Investment Research - Asia Consumer Sector, Investory

Devi Subhakesan

Investment Research - Asia Consumer Sector. 

Equity Research experience of over 20 years. Earlier, Analyst for leading Buy and Sell-side institutions, covering markets in ASEAN, India, and North Asia. Expertise spans various sectors - Consumer Discretionary, Media, Textiles, Oil, Gas, and Coal.
Passionate about mindfulness and meditation.

Investment Research - Asia Consumer Sector

Zomato IPO: Offering Details & Index Inclusion

Zomato: Bullish IPO Outlook Vs Sober Financials. Value Lies in the Views of the Investor

Zomato's USD 1Bn IPO: India Foodtech's Lead Play. Striking when the Market Is COVID-Hot.

Alibaba-Backed Zomato Buys Ubers’ Eats Business in India

ASIA CONSUMER: INSIGHTS AND INVESTMENT IDEAS

Investory

Investory is a Singapore-based boutique independent equity research firm founded in January 2017 with a primary focus on consumption themes across Asia-Pacific.

We aim to generate investible ideas based on consumption trends and outlook. We screen our ideas on several parameters - product potential, long-term growth and management commitment being the most critical.  We follow a fundamental analysis approach in our stock selection process and are not restricted by market cap.

We aspire to grow into a leading source of unbiased research, free of conflict of interest, for investors yearning for independent and disciplined analysis. 

We also undertake bespoke research mandates to support our Institutional clients’ investment needs.

Our team comprises of professionals with extensive experience in the Asian equity markets, in areas ranging from research, servicing institutional clients and investment management.

Equity Capital Markets

In this insight, we discuss how and why the growth outlook for the online food delivery sector in India is not as robust as online consumer retail - a fact that Zomato's buoyant valuations seem to overlook. Food delivery players like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zomato-media-pvt" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28820:1" rel="noopener">Zomato (ZOM IN)</a> can tap into only a fraction of India's rising e-Comm user base in the next several years and hence are not the best plays on India's expanding online shopper base. India's low urbanization rate, restrictive social factors, and high level of income inequality limit the penetration rate for food delivery platforms like Zomato and thus impact their pace and potential for growth in the near-to-medium term vis-a-vis online retail tech platforms. Investors need to be cognizant of these restrictive macro factors while assessing this IPO's investment worth and valuation assumptions.Zomato's IPO has received the regulator's approval and is priced at Rs72 - 76 indicating a steep increase in valuation versus its last round of fundraising in February 2021. At the upper-end, Zomato will now be valued at USD8Bn+ versus USD5.2 Bn in Feb 2021. We suspect the street's excitement over this USD1.2 Bn+ IPO is likely driven by bullish growth expectations based on India's expanding online user base as well as the brand's high visibility and recall. We believe upcoming IPOs in the online retail sector like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/flipkart-online-services-private-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:31076:1" rel="noopener">Flipkart, </a><a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nykaa-e-retail-pvt-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33469:1" rel="noopener">Nykaa E-Retail </a>could offer a more direct investment opportunity to ride the growth in India's rising online spending.Our earlier report <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/zomato-s-usd-1bn-ipo-india-foodtech-s-lead-play-striking-when-the-market-is-covid-hot" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:50874" rel="noopener">Zomato's USD 1Bn IPO: India Foodtech's Lead Play. Striking when the Market Is COVID-Hot.</a>discussed Zomato's business basics.<section class="figure"><figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/217/484/original/Screenshot+2021-07-08+at+6.24.44+PM.png?1625741192" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="217484"></figure></section>

In this insight, we discuss how and why the growth outlook for the online food delivery sector in India is not as robust as online consumer retail - a fact that Zomato's buoyant valuations seem to overlook. Food delivery players like Zomato (ZOM IN) can tap into only a fraction of India's rising e-Comm user base in the next several years and hence are not the best plays on India's expanding online shopper base. India's low urbanization rate, restrictive social factors, and high level of income inequality limit the penetration rate for food delivery platforms like Zomato and thus impact their pace and potential for growth in the near-to-medium term vis-a-vis online retail tech platforms. Investors need to be cognizant of these restrictive macro factors while assessing this IPO's investment worth and valuation assumptions.Zomato's IPO has received the regulator's approval and is priced at Rs72 - 76 indicating a steep increase in valuation versus its last round of fundraising in February 2021. At the upper-end, Zomato will now be valued at USD8Bn+ versus USD5.2 Bn in Feb 2021. We suspect the street's excitement over this USD1.2 Bn+ IPO is likely driven by bullish growth expectations based on India's expanding online user base as well as the brand's high visibility and recall. We believe upcoming IPOs in the online retail sector like Flipkart, Nykaa E-Retail could offer a more direct investment opportunity to ride the growth in India's rising online spending.Our earlier report Zomato's USD 1Bn IPO: India Foodtech's Lead Play. Striking when the Market Is COVID-Hot.discussed Zomato's business basics.

FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) (NYKAA IN)

Zomato IPO: Floating High Above Sector Reality. Not a Linear Play on India's Rising EComm User Base