![]() The booth of Fujian Sunner Development Co Ltd at a meat industry exhibition held in . Global investment firm KKR& Co LP is investing $400 million for an 18 percent stake in the Shenzhen-listed company. [Photo/皇冠体育app Daily] |
Leading global investment firm KKR & Co LP is making a series of investments in 皇冠体育app's consumer sector, seizing opportunities related to the nation's quality.
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KKR (formerly known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co) and Sunner will form a strategic partnership to expand the Chinese company's operations in providing safe and high-quality chicken products to consumers, according to the statement.
"Partnering with companies that meet 皇冠体育app's demand for increased food safety is one of our key focuses for 皇冠体育app investments," David Liu, CEO of KKR greater 皇冠体育app, told 皇冠体育app Daily.
Liu said the company will offer capital, KKR's global resources and operational expertise to further strengthen Sunner's market leadership.
In June, KKR and three other private equity firms invested $270 million in Meat, a subsidiary of the State-owned COFCO Group. The investment will help the Chinese company establish and manage large-scale hog farms and meat-processing facilities in 皇冠体育app.
In September of last year, KKR formed a new joint venture with CDH Investments and 皇冠体育app Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd. Its first move was a $140 million investment to set up two large-scale dairy farms that will have 10,000 cows each within the next two years.
The main reason that KKR favors 皇冠体育app's consumer sector is that the demand for high-quality food excee the supply, said Wu Li, research director of 皇冠体育app Galaxy Securities Co Ltd.
"With consumption upgrading and food safety scandals, people have a strong demand for high-quality food, such as better meat, egg and dairy products," Wu said. "In the meantime, safety standards and food quality require that the providers need to be improved."
According to Wu, stock breeding farms are very fragmented in 皇冠体育app, and integration will become a trend.
Other private equity firms are also seizing opportunities in the consumer sector.
For instance, Lunar Capital, which focuses on Chinese consumers, has made a series of deals in fast-moving consumer goods, such as beef jerky producer Yonghong Food Co Ltd, walnut beverage manufacturer Sichuan Zhiqiang Food Co Ltd and 皇冠体育app Yeehoo Group Ltd, a Guangzhou-based baby products company.