Brief China: Guangxin Reloads A Peculiar Low-Ball Offer For Xingfa Aluminium and more

In this briefing:

1. Guangxin Reloads A Peculiar Low-Ball Offer For Xingfa Aluminium
2. The Empowerment
3. Puregold Price Club: Steady Grower with Provincial Expansion Story
4. The Pros and Cons of Whether We Will See A Deal
5. Fast Fashion in Asia: Trendy Clothing’s Toxic Trails – Investors Beware

1. Guangxin Reloads A Peculiar Low-Ball Offer For Xingfa Aluminium

Xingfa Aluminium (98 HK) has announced its major shareholder, Guangxin Aluminium (a wholly-owned Guangdong SASAC vehicle), has acquired 5,000 shares, lifting its stake to 30.001%, triggering a mandatory general offer. The offer price is $5.60, a premium of just 2.94% to last close.

Guangxin, together with certain management of Xingfa, attempted to take Xingfa private at $3.70/share back in 1H17. That scheme failed comprehensively, which was a good outcome for minorities as FY17 net income increased 28%. 1H18 profit was also a 25% improvement over the corresponding period.

The offer price is in line to where Xingfa traded last October and 23% below the recent peak back in mid-June 2018. It is also 37% below where China Lesso Group Holdings (2128 HK) acquired its 26.3% stake in April last year.

At a guess, this low-ball offer provides an exit for large(r) investor with regards to Xingfa’s low liquidity. But no irrevocables have been given and the Offer remains conditional on Guangxin holding 50% of the voting votes.

As expected, Xingfa is currently trading 1.4% through terms. For those interested in small-cap, illiquid stocks, I would buy around these levels to play the back-end, or the (remote) possibility of a bump. The offer has not been declared final.

2. The Empowerment

Starbucks’ growth story in China faces a new threat: WeWork Go. U.S. dollar stores face rising threat of substitutes from healthcare insurers. Uber Freight’s new Yelp-like Facility Ratings raises bar further for trucking brokerage firms.

• U.S. Dollar Stores: Dollar Tree and Dollar General will face a rising threat of substitutes as healthcare insurers like Health Care Service Corp. launch subsidized meal delivery services to low-income consumers living in food deserts as a preventative healthcare measure.
• Trucking Brokerage Firms: Uber Freight’s new Yelp-like Facility Ratings feature raises the bar further for trucking brokerage firms by providing its drivers with a new level of empowerment and transparency.
• Starbucks: Starbucks’ growth story in China faces a new threat with the launch of WeWork Go which offers the public free coffee and pay-as-you-go access to WeWork’s locations.

I was thrilled to learn that Google just launched a new feature called Live Transcribe as it will empower deaf people, like my brother, by transcribing audio in real time. I’m also excited to order Casper’s new Glow Light for my kids to help them fall asleep better and wake up. It’s exciting to see Aetna partner with Apple on a new health-tracking and motivation app as it could be really valuable to help people engage in healthy behaviours. It’s also very encouraging to see health insurers like Health Care Service Corp. try to help low-income consumers living in food deserts by offering them subsidized health meal delivery services. While Uber Freight is looking to empower its drivers through its new Yelp-like feature for shipping and receiving facilities, Amazon is empowering its sellers with its Amazon Live Creator app which enables them to livestream for free on its platform to promote their products. And even Foot Locker seems to be gaining a social conscience with its new community-driven mission “to inspire and empower youth culture”, which coincides with its $100M strategic investment in the sneaker resale marketplace GOAT Group.

3. Puregold Price Club: Steady Grower with Provincial Expansion Story

• Conference call with the IR of Puregold Price Club (PGOLD PM) reveals that SSSG grew healthily at 6.5% YoY in 9M18, thanks to personal income tax cut.
• The bigger growth driver is provincial expansion (outside Metro Manila), which would allow PGOLD to achieve mid-teen sales growth.
• There has been little to no sales impact from e-commerce as e-commerce penetration in Philippines is lagging even in the ASEAN context. 
• PGOLD trades at 18.3x 2019E PE, a 15% discount to peers average of 21.6x

4. The Pros and Cons of Whether We Will See A Deal

There is rising discussion about the probability of whether we will see a deal between the US and China to prevent a full blow trade war by March 1.  We wanted to give you our assessment and its many layers.

5. Fast Fashion in Asia: Trendy Clothing’s Toxic Trails – Investors Beware

Fashion industry is a leading polluter of water, air and land and its rapid growth has inflicted serious environmental damage in manufacturing bases across Asia. With increased consumer awareness and public scrutiny, leading brands globally have committed to adopt sustainable practices. This can mean a rise in operating costs, margin pressures which can lead to higher prices and/or lower volumes. What does that mean for corporate earnings growth and stock valuations? Our report attempts to arrive at some ballpark estimations based on a scenario analysis. Leading branded apparel companies can suffer market value destruction ranging  up to 30% if their long term margins and growth assumptions are reset at lower levels following a shake-up of their existing low cost model. And, those who refuse to adapt and adopt sustainable processes could soon be shunned by ESG-led investors and environmentally mindful consumers alike, leading to valuation discounts. Investors Beware.

Over the past decades, corporate growth and profitability agenda overshadowed environmental considerations, and apparel brands have grown in an environmentally unsustainable manner. Beneath the façade of glitzy fashion magazines lies the dirty underbelly of pesticide use, water mismanagement, irresponsible effluent discharge, chemical poisoning, greenhouse gas emissions, energy overuse, micro-plastic pollution and landfill dumping. Until recently, the notion that apparel retailers should be responsible and accountable for the environmental infringements in their highly fragmented but globalised supply chain was an unwelcome idea. Under pressure from consumers and activists, this is now changing. With ESG-led investing going mainstream, investors too may start to take notice.

The detailed report below includes:

1. Summary and conclusions from the study on Fast Fashion’s environmental footprint in Asia and impact of rise in consumer awareness on global apparel companies
2. Understanding Fast fashion
3. Fast Fashion trends in Asia – Survey findings on consumer attitudes to shopping and environmental issues
4. Environmental issues in Asia due to Fast fashion
5. Sustainable clothing – an emerging trend, and what can turn it mainstream

6. Investing in Fast fashion: between a rock and a hard place – a Valuation vulnerability analysis

7. Sustainability & 13 leading fast Fashion players – how future ready are they?