SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — After the market closed on August 19, ANE (9956.HK), China’s Less-than-Truckload (LTL) express freight network leader, released its interim 2025 results. The filing indicated the company completed shipment of 6.82 million tons of LTL freight volume, representing a 6.2% year-on-year (YoY) increase. Revenue reached RMB5.63 billion, up 6.4% YoY, while gross profit amounted to RMB880 million with gross margin of 15.6%. Adjusted net profit grew 10.7% YoY to RMB476 million. This dual growth in both revenue and profit underscores the company’s robust resilience amidst accelerating industry consolidation.
Significantly, the company concurrently disclosed its maiden dividend plan since listing.
Currently, the “Matthew Effect” in China’s domestic LTL sector continues to intensify, with market share rapidly concentrating towards leading players. In July, the State Post Bureau held a special meeting, explicitly opposing “race-to-the-bottom competition” and advocating for a shift in industry competition logic from “price wars” to “value creation,” further accelerating the industry’s integration process. Against this backdrop, ANE, leveraging its multi-dimensional advantages in network coverage, product advantages, and service quality honed over years of operation, has secured a dominant position in the market share battle, effectively locking in victory ahead of the industry shakeout.
In recent years, guided by its “Five Most” goals – most dense network coverage, most optimal cost, most superior quality, most stable timeliness and most timely service response – ANE has consistently adhered to a value-driven competitive strategy emphasizing both profitability and quality. The company has focused on enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency by optimizing service quality and controlling costs, building a sustainable competitive advantage through effective scale growth.
The interim report highlights further improvements in product competitiveness: average shipment time shortened by 5.3%, lost rate decreased by 40.3%, and complaint rate dropped by 45.8%. Freight weight structural optimization continued, with high-margin freight under 300kg growing 18.2% YoY, laying a structural foundation for enhanced profitability. Network coverage continued to expand, with the number of freight partners and agents exceeding 38,000, solidifying ANE’s position as the industry leader in terms of network scale.
Simultaneously, cost savings and efficiency gains driven by digital upgrades have further strengthened ANE’s competitive moat. During the reporting period, the company advanced digital transformation across its entire operational chain. This included empowering freight partners and agents with digital tools, enhancing sorting center efficiency via automated sorting systems, and optimizing its transportation structure through the deployment of trucks equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), intelligent route planning, fuel-efficient vehicle replacements, and equipment upgrades. By the end of June, unit cost of line-haul transportation and sorting center decreased by RMB9 per ton YoY, providing a core guarantee for sustained market leadership.
A key highlight of this interim report is ANE’s announcement of its inaugural post-IPO dividend plan, demonstrating the company’s commitment to enhance shareholder returns. ANE stated that this dividend is based on its solid operational performance, healthy cash flow, and strong confidence in future development, signalling a long-term expectation of sustainable returns to shareholders.
Overall, at this critical juncture of accelerating industry consolidation, ANE, with its solid operational foundation, continuous innovation capabilities, and robust profitability, has secured a winning position in advance. As industry concentration increases further, with its scale advantages and brand strength, ANE, as a leading player, will become even more pronounced, driving commensurate appreciation in its market value.