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Manyavar Owner Vedant Fashions IPO: All You Need To Know

The IPO opens on Feb. 4 and closes on Feb. 8.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Manyavar brand by Vedant Fashions Ltd. (Source: Company website)</p></div>
Manyavar brand by Vedant Fashions Ltd. (Source: Company website)

Vedant Fashions Ltd., owner of the ethnic wear brand Manyavar, aims to raise Rs 3,149.19 crore through its initial public offering starting Friday.

The IPO—from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8—is a pure offer for sale of 3.64 crore shares by existing shareholders and promoters, the Kolkata-based wedding and celebration wear brand said in its red herring prospectus. The price band is set at Rs 824-866 apiece.

  • Rhine Holdings Ltd. (selling shareholder): up to 1.74 crore shares.

  • Kedaara Capital Alternative Investment Fund (selling shareholder): up to 7.23 lakh shares; it will fully exit the business.

  • Ravi Modi Family Trust (promoter): up to 1.81 crore shares.

Currently, Ravi Modi, Shilpi Modi, and the Ravi Modi Family Trust hold 76.38% in the company, while 7.6% is held by investors, including Rhine Holdings owning 7.19%. After the sale, share of promoter and promoter group will reduce to 84.9% from 92.4%.

The company is valued at Rs 21,017 crore at the higher price band.

Issue Details

  • Issue size: Rs 2,996.46-3,149.19 crore.

  • Face value: Re 1 per share.

  • Bid Lot: 17 equity shares and multiple shares.

  • Listing: NSE and BSE.

  • Average cost of acquisition of shares for Rhine Holdings and Kedaara Capital Alternative Investments Fund is Rs 166.27 per share, while for Ravi Modi Family Trust it is nil.

  • Allocation details: 50% for qualified institutional buyers, 15% for non-institutional buyers, and 35% for retail investors.

  • Registrar: KFin Technologies Pvt.

  • Lead managers: Axis Capital Ltd., ICICI Securities Ltd., IIFL Securities Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Capital Co., Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd.

Where The Money Will Go

The company will not receive any proceeds from the offer. The selling shareholders will be entitled to it entirely after deducting relevant taxes.

The IPO aims to achieve the benefits of listing the equity shares on the stock exchanges. The company expects the proposed listing to enhance visibility and brand image, and enable shareholders to obtain greater liquidity.

Business

Incorporated in 2002, Vedant Fashions has built a multi-channel network across the country.

The company, according to Crisil Research, is a category leader in the branded wedding and celebration wear market under its flagship brand Manyavar. It houses five more brands—Mohey, Mebaz, Manthan and Twamev.

Vedant Fashions has also expanded its footprint over the last five years. It operates 535 exclusive brand outlets across 1.2 million sq ft in 212 cities in India, and 11 exclusive brand outlets in eight cities globally as of FY20 compared to a retail space of 0.5 million sq ft as of FY16.

Most of its exclusive brand outlets are owned and operated by franchisees. Sales from such stores constitute the largest portion of revenue.

A large portion of the ethnic wear market remains unbranded, with branded accounting for 30-35% of the overall retail market.

The branded wedding wear market, however, is estimated to grow at an annualised rate of 18-20% between FY22 and FY25 to reach Rs 8.2 lakh crore, the prospectus said citing Crisil. That’d be driven by the menswear segment due to an increase in availability of brands catering to celebratory occasions and rising disposable incomes, acceptance of smart casual attire among corporates, global fashion awareness among the youth, and a favourable young demographic in India, it said.

Crisil estimates the average expenditure on weddings at Rs 10-20 lakh for a single-day function, with multi-event weddings trending in urban India.

Other new entrants in the lucrative market include:

  • Titan Co.: Launched Taneira, an ethnic-wear brand for sarees and ready-to-wear blouses.

  • Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.: Acquired 51% of Sabyasachi Couture, formed a strategic partnership with Tarun Tahiliani’s brand and entered menswear through its e-commerce brand Jaypore.

  • Raymond Ltd.: Entered the ethnic wear category via Ethnix.

Financials

Vedant Fashions’ revenue has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It, however, recovered in the first half of the current fiscal as mobility improved, state-wide curbs eased, and malls reopened.

In the six months ended September 2021, the company generated 44.76% of its sales from exclusive brand outlets in tier 1 cities, 38.64% in tier 2 cities, and 13% from tier 3 cities. The remaining 3.59% came from international markets.

Peers

Vedant Fashions does not have a direct listed peer in India. It, however, competes with Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, and Tata-owned Trent Ltd., among others, that have a presence in the Indian wedding and celebration wear categories. Brands such as Biba and Soch also predominantly operate in this segment.

Risks

  • Subsequent Covid-19 waves or any other widespread public health emergency in the future.

  • High dependence on single discretionary product category—wedding and celebration wear. Demand for Indian wedding and celebration wear is dependent on the frequency and volume of weddings. Also, this business is characterised by rapidly-changing customer preferences.

  • By owning multiple brands catering to the Indian wedding and celebration wear market and operating each brand within the same omnichannel network, Vedant Fashions is able to up-sell and cross-sell its products through its existing retail channels. But its inability to successfully maintain or enhance the recognition and reputation of any of its brands may adversely affect business and competitiveness.

  • The company engages third-party manufacturers, also called jobbers, for a large portion of its attires and accessories. Vedant Fashions may face the risk of its competitors offering its jobbers better terms which may cause them to resort to stop supplying the products.

  • The company’s warehouse, factory, and a majority of its jobbers are mainly based in a single geographical region in and around Kolkata. Vedant Fashions’ operations are more susceptible to regional risks.

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