Hong Kong's Rosewood Hotel Group to file for SPAC listing, say sources

Hong Kong

HONG Kong's luxury Rosewood Hotel Group, a unit of property developer New World Development, plans to file for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listing, three people with knowledge of the matter said, adding to the recent rush for such deals.

Rosewood, run by Sonia Cheng, the granddaughter of family-run NWD founder Yu-tung Cheng, has enlisted Credit Suisse and JPMorgan to lead the US SPAC listing, which targets the consumer sector, two of the people told Reuters.

Typically, a SPAC, a blank-cheque company that raises money through initial public offerings (IPOs) and merges with firms by enticing them with shorter listing timelines, will issue shares at US$10 apiece.

One of the sources said that Rosewood's SPAC listing could aim to raise about US$400 million. The hotel group, which manages one of Hong Kong's most prominent hotels located in the city's Victoria Harbour in the tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui, did not immediately respond to a query for comment. Credit Suisse and JPMorgan declined to comment. The sources declined to be named as the information is confidential.

Rosewood's SPAC deal, if it materialises, will join a growing list of such transactions involving Asian issuers, who are lured by the SPAC IPO's easier execution and lucrative returns once the SPACs merge with target companies.

Adrian Cheng, Sonia's brother and chief executive of NWD, is separately in talks with banks about a SPAC listing, the people said. Bloomberg reported on Monday he's aiming to raise US$400 million. The NWD family office did not immediately respond to a query for comment.

Property tycoon Li Ka-shing has also tapped advisers for a SPAC listing via his family office, other people said. Mr Li's investment vehicle Horizons Ventures denied on Monday they are working on a SPAC. His foundation did not immediately reply to a request for comment. REUTERS