Following the high-profile departure of a group of star hosts, EAST BUY (01797.HK) has moved to substantially reward its core team. On the evening of April 28, the company announced that, pursuant to its 2023 Share Incentive Plan, it has granted 19.3014 million share awards to 302 directors, senior executives, and core employees. These awards represent approximately 1.82% of the company's total issued shares. Based on the closing price of HK$28.44 per share on that day, the total value of the grant is approximately HK$549 million.

According to the announcement, under this equity incentive scheme, Yu Minhong, Executive Director, Chairman, and CEO, was granted 1.8 million shares, representing a 0.17% stake. Yin Qiang, Executive Director and CFO, received 450,000 shares, equivalent to a 0.04% stake. The remaining 300 employees were collectively granted 17.0514 million shares, amounting to a 1.61% stake. The exercise price for vesting these share awards is zero. The total vesting period is set at three years, with one-third of the awards vesting annually on a straight-line basis, contingent upon the achievement of annual performance targets. The company stated that this initiative is designed to align the interests of the core team, stabilize management and key employees, and strengthen long-term development momentum.

To date, hosts including Mingming, Tianquan, Zhongcan, and Linlin have publicly confirmed their departures. Fans had previously referred to Dong Yuhui, Dundun, Mingming, and Tianquan as EAST BUY's "F4" livestreaming quartet; all four have now left the company. Faced with intensifying competition in the livestreaming e-commerce sector and the exit of top hosts, EAST BUY is accelerating its efforts to reduce reliance on individual personalities. The company is shifting its focus comprehensively towards a product-driven strategy and the development of its private traffic ecosystem.

Interim results for the 2026 fiscal year, covering the six months ended November 30, 2025, revealed a 14.6% year-on-year decline in EAST BUY's Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) from livestreaming e-commerce, which fell to 4.1 billion yuan. Order volume on the Douyin platform decreased by 16% concurrently. However, in a contrasting trend, the number of paying members on its proprietary app increased by 5.2% to 240,100, highlighting the effectiveness of its private user operations. The company has cumulatively launched 801 self-developed products, a significant increase from 600 products in the same period last year. Self-developed products now account for 52.8% of total GMV, establishing them as a core pillar of revenue.