Kingfisher PLC Agreement to sell controlling stake in B&Q China (4095A)
December 22 2014 - 2:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMKGF
RNS Number : 4095A
Kingfisher PLC
22 December 2014
Kingfisher plc announces binding agreement to sell controlling
stake in its B&Q China business
Kingfisher plc, Europe's leading home improvement retailer,
today announces a binding agreement to sell a controlling 70% stake
in its B&Q China business to Wumei Holdings Inc for a total
cash consideration of GBP140 million. The agreement follows
Kingfisher's previous announcement of its plans to look for a
strategic partner to help develop its B&Q business in
China.
The transaction is conditional on MOFCOM (Chinese Ministry of
Commerce) approval and, if approved, is expected to close during
the first half of next year.
Commenting on the announcement, Véronique Laury, Kingfisher's
Group Chief Executive, said:
"I am delighted to have found a strong retail partner who will
help us to release the financial value of our business in China.
This will enable us to focus our financial resources and management
talent on the large and attractive European home improvement
market."
NOTES TO EDITORS
Kingfisher plc is Europe's leading home improvement retail group
and the third largest in the world, with 1,176 stores in 11
countries in Europe and Asia. Its main retail brands are B&Q,
Castorama, Brico Dépôt and Screwfix. Kingfisher also operates the
Koçta brand, a 50% joint venture in Turkey with the Koç Group.
B&Q China opened its first store in China in 1999 and now
has 39 stores in the market, with over 3,000 employees.
Wumei Holdings Inc is one of China's leading retail chain store
operators. It was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Beijing.
The retail network comprises around 650 supermarkets and 10
department stores in northern, eastern and western China with a
sales area of over 1.4m sqm. It is the controlling shareholder of
Hong Kong listed Wumart Stores Inc and Shanghai listed Xinhua
Department Store. Its brands include Wumart, Jingbei Shopping Mall,
Merrymart, Xinhua Department Store, Zhejiang Gongxiao and
Laodafang.
UBS Investment Bank acted as financial adviser to Kingfisher on
the transaction and Hogan Lovells acted as legal adviser.
ENQUIRIES
Sarah Levy, Director of Investor Relations +44 (0) 20 7644 1032
Nigel Cope, Head of Media Relations +44 (0) 20 7644 1030
Brunswick (London) +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Brunswick (China) +86 (0) 21 6039 6305
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