After resigning from an accounting position at a state-owned enterprise in Guangxi, Huang Rui, born in 1994, chose to return to her hometown to "open stores": she opened 3 Tuhu stores successively in less than 3 years, with the largest single store achieving annual revenue of 2 million yuan.
In Tuhu Auto's franchise system, there are many similar franchise success stories scattered across the country. These franchisees have found a "new frontier" for making money and supporting their families through joining Tuhu.
Financial data is more convincing. According to Tuhu Auto's 2025 interim performance report, the number of Tuhu Auto workshop stores has reached 7,205, covering 320 prefecture-level administrative divisions with a coverage rate exceeding 95%. In terms of store profitability performance, 90% of Tuhu Auto workshop stores that have been operating for more than 6 months are profitable, with the proportion of profitable new stores increasing by 5 percentage points year-over-year.
**"Novice" Franchising: Success Through Effort and Smart Choices**
Among Tuhu Auto workshop store franchisees, young entrepreneurs are not uncommon. As a post-90s "novice" who left her job to start a cross-industry business, Huang Rui has opened 3 Tuhu stores in her hometown in Guangxi since partnering with Tuhu Auto in 2023: the first store covers 790 square meters with 7 maintenance bays and 1 car wash and beauty bay, serving approximately 1,000 vehicles monthly; the second store covers 450 square meters with 6 maintenance bays and 2 car wash and beauty bays; the newly opened third store is steadily improving its performance.
"My family was initially opposed, thinking entrepreneurship was too risky for a girl, but I was confident - leave professional matters to professional brands," Huang Rui said. "Choosing to franchise with Tuhu was not accidental. Auto services require extreme professionalism and standardized systems, and Tuhu's accumulation in this area is incomparable to other brands."
Chen Yong, a post-90s franchisee from Fujian, shares similar sentiments. "I originally had no auto repair experience, but Tuhu's system allowed me to get started quickly," Chen Yong recalled. Relying on the standardized management system, he familiarized himself with the business from scratch, gradually understanding industry practices, and now owns 5 Tuhu workshop stores in just a few years.
In July this year, Wang Yan, a post-90s entrepreneur from Yunnan, completed her plan to franchise with Tuhu and open a store. The new store covers 680 square meters with 8 bays and 9 employees. Since opening over 2 months ago, the store has achieved several hundred orders monthly with monthly revenue exceeding 100,000 yuan, and continues growing with profits far exceeding expectations.
According to Wang Yan, she and her husband operate 3 comprehensive repair shops locally. "If the timing is right in the future, I plan to convert all 3 existing shops to Tuhu," Wang Yan said.
Zhu Jia, a post-95s entrepreneur from Northeast China, has opened 2 Tuhu franchise stores in her county. The older store has 5 maintenance bays and 1 car wash and beauty bay, achieving annual revenue of 1.7 million yuan; the new store opened in November 2024, with monthly revenue steadily increasing.
**Tuhu System Creates Wealth-Building Formula**
The massive user base and strong user stickiness and reputation provide guarantees for Tuhu workshop stores to precisely acquire customers and retain repeat customers. Financial report data shows that in the first half of this year, Tuhu Auto's operating revenue, user numbers, and store numbers all showed significant growth against market trends. Registered users reached 150 million, up 18.8% year-over-year; transaction users reached 26.5 million, up 23.8% year-over-year; user satisfaction exceeded 95%.
The standardized system established by Tuhu Auto also brings certainty of returns for franchisees. The underlying logic of Tuhu Auto's business model lies in breaking down complex auto repair services into quantifiable, replicable standard modules, allowing franchisees to shift from "relying on experience for income" to "profiting through systems," building competitive advantages that traditional auto repair shops cannot match.
For franchisees, standardized service processes mean having a mature solution set for reference, reducing uncertainties in daily operations and improving operational efficiency.
Jin Xin, a franchisee from Sichuan and veteran automotive soldier, also remarked that in terms of management, Tuhu's system can guide store managers and employees in their daily work processes, and Tuhu's mechanisms can drive everyone to implement standardization in every service detail, benefiting both stores and customers.
To further help franchisees reduce operating costs and improve operational efficiency, Tuhu Auto has implemented multiple measures to enhance store operational vitality, launching the "New Store Improvement Plan," "Tuhu New Youth" project, and "Billion Subsidy, Ten Thousand Stores Together" plan this year.
"These are not simple concessions," emphasized a relevant person in charge at Tuhu Auto. "By launching a series of preferential policies, we can comprehensively reduce operating costs for franchise workshop stores in different cities and towns, allowing franchisees to operate with lighter burdens in their respective markets."
Additionally, the efficient operation of 7,205 stores relies on the convenient and efficient warehousing and distribution network and intelligent supply chain system built by Tuhu Auto. As of June 30 this year, Tuhu Auto has established 32 regional warehouses with storage area exceeding 450,000 square meters; 662 forward warehouses with 94% coverage of workshop stores in first and second-tier cities.
The mutually beneficial and collaborative wealth-creation story between Tuhu Auto and franchisees continues. A relevant person in charge at Tuhu Auto stated: "We will provide more support to franchisees, reduce their operating costs, enabling them to earn money continuously and stably, while also providing high-quality, convenient, and efficient services to car owners, making car maintenance simpler."
(Note: The franchisee names Huang Rui, Chen Yong, Wang Yan, Zhu Jia, and Jin Xin mentioned in the article are pseudonyms)
Comments