Standard Chartered Private Equity acquires Chinese beauty center operator Siyanli

Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), Standard Charted Bank’s private equity arm, has led a consortium to acquire a majority stake in Chinese beauty care service provider Shanghai Siyanli Industrial Co., Ltd. in a leveraged buy-out transaction.

Following the deal which values Siyanli at US$224 million, Standard Charted Private Equity unit which was previously a minority shareholder in the spa and beauty operator will now acquire a controlling interest pro-acquisition.

“We are privileged to partner with Siyanli and its management team, who are determined to continue building a successful beauty care brand that caters to the future needs of China customers. We look forward to supporting the team to accelerate its growth and presence in China,” said Zhu Wei, the managing director of Standard Chartered Private Equity.

Founded in 1996, Siyanli is a high-end beauty care service provider in China, operating under the brand “Si Yan Li” which has been established as a recognisable beauty care brands and reports a strong brand funnel across the cities it operates in.

Siyanli operates 160 beauty centers in dozens of cities in China via self-owned and franchised stores, where consumers can receive skin care and anti-aging treatments, as well as massage and spa services. It claims to have over 100,000 paid members.

Post-acquisition, Zhu Wei will also take up the role of chairman at Siyanli following the buyout deal.

“As a partner to Siyanli, SCPE, with the joint effort from the investment consortium, we hope that we can add to the management expertise and avail the Standard Charted Bank global network – to support Siyanli’s growth plan and strategic expansion,” SCPE said.

SCPE manages about US$5 billion, including the Standard Charted’s own funds and money from external investors that include Goldman Sachs Group. As at November 2016, it owned stakes in about 80 companies across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. These range from a Nigerian energy producer to a Jordanian chicken company.

By Vivian Foo, Unicorn Media