Seoul, March 15 - Crown Confectionery Co. , South Korea's third-biggest snack firm, is seeking to list confectionery unit Haitai in 2008 to pay back debt, a source close to the situation told Reuters on Thursday.
Fourth-ranked Haitai Confectionery & Foods Co. Ltd., which was sold to a Crown-led consortium in 2005 for about $450 million, earns $600 million in annual revenue, selling dry confectionery, ice cream and frozen foods.
Founded in 1945, Haitai is one of South Korea's oldest snack firms known for brands such as Ace biscuits and Bravo Cone ice cream. But it went backrupt in the late 1990s due to troubles at its parent and was sold to a UBS-led consortium in 2001.
The listing of Haitai also comes as key financial investors including South Korea's Military Aid Association, which took part in the 2005 acquisition of Haitai, want to cash out of their investments, the source added.
"Crown wants to list Haitai as soon as possible but because Haitai posted a net loss in 2006, it has to wait until next year. How much of Haitai it will offer in the IPO hasn't been settled yet," the source said, asking not to be named.
"As Crown has to guarantee some returns for its financial investors, the value of the firm post-listing should be at least over $500 million," the source said, adding Crown could pick an underwriter as early as this month.
A Crown spokesman said he was unaware of any IPO plan of Haitai.
Analysts say Haitai's outlook remains murky as it battles bigger rivals Lotte Confectionery Co. and Orion Corp. in South Korea's stalled $3 billion confectionery market, hit by deepening health concerns.
Crown and Haitai together control about a third of South Korea's confectionery market, tracking Lotte's 40 percent.
"It's hard to value the firm yet as Haitai has yet to report its 2006 financial statement..but it won't be more valuable than when it was sold to Crown in 2005," said Na Hong-suk, an analyst at Goodmorning Shinhan Securities.
Crown and the Military Aid Association have 35 percent and 33 percent of Haitai, respectively, while KTB Asset Management and other financial partners hold the remaining stake.