Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. ("BIA" or "BIAL")

BACKGROUND
I have 20+yrs experience in Asia doing alternative strategies (i.e. non-delta1 non long-only) in fixed income, equity derivatives, and activist/catalyst/event-driven and long-short equity strategies with most of that time spent managing money. 

4 years in fixed income macro, 8 years running internal hedge fund and 4yrs investment banking at Citi in Japan, 3 years running an Asia multi-strat portfolio at a hedge fund, 4+yrs as an independent special situations analyst.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Japanese Interiors Market Reaches Record High Boosting Nitori, Muji and Others

Competition for Nitori: Online Furniture Sales Surge

Yamada Denki: Selling Sofas with Consumer Electronics Is Much More Promising than It Might Seem

Otsuka Kagu to Be Absorbed by Yamada Denki as Family CEO Departs

Nitori To Make a Rival Bid for Shimachu? More Fun To Go

Targeting Nitori: Cainz Follows Workman’s Success into Homeware Retailing with Style Factory Chain

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/otsuka-kagu-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5139:1" rel="noopener">Otsuka Kagu Ltd (8186 JP)</a> had cash problems in 2019 which required a saviour. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yamada-denki-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:641:1" rel="noopener">Yamada Denki (9831 JP)</a> stepped in as that saviour, injecting cash and buying shares, leaving Kumiko Otsuka in charge of the previous family battleground company.As <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/michael-causton" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:2415" rel="noopener">Michael Causton</a> wrote six months ago in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/otsuka-kagu-to-be-absorbed-by-yamada-denki-as-family-ceo-departs" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:46202" rel="noopener">Otsuka Kagu to Be Absorbed by Yamada Denki as Family CEO Departs</a>, that family control did not last as the recovery and rebound did not work as well as it might have, despite the substantial rebound in furniture sales in the WFH era.  Back then, Michael said, <blockquote>The departure of the founding family signals that Otsuka will likely become a wholly owned subsidiary sooner rather than later. On acquisition, Yamada provided a large cash injection to help with the chain’s operations, but with Otsuka having sold off most of its major assets, reducing fixed assets to just ¥164 million compared to ¥3.1 billion in 2010, and with sales still only growing slowly, it now looks as if Yamada will need to inject even more. Delisting the company and taking over complete control of strategy and operations is the only option left.</blockquote>That was prescient. Today, Yamada Denki and Otsuka Kagu <a href="https://www.yamada-holdings.jp/lang-en/pdf/press/210609_1_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> plans to merge. The Otsuka Kagu shareholder meeting is in 7 weeks (record date was 30 April), and the merger is scheduled to be effective in 12 weeks. A foreshortened timeframe on an 'easy' smallcap deal.

Otsuka Kagu Ltd (8186 JP) had cash problems in 2019 which required a saviour. Yamada Denki (9831 JP) stepped in as that saviour, injecting cash and buying shares, leaving Kumiko Otsuka in charge of the previous family battleground company.As Michael Causton wrote six months ago in Otsuka Kagu to Be Absorbed by Yamada Denki as Family CEO Departs, that family control did not last as the recovery and rebound did not work as well as it might have, despite the substantial rebound in furniture sales in the WFH era.  Back then, Michael said, The departure of the founding family signals that Otsuka will likely become a wholly owned subsidiary sooner rather than later. On acquisition, Yamada provided a large cash injection to help with the chain’s operations, but with Otsuka having sold off most of its major assets, reducing fixed assets to just ¥164 million compared to ¥3.1 billion in 2010, and with sales still only growing slowly, it now looks as if Yamada will need to inject even more. Delisting the company and taking over complete control of strategy and operations is the only option left.That was prescient. Today, Yamada Denki and Otsuka Kagu announced plans to merge. The Otsuka Kagu shareholder meeting is in 7 weeks (record date was 30 April), and the merger is scheduled to be effective in 12 weeks. A foreshortened timeframe on an 'easy' smallcap deal. 

Yamada Denki and Otsuka Kagu Do The Deed - A Quick Merger