Villar home improvement retail chain going public

Tycoon Manuel Villar Jr.-led home improvement retailer AllHome Corp. is planning a P20.7 billion stock market debut this coming September, potentially launching the first initial public offering (IPO) in the local market this year.

Up to 1.29 billion common shares—of which 750 million will be primary shares—are planned to be offered to the public at a price of as much as P16 per share, based on a prospectus filed by AllHome with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Some 375 million secondary shares will be placed out by key shareholder AllValue Holdings Corp., while 168.75 million will be added in case of strong demand.

If all shares were sold, including the additional ones, at least 34.5 percent of AllHome’s shares will be in public hands.

UBS AG, CLSA Ltd. and Credit Suisse (Singapore) Ltd. are the joint international bookrunners while China Bank Capital Corp. and PNB Capital and Investment Corp. are the local underwriters.

Proceeds from the primary portion of the offering amounting to P12 billion will be used for capital expenditures and working capital for store expansion, alongside some debt repayment, the prospectus said.

Subject to regulatory approval, the Villar group intends to launch the offering in September and list the company’s shares on the Philippine Stock Exchange under the ticker “HOME” by October.

Incorporated in 2013, AllHome is a “one-stop shop” home improvement retailer which operates 25 stores with a total net selling space of 196,327 square meters across 20 cities and municipalities as of end-June 2019./TSB