RE: Kelso28 Sep 2023 07:13
We made our inaugural investment in THG during the period, holding 8.0 million shares at an average cost of 63.1p with a mixture of cash and CFDs. We announced our investment thesis for THG, highlighting the significant value, based on a sum of the parts, that is, in our view, clearly inherent within the business. We also set out in a public statement what we felt THG needed to do to realise the value lost to shareholders since IPO. THG's share price has certainly shown significant volatility, rising and sinking over c.30-50% twice during the period. After our purchases at an average price of 63.1p, the shares rallied to almost 120p following an approach from Apollo, fell back to a low of 57p when the approach was rejected, rallied again to a peak of 92p as shareholders anticipated strong interim results and subsequently fell to 67p (after 30 June 2023), when THG's interim results did not fulfil hopes of or articulate their investment strategy. We believe that management need to manage communications around the high-level strategy and future structure of the business and hence reduce such volatility, and work towards a break-up of the group alongside a move to the Premium Index of the Official List. We are supportive of the Board's improvements around governance and believe reduction in the price of whey will lead to a much more positive H2 trading position.