The company had already had to withdraw its plan to enter Euronext in 2018 due to a lack of favourable conditions. Music group Believe has also scaled back its ambitions, although it stressed the interest of investors.
Several IPOs have just been completed, such as the Accor group's SPAC for 300 million euros, the marketing company Obiz and the electronic cigarette specialist Kumulus Vape, which was oversubscribed three times on Euronext Growth.
But with so many deals in the pipeline, investors are being selective and not all of them are going through. This is the case of PHE, a BtoB and BtoC car parts distribution company, which has just abandoned its project after a first aborted attempt in 2018. Electricity supplier ekWateur had also postponed its operation a few days ago.
Adverse conditions
"Parts Holding Europe and its reference shareholder Bain Capital (at 93%, editor's note) have decided to withdraw PHE's IPO project on the regulated market of Euronext Paris," explains the Group, which was planning to raise 450 million euros.
"The proposed offer attracted strong interest from long-term institutional investors who were convinced of the strengths of PHE's business model and its significant growth potential, particularly in a consolidating European independent aftermarket. However, due to unfavorable market conditions for IPOs in the United States and Europe, PHE and Bain Capital have jointly decided to withdraw the proposed transaction"He continues.
The initial listing of PHE's shares on Euronext Paris was initially planned for June 3, 2021.
300 million for Believe
This seems surprising, however, given the record number of IPOs launched since the beginning of the year on Wall Street and the very favourable trend of stock market indices on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2020, the company reported stable Ebitda at €203 million (+0.7 1TP1Q vs. 2019) and slightly lower revenue of €1.762 billion.
"With the support of its employees, partners and shareholders, PHE remains committed to pursuing its development strategy".
Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas and Barclays were in charge of the transaction on Euronext.
The day after the prospectus was approved by the AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) on 31 May, the music group Believe had also reduced the announced amount of its IPO from 500 to 300 million euros. The amount may be increased to a maximum of approximately €330 million if the Over-Allotment Option is fully exercised.
However, the group did not refer to market conditions to justify this decision. On the contrary, it emphasized the interest of investors and the desire not to dilute the existing shareholders too much.
FSP invests $60 million
"The last few weeks have allowed us to meet many investors, who have understood why Believe is ideally positioned to benefit from the digitalization of the music market and the rise of independent artists and labels. This is notably the case of the Fonds Stratégique de Participations (FSP) which will invest 60 million euros to participate in this IPO.", explains Denis Ladegaillerie, Founder and CEO of Believe
Shares can be subscribed until June 8 for a first listing on Euronext on June 10. The offer price could fall within an indicative range of €19.50 to €22.50 per share, for a valuation of approximately €2 billion.
Citi, J.P. Morgan and Société Générale are acting as Global Coordinators, Joint Lead Managers and Joint Bookrunners. BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and UBS are acting as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners. Rothschild & Co is the financial advisor.
.