintain the confidentiality of competitive and proprietary information and to prevent selective disclosure of market-sensitive financial data. To ensure compliance with this policy, all news media or other public requests for information regarding the Company should be directed to the Company’s Investor Relations Department. The Investor Relations Department will work with you and the appropriate personnel to evaluate and coordinate a response to the request.

 

Prevention of Selective Disclosure

 

Preventing selective disclosure is necessary to comply with United States securities laws and to preserve the reputation and integrity of the Company as well as that of all persons affiliated with it. “Selective disclosure” occurs when any person provides potentially market-moving information to selected persons before the news is available to the investing public generally. Selective disclosure is a crime under United States law and the penalties for violating the law are severe.

 

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The following guidelines have been established to avoid improper selective disclosure. Every employee is required to follow these procedures:

 

  All contact by the Company with investment analysts, the press and/or members of the media shall be made through the chief executive officer, chief financial officer or persons designated by them (collectively, the “Media Contacts”).

 

  Other than the Media Contacts, no officer, director or employee shall provide any information regarding the Company or its business to any investment analyst or member of the press or media.

 

  All inquiries from third parties, such as industry analysts or members of the media, about the Company or its business should be directed to a Media Contact. All presentations to the investment community regarding the Company will be made by us under the direction of a Media Contact.

 

  Other than the Media Contacts, any employee who is asked a question regarding the Company or its business by a member of the press or media shall respond with “No comment” and forward the inquiry to a Media Contact.

 

These procedures do not apply to the routine process of making previously released information regarding the Company available upon inquiries made by investors, investment analysts and members of the media.

 

Please contact the Compliance Officer if you have any questions about the scope or application of the Company’s policies regarding selective disclosure.

 

THE FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT

 

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

 

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) prohibits the Company and its employees and agents from offering or giving money or any other item of value to win or retain business or to influence any act or decision of any governmental official, political party, candidate for political office or official of a public international organization. Stated more concisely, the FCPA prohibits the payment of bribes, kickbacks or other inducements to foreign officials. This prohibition also extends to payments to a sales representative or agent if there is reason to believe that the payment will be used indirectly for a prohibited payment to foreign officials. Violation of the FCPA is a crime that can result in severe fines and criminal penalties, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment.

 

Certain small facilitation payments to foreign officials may be permissible under the FCPA if customary in the country or locality and intended to secure routine governmental action. Governmental action is “routine” if it is ordinarily and commonly performed by a foreign official and does not involve the exercise of discretion. For instance, “routine” functions would include setting up a telephone line or expediting a shipment through customs. To ensure legal compliance, all facilitation payments must receive prior written approval from the Compliance Officer and must be clearly and accurately reported as a business expense.

 

ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY

 

The Company is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its employees and to avoiding adverse impact and injury to the environment and the communities in which we do business. Company employees must comply with all applicable environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and Company standards. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the laws, regulations and policies that are relevant to your job. Failure to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations can result in civil and criminal liability against you and the Company, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment. You should contact the Compliance Officer if you have any questions about the laws, regulations and policies that apply to you.

 

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Environment

 

All Company employees should strive to conserve resources and reduce waste and emissions through recycling and other energy conservation measures. You have a responsibility to promptly report any known or suspected violations of environmental laws or any events that may result in a discharge or emission of hazardous materials. Employees whose jobs involve manufacturing have a special responsibility to safeguard the environment. Such employees should be particularly alert to the storage, disposal and transportation of waste, and handling of toxic materials and emissions into the land, water or air.

 

Health and Safety

 

The Company is committed not only to complying with all relevant health and safety laws, but also to conducting business in a manner that protects the safety of its employees. All employees are required to comply with all applicable health and safety laws, regulations and policies relevant to their jobs. If you have a concern about unsafe conditions or tasks that present a risk of injury to you, please report these concerns immediately to your supervisor or the Human Resources Department.

 

EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

 

The Company pursues fair employment practices in every aspect of its business. The following is intended to be a summary of our employment policies and procedures. Copies of our detailed policies are available from the Human Resources Department. Company employees must comply with all applicable labor and employment laws, including anti-discrimination laws and laws related to freedom of association, privacy and collective bargaining. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the laws, regulations and policies that are relevant to your job. Failure to comply with labor and employment laws can result in civil and criminal liability against you and the Company, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment. You should contact the Compliance Officer or the Human Resources Department if you have any questions about the laws, regulations and policies that apply to you.

 

Harassment and Discrimination

 

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity and fair treatment to all individuals on the basis of merit, without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status or other characteristic protected by law. The Company prohibits harassment in any form, whether physical or verbal and whether committed by supervisors, non-supervisory personnel or non-employees. Harassment may include, but is not limited to, offensive sexual flirtations, unwanted sexual advances or propositions, verbal abuse, sexually or racially degrading words, or the display in the workplace of sexually suggestive objects or pictures.

 

If you have any complaints about discrimination or harassment, report such conduct to your supervisor or the Human Resources Department. All complaints will be treated with sensitivity and discretion. Your supervisor, the Human Resources Department and the Company will protect your confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with law and the Company’s need to investigate your concern. Where our investigation uncovers harassment or discrimination, we will take prompt corrective action, which may include disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including, termination of employment. The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, files a compliant.

 

Any member of management who has reason to believe that an employee has been the victim of harassment or discrimination or who receives a report of alleged harassment or discrimination is required to report it to the Human Resources Department immediately.

 

CONCLUSION

 

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact your supervisor or the Compliance Officer. We expect all Company employees to adhere to these standards.

 

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, as applied to the Company’s principal financial officers, shall be the Company’s “code of ethics” within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder.

 

This Code and the matters contained herein are neither a contract of employment nor a guarantee of continuing Company policy. We reserve the right to amend, supplement or discontinue this Code and the matters addressed herein, without prior notice, at any time.

 

 

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Exhibit 99.2

 

January 25, 2021

 

Chanson International Holding

No. 26 Culture Road, Tianshan District

Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

 

Re: Consent of Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

We understand that Chanson International Holding (formerly known as RON Holding Limited, the “Company”) intends to file a draft registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the “Proposed IPO”).

 

We hereby consent to the references to our name and the inclusion of information, data and statements from our research reports and amendments thereto, including but not limited to the industry research report titled “The Xinjiang Province and the United States Bakery Industry Independent Market Research” (the “Report”), and any subsequent amendments to the Report, as well as the citation of our research report and amendments thereto, (i) in the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, (ii) in any written correspondences with the SEC, (iii) in any other future filings with the SEC by the Company, including, without limitation, filings on Form 20-F, Form 6-K or other SEC filings (collectively, the “SEC Filings”), (iv) on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, (v) in institutional and retail road shows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, and in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.

 

We further hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.

 

Yours faithfully

For and on behalf of

Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co.

 

/s/ Yves Wang  
Name: Yves Wang  
Title: Managing Director, China  

 

Exhibit 99.3

 

CONSENT OF YONG DU

 

Chanson International Holding (the “Company”) intends to file a Registration Statement on Form F-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”) registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.

 

Dated: January 27, 2021

 

  /s/ Yong Du
  Yong Du

 

Exhibit 99.4 

 

CONSENT OF ZHIYUAN WANG

 

Chanson International Holding (the “Company”) intends to file a Registration Statement on Form F-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”) registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.

 

Dated: March 24, 2021

 

  /s/ Zhiyuan Wang
  Zhiyuan Wang

 

 

Exhibit 99.5

 

CONSENT OF SHOUHUA NIE

 

Chanson International Holding (the “Company”) intends to file a Registration Statement on Form F-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”) registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.

 

Dated: January 27, 2021

 

  /s/ Shouhua Nie
  Shouhua Nie

 

Exhibit 99.6 

 

CONSENT OF YUCHEN LIU

 

Chanson International Holding (the “Company”) intends to file a Registration Statement on Form F-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”) registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.

 

Dated: March 24, 2021

 

  /s/ Yuchen Liu
  Yuchen Liu

 

 

Exhibit 99.8

 

January 27, 2021

 

VIA EDGAR

 

Mr. Jay Ingram

Legal Branch Chief

Division of Corporation Finance

Office of Manufacturing

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

100 F Street, NE

Washington, D.C., 20549

 

Re: Chanson International Holding (formerly known as RON Holding Limited)
 

Amendment No. 1 to the Draft Registration Statement on Form F-1

CIK No. 0001825349

  Request for Waiver and Representation under Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F

  

Dear Mr. Ingram:

 

The undersigned, Chanson International Holding, a foreign private issuer organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), is submitting this letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in connection with the Company’s draft registration statement on Form F-1, as amended, initially submitted on September 30, 2020 (the “Registration Statement”) relating to a proposed initial public offering and listing of the Company’s ordinary shares in the United States.

 

The Company has included in the Registration Statement its audited consolidated financial statements, prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and for each of the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, and unaudited interim consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2020, and for each of the six-month periods ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.

 

The Company respectfully requests that the Commission waive the requirement of Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F, which states that in the case of a company’s initial public offering, the registration statement on Form F-1 must contain audited financial statements of a date not older than 12 months from the date of the offering (the “12-Month Requirement”). See also Division of Corporation Finance, Financial Reporting Manual, Section 6220.3.

 

The Company is submitting this waiver request pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F, which provides that the Commission will waive the 12-Month Requirement “in cases where the company is able to represent adequately to us that it is not required to comply with this requirement in any other jurisdiction outside the United States and that complying with this requirement is impracticable or involves undue hardship.” See also the 2004 release entitled International Reporting and Disclosure Issues in the Division of Corporation Finance (available on the Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/internatl/cfirdissues1104.htm) by the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Commission at Section III.B.c, in which the staff notes that:

 

“the instruction indicates that the staff will waive the 12-month requirement where it is not applicable in the registrant’s other filing jurisdictions and is impracticable or involves undue hardship. As a result, we expect that the vast majority of IPOs will be subject only to the 15-month rule. The only times that we anticipate audited financial statements will be filed under the 12-month rule are when the registrant must comply with the rule in another jurisdiction, or when those audited financial statements are otherwise readily available.”

 

In connection with this waiver request, the Company represents to the Commission that:

 

  1. The Company is not required by any jurisdiction outside the United States to prepare consolidated financial statements audited under any generally accepted auditing standards for any interim period.
  2. Full compliance with Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F at present is impracticable and involves undue hardship for the Company.
  3. The Company does not anticipate that its audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 will be available until April 2021.
  4. In no event will the Company seek effectiveness of the Registration Statement if its audited financial statements are older than 15 months at the time of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

The Company will file this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 8.A.4 of Form 20-F.

 

  Sincerely,
   
  /s/ Cheng Chen
  Cheng Chen, Chief Executive Officer