Summary of significant accounting policies | 2. Summary of significant accounting policies Basis of presentation 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 interim consolidated financial information as of January 31, 2024 and for the three and nine months periods ended January 31, 2024 and 2023 have been prepared without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures, which are normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The interim consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and the notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023, previously filed with the SEC on August 1, 2023.. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (which include all significant normal and recurring adjustments) necessary to present a fair statement of the Company’s interim consolidated financial position as of January 31, 2024, its interim consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, as applicable, have been made. The interim results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full fiscal year or any future periods. Principles of consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and, when applicable, entities for which the Company has a controlling financial interest. All transactions and balances among the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation. Noncontrolling interests The Company follows the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, “Consolidation,” governing the accounting for and reporting of noncontrolling interests (“NCI”) in partially owned consolidated subsidiaries and the loss of control of subsidiaries. Certain provisions of this standard indicate, among other things, that NCI be treated as a separate component of equity, not as a liability, that increases and decreases in the parent’s ownership interest that leave control intact be treated as equity transactions rather than as step acquisitions or dilution gains or losses, and that losses of a partially-owned consolidated subsidiary be allocated to noncontrolling interests even when such allocation might result in a deficit balance. The net income attributed to NCI was separately designated in the accompanying statements of operations. Losses attributable to NCI in a subsidiary may exceed a NCI’s interests in the subsidiary’s equity. The excess attributable to NCI is attributed to those interests. NCIs shall continue to be attributed their share of losses even if that attribution results in a deficit NCIs balance. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, the Company had NCIs of $359,573 and $267,947, respectively, which represent 9% of the equity interest of Maison San Gabriel, 14.75% of the equity interest of Maison Monrovia and 8.33% of the equity interest of Maison El Monte. For the three months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had net income of $13,398 and $217,997, respectively, that were attributable to NCIs. For the nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had net income of $91,626 and $307,655, respectively, that were attributable to NCIs. Liquidity As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company had accumulated deficit of $39,718 at January 31, 2024. The Company had net loss attributable to the Company of $548,954 and net income of $988,474 for the three months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company had net loss attributable to the Company of $562,428 and net income of $920,626 for the nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The management plans to increase its revenue by strengthening its sales force, providing attractive sales incentive programs, recruiting experienced industry-related managerial personnel, and increasing marketing and promotion activities. Management also intends to raise additional funds by way of a private or public offering, or by obtaining loans from banks or others. The Company had $9.4 million cash on hand and working capital of $8.04 million at January 31, 2024. The Company has historically funded its working capital needs primarily from operations. The working capital requirements are affected by the efficiency of operations and depend on the Company’s ability to increase its revenue. The Company believes that its cash on hand and operating cash flows will be sufficient to fund its operations over at least the next 12 months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. However, the Company may need additional cash resources in the future if the Company experiences changed business conditions or other developments and may also need additional cash resources in the future if the Company wishes to pursue opportunities for investment, acquisition, strategic cooperation or other similar actions. If it is determined that the cash requirements exceed the Company’s amounts of cash on hand, the Company may seek to issue debt or equity securities or obtain a credit facility. Use of estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. Significant accounting estimates are used for, but not limited to, useful lives of property and equipment, commitments and contingencies, inventory reserve, allowance for estimated uncollectable accounts receivable and other receivables, impairment of long-lived assets, contract liabilities and valuation of deferred tax assets. Cash and cash equivalents Cash and equivalents include cash on hand, demand deposits and short-term cash investments that are highly liquid in nature and have original maturities when purchased of three months or less. The Company’s cash is maintained at financial institutions in the United States of America. Deposits in these financial institutions may, from time to time, exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”)’s federally insured limits. The standard insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. The bank deposits exceeding the standard insurance amount will not be covered. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, cash balances held in the banks, exceeding the standard insurance amount, are $8,656,626 and $1,819,766, respectively. The Company has not experienced any losses in accounts held in these financial institutions and believes it is not exposed to any risks on its cash held in these financial institutions. Cash from operating, investing and financing activities of the consolidated statement of cash flows are net of assets and liabilities acquired of Maison Monterey Park. Restricted cash Restricted cash is an amount of cash deposited with banks in conjunction with borrowings from banks. Restriction on the use of such cash and the interest earned thereon is imposed by the banks and remains effective throughout the terms of the bank borrowings and notes payable. Restricted cash is classified as non-current assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, as all the balances are not expected to be released to cash within the next 12 months. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, the Company had restricted cash of $1,101 and $1,101, respectively. Accounts receivable The Company’s accounts receivable arises from product sales. The Company does not adjust its receivables for the effects of a significant financing component at contract inception if it expects to collect the receivables in one year or less from the time of sale. The Company does not expect to collect receivables greater than one year from the time of sale. The Company’s policy is to maintain an allowance for potential credit losses on accounts receivable. Management reviews the composition of accounts receivable and analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment patterns to evaluate the adequacy of these reserves. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, there was no allowance for the doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable — related parties Accounts receivable consist primarily of receivables from related parties on 30-day credit terms and are presented net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible amounts. The Company periodically assesses its accounts receivable for collectability on a specific identification basis. If collectability of an account becomes unlikely, an allowance is recorded for that doubtful account. Once collection efforts have been exhausted, the accounts receivable is written off against the allowance. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, there was no allowance for the doubtful accounts. Inventories, net Inventories consisting of products available for sale are primarily accounted for using the first-in, first-out method and are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. This valuation requires the Company to make judgments, based on currently available information, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers, returns to product vendors, liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category. The Company records inventory shrinkage based on the historical data and management’s estimates and provides a reserve for inventory shrinkage for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023. Prepayments Prepayments are mainly comprised of cash deposited and advanced to suppliers for future inventory purchases and services to be performed. This amount is refundable and bears no interest. For any prepayments that management determines will not be in receipts of inventories, services, or refundable, the Company recognizes an allowance account to reserve such balances. Management reviews its prepayments on a regular basis to determine if the allowance is adequate and adjusts the allowance when necessary. Delinquent account balances are written-off against allowance for doubtful accounts after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, the Company had made prepayments to its vendors of $20,000 and $1,547,243, respectively. The Company’s management continues to evaluate the reasonableness of the allowance policy and update it if necessary. Other receivables and other current assets Other receivables and other current assets primarily include non-interest-bearing loans of the other business entities. Management regularly reviews the aging of receivables and changes in payment trends and records allowances when management believes collection of amounts due are at risk. Accounts considered uncollectable are written off against allowances after exhaustive efforts at collection are made. As of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, the Company did not have any bad debt allowance for other receivables. Property and equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the individual assets. The following table includes the estimated useful lives of certain of our asset classes: Furniture & fixtures 5 – 10 years Leasehold improvements Shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life of the assets Equipment 5 –10 years Automobiles 5 years The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets sold or otherwise retired are eliminated from the accounts and any gain or loss is included in the consolidated statements of operations. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to earnings as incurred, while additions, renewals and betterments, which are expected to extend the useful life of assets, are capitalized. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of depreciation to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives. Impairment of long-lived assets Long-lived assets, which include property, plant and equipment, intangible assets with finite lives, and operating lease right-of-use assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of long-lived assets to be held and used is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the assets. Fair value is generally determined using the asset’s expected future discounted cash flows or market value, if readily determinable. The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset’s carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company conducts its long-lived asset impairment analyses in accordance with ASC 360-10-15, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.” ASC 360-10-15 requires the Company to group assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities and evaluate the asset group against the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows. If the undiscounted cash flows do not indicate the carrying amount of the asset is recoverable, an impairment charge is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group asset group exceeds its fair value based on discounted cash flow analysis or appraisals. There was no impairment of long-lived assets for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023. Security deposits Security deposits primarily include deposits made to the Company’s landlord for its supermarkets and office facilities. These deposits are refundable upon expiration of the lease. Long-term investment Cost method investment The Company accounts for investments with less than 20% of the voting shares and does not have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies of the investee using the cost method. The Company elects the measurements alternative and records investment in equity securities at the historical cost in its consolidated financial statements and subsequently records any dividends received from the net accumulated earrings of the investee as income. Dividends received in excess of earnings are considered a return of investment and are recorded as reduction in the cost of the investments. In May 2021, the Company purchased a 10% equity interest in Dai Cheong Trading Inc., a grocery trading company, for $162,665 from DC Holding CA, Inc. DC Holding CA, Inc. is 100% owned by John Xu, the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and President of the Company. See Note 12 — “ Related party balances and transactions In December 2021, the Company purchased a 10% equity interest in HKGF Market of Alhambra, Inc, the legal entity holding the store for $40,775 from Ms. Grace Xu, the sole shareholder of HKGF Market of Alhambra, Inc. and a related party as the spouse of Mr. John Xu, the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and President of the Company. See Note 12 — “ Related party balances and transactions Effective on December 14, 2023, the Company purchased 10% equity interest in TMA Liquor Inc., a liquor wholesale company, for $100,000. The Company paid $75,000 as of January 31, 2024. Equity method investment On June 27, 2023, the Company invested $1,440,000 for 40% equity interest in HKGF Market of Arcadia, LLC (“HKGF Arcadia”). On December 6, 2023, the Company invested additional $360,000 for another 10% equity interest in HKGF Arcadia, which resulted in a total of 50% equity interest in HKGF Arcadia by Maison. See Note 7 — “ Equity method investment . Investment in equity securities is evaluated for impairment when facts or circumstances indicate that the fair value of the long-term investments is less than its carrying value. An impairment is recognized when a decline in fair value is determined to be other-than-temporary. The Company reviews several factors to determine whether a loss is other-than-temporary. These factors include, but are not limited to, the: (i) nature of the investment; (ii) cause and duration of the impairment; (iii) extent to which fair value is less than cost; (iv) financial condition and near-term prospects of the investments; and (v) ability to hold the security for a period sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. No event had occurred and indicated that other-than-temporary impairment existed and therefore the Company did not record any impairment charges for its investments for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024. Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of purchase price and related costs over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired. In accordance with ASC Topic 350, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other,” goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment, annually or more frequently when circumstances indicate a possible impairment may exist. Impairment testing is performed at a reporting unit level. Generally, the Company first performs a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If factors indicate that this is the case, the Company then estimates the fair value of the related reporting unit determined using discounted cash flow (“DCF”) analysis. A number of significant assumptions and estimates are involved in the application of the DCF analysis to forecast operating cash flows, including the discount rate, the internal rate of return and projections of realizations and costs to produce. Management considers historical experience and all available information at the time the fair values of its reporting units are estimated. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, the goodwill of the reporting unit is determined to be impaired and the Company will record an impairment equal to the excess of the carrying value over its fair value. The Company did not record any impairment loss during the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023. Leases On May 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, Lease (FASB ASC Topic 842). The adoption of ASC Topic 842 resulted in the presentation of operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. See Note 13 — “ Leases The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at the inception of a contract under ASC Topic 842. At the commencement of each lease, management determines its classification as an operating or finance lease. For leases that qualify as operating leases, ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of any remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, the Company considers only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As most of its leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU assets include adjustments for accrued lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made prior to commencement and is recorded net of any lease incentives received. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that it will exercise such options. A short-term lease is defined as a lease that, at the commencement date, has a lease term of 12 months or less and does not include an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise. When determining whether a lease qualifies as a short-term lease, the Company evaluates the lease term and the purchase option. Hence, the Company does not recognize any operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities for short-term leases. The Company evaluates the carrying value of ROU assets if there are indicators of impairment and review the recoverability of the related asset group. If the carrying value of the asset group is determined to not be recoverable and is in excess of the estimated fair value, the Company will record an impairment loss in other expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also subleases certain mini stores that are within the supermarket to other parties. The Company collects security deposits and rent from these sub-lease tenants. The rent income collected from sub-lease tenants recognized as rental income and deducted occupancy cost. Occupancy cost mainly consists of rents and common area maintenance fees. Fair value measurements The Company records its financial assets and liabilities in accordance with the framework for measuring fair value in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This framework establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value: Level 1: Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 2: Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets. Level 3: Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. Fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and non-financial liabilities are primarily used in the impairment analysis of intangible assets and long-lived assets. Financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities are reported in the consolidated balance sheets at cost, which approximate fair value because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization and their current market rates of interest. Revenue recognition The Company adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC Topic 606”), from May 1, 2020, using the modified retrospective transition approach to all contracts that did not have an impact on the beginning retained earnings on May 1, 2020. The Group’s revenue recognition policies effective on the adoption date of ASC Topic 606 are presented as below. In accordance with ASC Topic 606, the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied upon the transfer of goods to the customer, which occurs at the point of sale. Revenues are recorded net of discounts, sales taxes, and returns and allowances. The Company sells Company gift cards to customers. There are no administrative fees on unused gift cards, and the gift cards do not have an expiration date. Gift card sales are recorded as contract liability when sold and are recognized as revenue when either the gift card is redeemed or the likelihood of the gift card being redeemed is remote (“gift card breakage”). The Company’s gift card breakage rate is based upon historical redemption patterns, and it recognizes breakage revenue utilizing the redemption recognition method. The Company also offers discounts on the gift cards sold to its customers. The discounts are recorded as sales discount when gift card been redeemed. The Company’s contract liability related to gift cards was $308,326 and $449,334 as of January 31, 2024 and April 30, 2023, respectively. The following table summarizes disaggregated revenue from contracts with customers by product group: perishable and non-perishable goods. Perishable product categories include meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit. Non-perishable product categories include grocery, liquor, cigarettes, lottery, newspaper, reusable bag, non-food, and health products. Three Months ended 2024 2023 Perishables $ 7,243,469 $ 8,701,876 Non-perishables 6,355,010 6,935,219 Total revenues $ 13,598,479 $ 15,637,095 Nine Months ended 2024 2023 Perishables $ 22,438,157 $ 23,069,855 Non-perishables 18,678,841 18,145,400 Total revenues $ 41,116,998 $ 41,215,255 Cost of sales Cost of sales includes the rental expense, depreciation, the direct costs of purchased merchandise, shrinkage costs, store supplies, and inbound shipping costs. The cost of sales is a net of vendor’s rebates and discounts. The Company subleases certain mini stores that are within the supermarket to other parties. The Company collects security deposits and rents from these sub-lease tenants. The rent income collected from sub-lease tenants are recognized as rental income and deducted rental expense. Selling expenses Selling expenses mainly consist of advertising costs, promotion expenses, and payroll and related expenses for personnel engaged in selling and marketing activities. Advertising expenses, which consist primarily of online and offline advertisements, are expensed when the services are performed. The Company’s advertising expenses were $44,052 and $11,232 for the three months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company’s advertising expenses were $78,558 and $16,070 for the nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively Starting from August 2023, the Company leased out certain spaces in the supermarket for people doing banner advertisement, and the Company recorded $19,200 and $48,000 advertising income from banner advertisement for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024. General and administrative expenses General and administrative expenses mainly consist of payroll and related costs for employees involved in general corporate functions, professional fees and other general corporate expenses, as well as expenses associated with the use by these functions of facilities and equipment, such as rental and depreciation expenses. Concentrations of risks (a) Major customers For each of the three and nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company did not have any customers that accounted for more than 10% of consolidated total net sales. (b) Major vendors The following table sets forth information as to the Company’s suppliers that accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s total purchases for the three months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023. Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Supplier Percentage of Supplier Percentage of A 16 % A 27 % B 6 % B 25 % C 25 % C 46 % The following table sets forth information as to the Company’s suppliers that accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s total purchases for the nine months ended January 31, 2024 and 2023. Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended Supplier Percentage of Supplier Percentage of A 18 % A 20 % B 9 % B 18 % C 30 % C 18 % (c) Credit risks Financial instruments that are potentially subject to credit risk consist principally of accounts receivable. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and derived from products sold to customers and are thereby exposed to credit risk. However, the Company believes the concentration of credit risk in its accounts receivable is substantially mitigated by its ongoing credit evaluation process and relatively short collection terms. The Company does not generally require collateral from customers. The Company evaluates the need for an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers, historical trends, and other information. Historically, the Company did not have any bad debt on its accounts receivable. The Company also has loan receivables to its centralized vendors occasionally. The loan receivables are typically unsecured and exposed to credit risk. However, the Company believes that the loan receivables amount to its centralized vendor is managed by its finance department and these centralized vendors are still providing products monthly to the Company. The Company does not generally require collateral from the vendors. The Company also evaluates the need for an allowance for doubtful accounts based on upon factors surrounding the credit risks. Historically, the Company did not have any bad debt on its loan receivables and all loan receivables been collected in subsequent period. Income taxes Income taxes are accounted for in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 740. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. 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 that includes the enactment date. The Company’s deferred tax assets are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that more likely than not will be realized. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, management reviews both positive and negative evidence, including current and historical results of operations, future income projections, and the overall prospects of our business. Realization of the deferred tax assets is principally dependent upon achievement of projected future taxable income offset by deferred tax liabilities. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the judgment occurs. The Company utilizes a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain income tax positions (tax contingencies). The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company considers many factors when evaluating our tax positions and estimating its tax benefits, which may require periodic adjustments, and which may not accurately forecast actual outcomes. The Company includes interest and penalties related to its tax contingencies in income tax expense. On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was signed into law, intended to provide economic relief to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions addressing the carryback of net operating losses for specific periods, temporary modifications to the limitations placed on the tax deductibility of net interest expenses, and technical amendments for qualified improvement property (“QIP”). The impacts of the CARES Act are recorded as components within the Company’s deferred income tax liabilities and income tax receivable on the Company’s balance sheets. Earnings (loss) per share Basic earnings (loss) per ordinary share is computed by dividing net earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the sum of the weighted average number of common stock outstanding and of potential common stock (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 stock that has an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) is excluded from the ca |