HONG KONG: Haier, the world’s biggest maker of household appliances, is planning a major restructuring that will see its main unit Haier Smart Home list in Hong Kong to take another group company valued at $7.7bn private, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Under the deal, Haier Smart Home, formerly known as Qingdao Haier and already listed in Shanghai, would offer minority shareholders in unit Haier Electronics Group newly issued Hong Kong stock for their shares, they said.
Financial advisers have been hired to work on the deal, which would give Haier Smart Home access to cash at Haier Electronics, the sources said, declining to be identified as negotiations were private.
Haier Electronics, which makes and sells appliances such as washing machines, held about 20bn yuan ($2.8bn) in cash and short term investments as of end-June, according to Refinitiv.
One of the sources added the plan was also part of the Haier group’s efforts to streamline its overseas operations.
Haier Smart Home currently owns 45% of Haier Electronics and unlisted parent Haier Group Corp. holds 12%, while minority shareholders include Vanguard Group, Norges Bank Investment Management and BlackRock, according to Refinitiv data.
The plan is still preliminary and would be subject to regulatory approval, the sources said, adding that the aim was to complete the deal in the second half of next year.
A representative from Haier Smart Home’s investors relations office said the team was not aware of the plan. Haier Group and Haier Electronics did not respond to requests for comment.
The Haier group was founded in 1984 by Chinese businessman Zhang Ruimin who built up a small loss-making factory into a major consumer brand. Major acquisitions have included New Zealand appliances brand Fisher & Paykel in 2012 for NZ$927 million and the $5.6bn purchase of General Electrics’ appliances business in 2016.
Haier Smart Home, which has a market value of some $15.4bn, also listed in Germany last year — the first listing of a Chinese company under the D-share program aimed at increasing foreign investment in Chinese firms.
Hong Kong-listed companies have announced a record 24 take-private deals this year, often citing uncertain market conditions or undervalued shares as reasons for the deals.
Haier Smart Home plans Hong Kong listing to take $7.7bn unit private
https://arab.news/zfhhy
Haier Smart Home plans Hong Kong listing to take $7.7bn unit private
- Haier Smart Home would offer minority shareholders in unit Haier Electronics Group newly issued Hong Kong stock for their shares
- Haier Electronics makes and sells appliances such as washing machines
Arab food and beverage sector draws $22bn in foreign investment over 2 decades: Dhaman
JEDDAH: Foreign investors committed about $22 billion to the Arab region’s food and beverage sector over the past two decades, backing 516 projects that generated roughly 93,000 jobs, according to a new sectoral report.
In its third food and beverage industry study for 2025, the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corp., known as Dhaman, said the bulk of investment flowed to a handful of markets. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco and Qatar attracted 421 projects — about 82 percent of the total — with capital expenditure exceeding $17 billion, or nearly four-fifths of overall investment.
Projects in those five countries accounted for around 71,000 jobs, representing 76 percent of total employment created by foreign direct investment in the sector over the 2003–2024 period, the report said, according to figures carried by the Kuwait News Agency.
“The US has been the region's top food and beverage investor over the past 22 years with 74 projects or 14 projects of the total, and Capex of approximately $4 billion or 18 percent of the total, creating more than 14,000 jobs,” KUNA reported.
Investment was also concentrated among a small group of multinational players. The sector’s top 10 foreign investors accounted for roughly 15 percent of projects, 32 percent of capital expenditure and 29 percent of newly created jobs.
Swiss food group Nestlé led in project count with 14 initiatives, while Ukrainian agribusiness firm NIBULON topped capital spending and job creation, investing $2 billion and generating around 6,000 jobs.
At the inter-Arab investment level, the report noted that 12 Arab countries invested in 108 projects, accounting for about 21 percent of total FDI projects in the sector over the past 22 years. These initiatives, carried out by 65 companies, involved $6.5 billion in capital expenditure, representing 30 percent of total FDI, and generated nearly 28,000 jobs.
The UAE led inter-Arab investments, accounting for 45 percent of total projects and 58 percent of total capital expenditure, the report added, according to KUNA.
The report also noted that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar topped the Arab ranking as the most attractive countries for investment in the sector in 2024, followed by Oman, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, and Kuwait.
Looking ahead, Dhaman expects consumer demand to continue rising. Food and non-alcoholic beverage sales across 16 Arab countries are projected to increase 8.6 percent to more than $430 billion by the end of 2025, equivalent to 4.2 percent of global sales, before exceeding $560 billion by 2029.
Sales are expected to remain highly concentrated geographically, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, the UAE and Iraq accounting for about 77 percent of the regional total. By product category, meat and poultry are forecast to lead with sales of about $106 billion, followed by cereals, pasta and baked goods at roughly $63 billion.
Average annual per capita spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages in the region is projected to rise 7.2 percent to more than $1,845 by the end of 2025, approaching the global average, and to reach about $2,255 by 2029. Household spending on these products is expected to represent 25.8 percent of total expenditure in 13 Arab countries, above the global average of 24.2 percent.
Arab external trade in food and beverages grew more than 15 percent in 2024 to $195 billion, with exports rising 18 percent to $56 billion and imports increasing 14 percent to $139 billion. Brazil was the largest foreign supplier to the region, exporting $16.5 billion worth of products, while Saudi Arabia ranked as the top Arab exporter at $6.6 billion.
