ETMall, a subsidiary of Eastern Media International Corporation (2614), announced today (19th) that its consolidated revenue from January to June this year (including Strawberrynet and Mama Bear Shopping) reached NT$13.74 billion, with an annual growth rate of 20%, an accumulated profit of NT$860 million in the first half of the year, and net earnings per share (EPS) of NT$8.44. This represents a 47% increase over last year. Consolidated revenue for June reached NT$2.36 billion, with an annual growth rate of 21%, profits of NT$176 million, and an annual growth rate of 55%. ETMall also reported a record high performance for June and the first half of the year over the same period. As the country remained under nationwide Epidemic Alert Level 3, the stay-at-home economy has been booming; in addition, the public’s demand for online shopping has increased significantly. ETMall reported a revenue of NT$980 million for June, showing an annual growth rate of 76%, a cumulative January-June revenue of NT$4.9 billion, and an annual growth rate of 55%. Mama Bear Shopping, a subsidiary of ETMall, also benefited from the demand for fresh produce, fish and meat products during the pandemic prevention period. Its sales grew 23% from May, with an annual growth rate of 90%.

In the first half of this year, the e-commerce business has been on the rise, from the Lunar New Year’s Holiday, Women’s Day in March, to the 618 Mid-Year Festival. In May and June, pandemic prevention measures have driven online consumption and the stay-at-home economy has boomed. In the first half of this year, the overall number of members spending on ETMall grew by 13%. In addition, the Mama Bear Shopping platform under ETMall benefited from the demand for fruits, vegetables, fish and meat products due to the stay-at-home pandemic prevention measures, thus increasing 23% when compared with May’s performance and reaching an annual growth rate of 90%.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan is soaring, and the Delta variant of the virus imported from abroad has emerged recently. The cumulative number of confirmed cases in Taiwan has reached 14,000. Soon there may not be enough negative pressure isolation chambers. In the spirit of “others are about business, Eastern is about public welfare,” Chairman Gary Wang of Eckare decided to donate six “emergency pandemic prevention satellite wards” to the Taipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch, and four “modular negative pressure isolation rooms” to the Taipei City Hospital Zhongxiao Branch, together amounting to almost NT$4 million. In recognition of Eastern’s long-standing commitment to public welfare and care for the disadvantaged, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-Je visited the Taipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch and thank Eckare for the donation. Mayor Ko was accompanied by Superintendent Huang Sheng-Jean and Vice Superintendent Hsu Chia-Chen of the Taipei City Hospital, and Director Tsai Ching-Yao of the Zhongxing Branch.

All industries and sectors have been impacted since last year due to the pandemic. After the outbreak of the pandemic in May this year, all industries have been struggling, and many businesses and members of the public are unable to make ends meet. This has led them to turn their efforts into starting a side business. Many legal entities and market analysts are optimistic about the unique direct selling e-commerce business model of Eastern Commerce Company (Eckare), which is thriving despite this pandemic that has devastated the Taiwanese economy. Eckare has become the star business with the greatest growth potential under the Eastern Group. Gary Wang, Chairman of Eckare, has continuously promoted the opportunities brought by the stay-at-home economy. People can make money at home without going out through the direct selling e-commerce model, putting an end to the economic siege. The company also announced that it will challenge the NT$10 billion sales mark this year, and that its revenue will reach $50 billion by 2025.

The nationwide epidemic alert level 3 has affected the public’s willingness to donate blood, and thus the blood banks in Taiwan are running low. Eastern Commerce Company (Eckare), a subsidiary of Eastern Group, immediately called on its employees to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. Today (7/2), a blood drive was held at the plaza in front of the headquarters in Zhonghe in cooperation with the Taipei Blood Center. More than 100 bags of blood were donated in one day while maintaining strict social distance. Eckare said that to fulfill its corporate social responsibility, the company holds two blood donation drives every year. When the company learned of the blood shortage during the pandemic, it immediately arranged to bring forward the date of the blood drive, and employees happily responded to this call.

The Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards 2021 (APEA 2021) announced that Eastern Natural Beauty has been awarded the Inspirational Brand Award, making it one of the few Taiwanese companies and local beauty brands to receive this award from the APEA. According to President Gary Wang of Eastern Group, the award is a hard-won and inspiring recognition at a time when companies are thinking about how to make a breakthrough in the raging pandemic. The annual revenue of Eastern Natural Beauty (Taiwan) was NT$518 million in 2019. The company’s annual revenue reached NT$735 million in 2020, representing a 42% growth against the trend and proving the explosive growth of the company. Despite this year’s ongoing pandemic, the Group still expects to achieve outstanding results. In the future, Eastern Natural Beauty will continue to invest in research and development, pursue excellence, and become the top cosmetic biotechnology brand in Chinese-speaking markets around the world.

With the easing of the pandemic around the world, the economy is gradually recovering; however, this will be followed by inflation and rising prices. To take care of entry-level employees, President Gary Wang announced today (30th) that Eastern Group will be increasing the salaries of employees from July 1, becoming the first corporate group in Taiwan to announce a salary increase during the pandemic. According to Eastern Group, the salary increase is mainly for the entry-level employees. According to each company’s respective situation, for full-time administrative personnel (excluding sales personnel) with a salary range of NT$45,000-NT$50,000 or below, and a service length of more than one year, their salary can be adjusted by 2-7% according to their seniority level.

Due to the rise in local COVID-19 cases and in line with the “Safe Enterprise Rapid Screening Program” called for by the New Taipei City Government, Eastern Group set up screening stations in northern, central, and southern Taiwan and conducted PCR tests on all employees in batches between June 11 and June 18. Eastern Group was the first enterprise in Taiwan to pioneer PCR screening for all employees. Group President Gary Wang emphasized in an interview that they treat their employees like family. After the PCR screening test, many employees felt very grateful. They expressed how much they enjoy working for Eastern with President Wang looking after them, because the PCR screening also protects the safety of their families. Due to the recent news about the side effects of vaccines, President Gary Wang of Eastern Group also decided to take out vaccine insurance for all employees in the hopes that employees’ minds can be put at ease when it comes to vaccination, so that employees and their families can receive the greatest protection and support.

In light of the rising local pandemic cases, Eastern Group is planning to implement the “Group-Wide Employee PCR Testing Program” tomorrow (6/11), in line with the “Safe Enterprise Rapid Screening Program” called for by Mayor Hou Yu-Ih of the New Taipei City Government. President Gary Wang of Eastern Group said that as rapid screening still poses a concern for presenting false negative or false positive results, in order to protect the safety of employees, it has been decided that PCR testing will be arranged directly for the employees, while the full cost of testing will be borne by the subsidiaries of the Group. This move is a first in the corporate sector.

Today (9th), ETMall, a subsidiary of Eastern Media International Corporation (2614), reported a consolidated revenue of NT$11.37 billion and an annual growth of 20% from January to May, with an EPS of NT$6.71 during the same period, and a significant growth of 45% over the last year. The consolidated revenue of May reached NT$2.36 billion, a record high for the same period, with an annual growth rate of 18% and a profit of NT$143 million, achieving an annual growth rate of 22% and a steady growth. It is worth mentioning that due to the impact of the pandemic, people’s demand on online shopping platforms has increased greatly. ETMall’s revenue in May reached NT$900 million, an annual growth rate of 62%. The Mama Bear Shopping platform, which was acquired in November last year, reported a 91% increase in May compared to April.