Business

Shein profits double to more than $2bn ahead of planned listing

Fast-fashion group is seeking Chinese approval for IPO in New York or London

Shein Group headquarters in Singapore: Its IPO is seen as a bellwether of Beijing’s attitude towards companies founded in China but reincorporated overseas to avoid geopolitical tension. Photograph: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg

Ryan McMorrow
Eleanor Olcott
Mercedes Ruehl
Ivan Levingston
Sun Mar 31 2024 - 16:50

Online fast-fashion giant Shein has more than doubled its profits as it awaits regulatory approval from Beijing to go ahead with its blockbuster listing in New York or London.

Shein hit a record of more than $2 billion (€1.85 billion) in profits for 2023 and posted roughly $45 billion in gross merchandise value, the total value of sold goods on its website, said four people close to the company, which was founded in China but has moved its headquarters to Singapore.

[ Shein accused of ‘mafia-style’ tactics by rival Temu ]

The group’s profits last year surpassed the $700 million of net income it generated in 2022 and $1.1 billion in 2021, according to a financing document.

Shein, whose clothes are popular among Gen Z shoppers, is waiting for regulators in Beijing and Washington to approve its listing, which is expected to be the largest initial public offering of the year. The group was valued at more than $60 billion in a recent financing round. Shein declined to comment on the financial figures.

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The IPO is seen as a bellwether of Beijing’s attitude towards companies that were founded in China but reincorporated overseas to avoid geopolitical tension. It is also a test of Beijing’s willingness to let Chinese companies raise billions of dollars on Wall Street after its crackdown on the technology sector.

Two people familiar with the progress of Shein’s application said they expected the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Cyberspace Administration of China to approve the share sale in the coming weeks.

[ Shein IPO points to improved market sentiment ]

Although Shein has moved its headquarters to Singapore and makes all of its sales outside of China, the company was founded in the Chinese city of Nanjing and continues to run most of its business from the country, leading the group to seek approval from local regulators.

At the end of 2022, Shein had 10,382 employees in mainland China working for more than a dozen subsidiaries and handling everything from logistics to writing code, according to data provider Tianyancha. In contrast, LinkedIn shows the company has roughly 200 employees in Singapore.

Xu Yangtian, the 40-year-old founder also known as Sky Xu, was born in China but has followed his company in moving to Singapore. He holds 37 per cent of Shein, according to lobbying disclosures filed in the US. Other major shareholders include Sequoia China, now known as HongShan, General Atlantic and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala.

[ Xi Jinping meets US business leaders seeking to mend China ties ]

Shein has been spending heavily on lobbying in Washington during the IPO push and amid growing scrutiny of the company’s model of air-shipping Chinese goods direct to US shoppers to avoid import taxes. Public records in the US show Shein spent nearly $2 million on lobbying over nine months last year.

The company’s substantial China presence has been criticised by lawmakers in Washington. Senator Marco Rubio in February urged US Securities and Exchange Commission head Gary Gensler in an open letter to “require extraordinary disclosures from Shein regarding its structure, interactions with the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party”.

The group filed confidential paperwork for a US listing in November, but a person close to Shein said the company had heard little from the SEC since then. Consequently, Shein is looking at London as a back-up option, said another person close to the company.

The pipeline of Chinese groups seeking large New York listings has been limited since the disastrous IPO of ride-hailing group Didi in 2021, which was forced by Beijing to delist over data security concerns. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024

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