法国公司盯上中国炊具市场 French interest in Chinese cooking grows

 

中国中产阶层支出能力的不断增强，已促使法国SEB国际(SEB International)投资5.2亿美元，增持中国顶级炊具制造商苏泊尔(Supor)的股权。SEB国际是一家家用电器集团，旗下拥有好运达(Rowenta)和特福(Tefal)等多个品牌。

SEB在苏泊尔的持股比例将从51.3%提高至71.3%。创建该公司的苏氏家族将得以套现，并寻求新的机会。SEB于2007年首次入股苏泊尔，目标是在一个中上阶层不断扩大的市场谋求立足点。上周早些时候，SEB告知并购市场记者，也正是因为这个原因，它决定在亚洲与南美等新兴市场施行进一步的扩张。

SEB国际在一份声明中表示：

‘我们之所以实施这一补充性收购，是为了巩固SEB集团(Groupe SEB) 2007年完成的对苏泊尔的战略投资，并通过缔造稳固牢靠的股东基础，确保苏泊尔的平稳发展。’

SEB一位发言人表示，对苏氏家族而言，此笔交易预示着他们将有机会开展新项目、甚至投资新业务，但苏泊尔管理层将维持不变。苏氏家族将保留12.5%的股权。

SEB国际将把苏泊尔的流通股比例维持在16%。其发言人表示，SEB无意对资本结构做出任何进一步的改变，也无意让苏泊尔退市。

苏泊尔（英文）网站显示，这家公司成立于1994年，总部位于杭州，拥有雇员7000名（SEB雇员人数为2.3万名）。最初是因为一种压力锅产品而获得成功。它号称是中国炊具业的龙头老大。

上述交易已获得苏泊尔董事会批准，目前正等待股东批准。它还需要获得中国商务部(China Ministry of Commerce)及中国证监会(CSRC)的批准。

译者/何黎

http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001037048

The growing spending power of China’s middle-class has prompted France’s SEB International, the home appliance group with the Rowenta and Tefal brands in its portfolio, invest $520m to increase its stake in Supor, a top Chinese cookware maker.

SEB will raise its stake to 71.3 per cent from 51.3 per cent in a move that will allow the founding Su family to take cash out of the business and look for new opportunities.

The French group acquired its initial stake in 2007 with the idea of positioning itself inside a market with a growing upper and middle-class. Earlier this week SEB told mergermarket of its intentions to expand further into emerging markets including Asia and South America for precisely this reason.

SEB International said in a statement:

'The purpose of this complementary acquisition is to strengthen the strategic investment completed by Groupe SEB in Supor in 2007 and secure the smooth development of the company through a solid and stable shareholders’ base.'

An SEB spokesperson said that for the Su family the sale presented an opportunity to undertake new projects and perhaps invest in new businesses, but the Supor management would stay in place. Teh family would retain a 12.5 per cent holding.

SEB International will retain Supor’s stock market free float at 16 per cent. The SEB spokesperson said there were no plans to make any further changes in the capital structure and has no intention of delisting.

According to the Supor website (English), the Hangzhou-based company has 7,000 employees (against SEB’s 23,000). Founded in 1994, its first success was with a pressure cooker. It claims top position in China’s cookware industry.

The deal has been approved by the Supor board and is pending shareholder approval. The deal also needs approval from the China Ministry of Commerce and the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001037048/en