Heshengyuan has acquired Australian vitamin manufacturers for nearly HK$8 billion

Heshengyuan's overseas acquisitions have been frequent, and last night Heshengyuan announced the acquisition of Australian vitamin producer Swisse Wellness. The acquisition cost HK$7,667m, with Heshengyuan owning 83 per cent of the company.
australian media disclosed the acquisition yesterday afternoon, according to local media, Heshengyuan beat Shanghai Pharma and Chinese private equity fund Hongyi Capital to take the rights to Swisse Wellness. Local media went on to say that investors have shown strong interest in Australian vitamin producers recently, with Australian vitamin maker Vitaco raising $232 million in an initial public offering last week and blackmores shares, another vitamin maker, having tripled in the past year, thanks in large part to increased sales in China, so market analysts believe the company's motivation for buying vitamin makers is also to seize the opportunity to profit from them.
Heshengyuan said in yesterday's announcement that the company has laid a sound foundation in infant nutrition and health care products business, on the basis of which it is looking for business opportunities that can play a complementary role, in order to strengthen operating efficiency and financial situation at the same time to achieve the ultimate goal of enhancing shareholder value. Heshengyuan indicates that Swisse Wellness's products and Hesheng's existing products can form complementary length and synergies.
, Swisse Wellness' business focuses on research, marketing and distribution of vitamins and nutritional supplements under the Swisse brand in Australia and New Zealand. In the first half of this year, the Group's earnings from its continuing operations amounted to HK$1,731 million, with a net asset value of HK$113 million. In Heshengyuan's view, between 2013 and the first half of 2015, the group's sales growth rate reached 28% per year, such a strong performance can bring revenue and profits to Heshengyuan, and Swisse brand products can use Heshengyuan channels more smoothly into the Chinese market. Heshengyuan said the deal could be completed by the end of September.
, just last month Heshengyuan announced the completion of another overseas acquisition. Market speculation is that the company is the United States Healthy Times, Heshengyuan can use the acquisition, the introduction of organic milk powder in the domestic market, as a way to avoid the milk powder price war. (Beijing Business Daily)