Hapag-Lloyd IPO Timing in Doubt

Photo: Hapag-LLoyd

FRANKFURT, Sept 4 (Reuters) – German container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd has taken further steps in preparation of a stock market listing and has mandated more banks for the move, but it remains undecided on the timing of the deal, people familiar with the situation said.

Credit Suisse, Citi and HSBC have been asked to help organise the initial public offering, alongside global coordinators Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Berenberg, the people said. Three further banks including MM Warburg are acting in further roles, one of the people said.

Hapag-Lloyd and the banks declined to comment.

Last month, Hapag-Lloyd decided to prepare for an official announcement of the IPO as early as September, but China’s market woes have prompted it to reconsider the timing of the deal, the people said.

“The Hapag-Lloyd story needs a strong market, as its business depends on global growth and trade flows,” one of the people said.

Investor assumptions on the development of the China market crisis and potential effects on the real economy and trade activity are being taken into account when picking a date for the flotation, the person said.

“No final decision has been taken, the intention to float may still be published later this month,” the person said.

Between 20 and 40 European listings are scheduled in the next few months, and bankers involved in such deals are hopeful that markets roiled by China’s limp growth prospects can be sufficiently soothed. (Reporting by Arno Schuetze and Alexander Hübner; Additional reporting by Freya Berry and Jan Schwartz; Editing by Maria Sheahan)

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