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This year, we've saved the best until last 👊
2023 has been lively for everyone – THG is no exception.
Emergency fundraisers from consumer-facing businesses were common in 2023 - businesses navigated inflation, exploding interest rates & a weary consumer. Sadly, some didn't make it to Christmas.
Anyone reading THG’s media coverage from a few blatantly dubious characters, could be forgiven for thinking THG might be one of them. Maybe they had a “Christmas drink” riding on it? Well, they may now be tucking into a smaller turkey this year instead.
Not only is THG still here, but we’ve grown stronger and had some good fun in 2023. And now we’ve managed to squeeze another piece of exciting news in before year end.
Adding to recent deals with CityAM and Williams Racing…….THG has acquired major US beauty brand Biossance.
UK market valuations make it near impossible for UK companies to buy overseas businesses. Instead, each day, foreign buyers gobble up UK companies like a game of “Pac-Man” 😉
Quality beauty brands usually sell for a multiple of 4 to 6 times revenues. The biggest beauty deal in 2023 saw L'Oréal pay 5 x revenues ($2.5bn) for Aesop, despite falling sales. UK companies simply can't compete in these deals.
Launched in 2015, Amyris went on to invest $300m-$400m in building Biossance. c$200m was invested in brand marketing alone, with Reese Witherspoon the key ambassador (see pic). And so the Biossance brand equity is strong, especially across the US.
In 2022, annual revenues reached almost $100m, but with losses of c$90m to match. Amyris, a bio-tech business, launched other, smaller, celebrity brands with a similar strategy.
The losses and cash burn finally caught up, and Amyris went bust a few weeks ago, and all brands put up for sale.
Usually, there’d be a queue of buyers for a brand like Biossance - a large, premium, clean chemistry brand, with sustainability at its core. Over 50% of sales are generated from Biossance’s own website, and it has a major US store agreement with SEPHORA.
But buyer interest was minimal. The only other serious bidder was a US PE firm.
Why? In short, because nobody has a THG Ingenuity division. Biossance has a fantastic management team, led by Catherine Gore, but they need a new supply chain, tech platform, and cheaper routes to market. We bring these.
Biossance should be immediately breakeven in THG. Our US and UK labs will support with manufacturing, and THG Ingenuity immediately brings both a new global website & distribution.
LOOKFANTASTIC.COM & Cult Beauty already sell c$2m pa of Biossance products, which we can now accelerate.
After 5 hours of bidding, THG won by agreeing to pay $20m for Biossance. Included in the deal is c$23m of stock and $6m of receivables.
And so, if we do a good job in converting these assets into cash, it could mean we’ve paid less than nothing for a large, US, premium beauty brand…..Even U
Less than 0.5 down and people getting angry..we’ve had 2 decent runs at 80 in the last week or so.. suggests to me we are going to get through it sooner rather than later..80p+ by the end of week or I will eat my non existent hat..
New times article..can somone post wording that has subscription..
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/moulding-employs-pac-man-defence-as-kelso-urges-thg-break-up-hldgtmrdm
Https://www.afr.com/street-talk/uk-ecommerce-group-thg-adds-adore-beauty-to-its-cart-20231126-p5emv2
Article is new from today..can see their was speculation a few years ago though..
Another drop incoming today thanks to Matt and his crazy ramblings..thanks Matt for generating shareholder value..NOT..you ruddy prat. Stop blaming everyone and everything and start hitting bloody targets and giving us this strategic update you complete part of a man
Apparently, the movie Groundhog Day is one of the most watched movies at Christmas.
But there’s a real-life version people can watch every day in London 😂
Today’s episode involves British brand, Hotel Chocolat, which IPO’d in May 2016 at 148p a share. At the time, it had sales of c£85m and £10m EBITDA.
Since then, Hotel Chocolat’s Sales and Profits have more than doubled to £205m and £24m - a true British success story.
Despite this stunning performance, the shares recently fell to all-time lows of 100p.
6 years of hard work, probably c£50m of LSE related costs and fees, and it's valued at a third less than at IPO 🙄
As recent as 5 years ago, investors would ask for a 30% discount when valuing private companies versus LSE peers. The argument was that investors needed a discount as they can't easily sell shares in private companies, and so they're higher risk.
But times have changed. Today, it’s the norm for investors to want huge discounts to invest in UK listed stocks versus UK private companies, or overseas public markets.
Mars has agreed to pay 375p a share to take Hotel Chocolat off the LSE - a whopping +270% premium to the 100p share price just a few weeks ago.
Hotel Chocolat isn't small – Mars is paying £514m to take it from British into US ownership. In fact, the UK's largest companies like bp and Shell are valued c50% less than their US listed competitors like ExxonMobil.
The demise of the LSE has led to over 100 companies having left London versus this time last year. Another 19 companies, each worth over £100m, have also confirmed plans to exit, with almost nobody planning to join.
LSE data shows share volumes traded in London are down c40% YTD in 2023, and 50% in Q3, as investors swerve the UK for safer shores.
Where are those safer shores?
Wait for it….Romania, Turkey and pretty much anywhere except London.
Not that long ago, the LSE was where companies would raise investment for ambitious growth plans. Those days are gone. London ranks outside the top 12 destination’s for companies raising funds via IPOs so far in 2023 (see pic).
There’s no data to say what position London holds, but the UK raised less than half the funds of 12th placed Romania....
Why? The CEO of Muddy Waters, a notorious US Hedge Fund, gives some colour. He recently suggested that short sellers, like him, will always attack tech companies on the LSE - because they should be listed in the US, not the UK.
If founders list tech companies in London, he simply says they're “not that bright”.
Muddy Waters also ridiculed proposals to force UK pension funds to invest in LSE companies to save London: “There are going to be so many charlatans who come out of the woodwork and so much money lost”.
The demise of the LSE won't be fixed by forcing regular people to hand over their pensions. Surely, first we need to address the real factors causing Hotel Chocolat & hun
Interesting that the wording has changed in the none article published by this is money..no doubt that THG have been into them to get their facts right..complete none story
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/investing/article-12683627/amp/CITY-WHISPERS-Labour-council-debt-downer-THGs-Matt-Moulding.html
Absolutely sickening this depletion again..and nothing from the chairman (if he is sick the business can’t stop ..as harsh as that might sound). Anyone look at the accounts of ACHESON & ACHESON..turnover up profit down significantly..big admin cost (ingenuity). On the basis that this is generating a decent turnover increase would suggest other parts of beauty are worse then thought..all these inter company chargers..no wonder he doesn’t want to open up accounts to potential buyers…board is full of chartered accountants being creative every which way then can. For the love of God/Allah or the devil (more likely) please take off the market for anything above a £1 and put me out of my misery. Shambolic.
Https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-consumer/thg-owned-acheson--acheson-27970324?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
Can someone explain why these are reported separately…
So why aren’t they? Same with the L’Oréal deal why not issue RNS stating how much expecting to generate… The cynic in me thinks our CEO does not want the SP to rise…not sure of reason but the cynic in me thinks..’keep it low so I can buy it back low’ has crossed my mind a few times over the years…people will say ‘what about his charities / friends’ etc I say… get real.
The explanation is that…this is THG..get use to it. It’s frustrating as hell being a long term holder here..the SP is stuck in a rut..nothing is budging it apart from an offer that our CEO keeps to himself. It’s being held below 70p and looks like that will be the case into the new year…knowing this share we’ll be having the same conversation next year. Apologies in a bad mood tonight, I seen the first line of the linked in post when he posted it and I thought…this is the one he’s announcing the spin-off and there is an RNS..wrong..just another partnership/sponsor…another down (beat) day..I don’t know F1 but on football terms is Williams like a mid table team..understand about the macro environment but at this rate we are going to be back in the 50’s soon..sick face
Can anyone post full copy..notes about spin off again..
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thg-stays-positive-as-it-eyes-spin-off-l7lv8dxsx