Standard Chartered Bank and China’s Aiyingdao Ink
Strategic Investment Agreement
18 March 2013, Singapore – Guangdong Aiyingdao Children Department Store Co., Ltd. (”Aiyingdao” or the “Company”) and Standard Chartered Private Equity Limited (“SCPE”) jointly announced that the two parties have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. SCPE will invest in Aiyingdao and leverage Standard Chartered Bank’s platform to provide comprehensive financial services to Aiyingdao for supporting the Company’s business expansion. This cooperation will facilitate Aiyingdao’s effort to capture the growth momentum inChina’s fast-growing Maternity-Infant-Children (“MIC”) product market.
Aiyingdao is a leading MIC specialty retailer inChina. Founded in 1998, it currently has more than 230 directly operated stores in Southern, Eastern, andCentral China. The Company offers professional and personalised shopping experience to maternity and age 0-10 infant and children.
“SCPE has been closely following the investment opportunities in the consumer and retail sector inChina, and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to establish a strategic partnership with Aiyingdao,” said Wei Zhu, Head of Private Equity in Greater China, Standard Chartered Bank. “Under the leadership of Faqiu Ye, Chairman of the Company, Aiyingdao has become a leader amongChina’s MIC specialty retailers and built a professional and dedicated management team with strong industry expertise and in-depth understanding of the local market. We look forward to working with the management team to continue to grow the business and provide high-quality products and services to expectant mothers, infants and children inChina, thus contributing to the positive development ofChina’s MIC sector.”
“We are extremely honored to be able to establish the strategic partnership with Standard Chartered Bank. Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group with over 150 years of history and is well-connected with both the domestic and international capital markets. SCPE’sChinainvestment team has accumulated significant experience in the consumer and retail sector, and developed a deep understanding ofChina’s business environment and capital markets,” said Faqiu Ye, Chairman of Aiyingdao. “By cooperating with Standard Chartered and leveraging its extensive global network, unrivalled financial service platform, as well as the prior successful investment experience of SCPE’sChinainvestment team, we aim to establish ourselves as the leader in the value chain of MIC sector inChina.”
– Ends –
For further information, please contact:
Valerie Tay
Business Corporate Affairs
Standard Chartered Bank
Tel: +65 65969284
Email: Valerie.Tay@sc.com
Chunyong Li
Board Secretary
Guangdong Aiyingdao Children’s Department Store Co., Ltd
Tel：+86 756 329 1576
Email：13713395123@163.com
Note to Editors:
Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its profits in Asia, Africa and theMiddle East. This geographic focus and commitment to developing deep relationships with clients and customers has driven the Bank’s growth in recent years. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on theLondonand Hong Kong stock exchanges as well as theBombayand National Stock Exchanges inIndia.
With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, the Group offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for nearly 87,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. Standard Chartered’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’.
For further information please visit www.standardchartered.com. Follow Standard Chartered at www.facebook.com/standardchartered and on Twitter @StanChart.
About Aiyingdao
Established in 1998 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Guangdong Aiyingdao Children’s Department Store Co., Ltd. is a MIC specialty retailer with more than 230 directly operated stores in over 30 cities across seven provinces and autonomous regions in Southern, Eastern, and Central China, as well as an online sales platform (baby.com.cn). In the next three years, the Company plans to expand its store network to more than 600 directly operated stores across the country and generate RMB10 billion revenue through the online-and-offline-combined channel, with the ultimate goal of becoming one of the largest MIC specialty retailers inChina.
Adopting an operation philosophy characterised by “safety”, “professionalism”, and “competitive pricing”, and employing a three-dimensional “chain store + B2C + O2O” retail model, Aiyingdao is committed to providing mothers and babies with products and services of the highest quality. By sourcing world-famous MIC product brands, Aiyingdao offers tens of thousands of MIC products and other professional services such as child photography, swimming, hairdressing and children recreation. Aiyingdao is a trusted operator inChina’s MIC specialty retail industry, and always seeks to bring health, knowledge, and happiness to millions of expectant mothers, infants, and children inChina.
