Anta Sports is considering an initial public offering (IPO) of Amer Sports, Bloomberg has reported, drawing its information from people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Amer Sports includes brands like Wilson, Arc’teryx, Salomon and Atomic. The company and its co-investors are currently holding preliminary negotiations with investment banks for the IPO, which could reportedly raise at least $1 billion. The group includes Asian private equity firm FountainVest Partners. The IPO could take place next year. Bloomberg’s report also explains, however, that considerations are at a preliminary stage and that, according to its sources, Anta and its partners could ultimately decline to list Amer.
A consortium comprising Anta Sports Products and FountainVest Partners completed the acquisition of Amer Sports Corp. in 2018. Investors in the group also included Tencent Holdings and billionaire Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon Athletica. In 2020, Anta sold the assets of Precor, Amer’s fitness equipment business, to Peloton Interactive for $420 million.
As previously reported by SGI Europe, Anta Sports recorded a 13.8 percent increase in first-half revenues, driven primarily by its direct-to-consumer and e-commerce segments. This helped to offset a 34 percent sales decline in its traditional wholesale business, adversely affected by the pandemic.
