Lulu Retail Holdings announces price range, start of subscription period

ABU DHABI, 28th October, 2024 (WAM) -- Lulu Retail Holdings PLC today announced the price range for the sale of its shares and the start of the subscription period for its initial public offering (IPO) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).

In a statement on Monday, the company said that the subscription period starts today and is expected to close on Tuesday, 5th November 2024 for the UAE Retail Offering, Eligible Senior Executives, and for Professional Investors.

The offer price range has been set between AED1.94 and AED2.04 per Share. Assuming all the shares offered are sold, the size of the offering will be between AED5.01 billion (c. $1.36 billion) and AED5.27 billion (c. $1.43 billion).

Based on the offer price range, Lulu Retail is set to list with a market capitalisation of between AED20.04 billion (c. $5.46 billion) and AED21.07 billion (c. $5.74 billion).

A total of 2,582,226,338 ordinary shares, representing 25% of the total issued Shares in the company, are to be sold by the company's sole shareholder, Lulu International Holdings Limited.

The final offer price will be determined through a book building process and is expected to be announced on Wednesday, 6th November 2024.

The company is targeting a total dividend pay-out ratio of 75% of annual distributable profits after tax, paid semi-annually, subject to its dividend policy. The company targets that a dividend for the six months ended 31st December 2024 will be paid in the first half of 2025.

Admission of the shares to trading on the ADX is expected to take place on Thursday, 14th November 2024.

Saifee Rupawala, Chief Executive Officer of Lulu Retail, said, "Our offering presents a unique opportunity for local and international investors to participate in the growth of the largest pan-GCC retailer by market share and the fastest-growing player of scale in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More than 600,000 people shop with Lulu every day across our multiple store formats, which cater for all shopping experiences and bring the world to the GCC through our diverse and extensive product range.

"We expect continued strong macroeconomic growth across our six markets driven by favourable demographic and consumption trends, and we continue to invest in our business to drive growth and loyalty across our existing 240-store network while also opening new stores, enhancing our operational efficiencies, growing our private label range and our online and ecommerce business."

On 28th October 2024, the company and the selling shareholder entered into cornerstone investor agreements with Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company Co. B.S.C. (Mumtalakat), Emirates International Investment Company LLC (EIIC) and Oman Investment Authority (the Cornerstone Investors") pursuant to which each of the Cornerstone Investors severally (and neither jointly nor jointly and severally) has committed to purchase sale shares in the qualified investor offering at the offer price.

The aggregate commitments of all the cornerstone investors pursuant to the cornerstone investor agreements are approximately AED753 million (US$205 million), of which EIIC has committed to subscribe to US$100 million, with the cornerstone investors' shares being subject to a 180-day lock-up arrangement, following listing.