Pepco eyes £5bn valuation as it prepares for IPO

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
May 5, 2021

Discount giant Pepco Group, the owner of clothing retailer Pep&Co, has been valued close to £5 billion ahead of a proposed initial public offering (IPO).

Pepco Group, which has been capitalising on an increased demand for discounted goods amid the coronavirus crisis, is listing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Its South African owner Steinhoff International Holdings is seeking to raise PLN4.6 billion (£870 million) from the IPO, listing as much as 17.5% of Pepco.

Steinhoff and other key shareholders plan to sell 101.3 million existing shares, the company said Wednesday. Shares will be marketed at PLN38-46 apiece. The deal will be priced on 14 May, with the new stock set to start trading in Warsaw on or about 26 May.

According to reports, Steinhoff has been looking to sell or list the business for more than a year to raise funds to repay debt.

Although Pepco won’t receive any proceeds from the offering, the business has also struck agreements with lenders for €550 million (£475 million) of new term loans and a €190 million revolving credit facility to support expansion.

The global recession triggered by the pandemic has accelerated a shift by hard-pressed consumers to increasingly seek out discounters, with Pepco Group a major beneficiary.

Pepco Group operates more than 3,200 stores in 16 markets, including the Pep&Co discount clothing and homewares chain, which has a presence in fast-growing eastern European countries including Poland, Romania and Bulgaria and discount retail chain Poundland in the UK. 

The company also runs Dealz outlets in Ireland, Spain and Poland and recently expanded into Italy as part of its plan to reach more western European markets.