Is Shein really worth Β£50bn? Reasons to be sceptical are piling up
Shein failed to list in the US and now the EU is planning customs duties that may dent its business model
A stock market listing for Shein has been talked about for so long that the round number of Β£50bn has become attached to this Chinese-founded fast-fashion retailer as a plausible valuation. Itβs probably time to ask: are you sure about that number?
The figure isnβt plucked out of thin air, it should be said. Shein raised money from private equity backers last year at a valuation of $66bn, which is roughly Β£50bn. But, since the company also raised a few dollars at a $100bn valuation the previous year, it has merely demonstrated the standard truth that valuations set in thin private markets can be volatile and are not to be relied upon. Translating a sketchy private number into a hard valuation on a serious public market is a different game.
Continue reading...Β© Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
Β© Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters