Little Infor - Bonia

It is an investment holding company, which engages in the market retail and distribution of leatherwear footwear men's apparel and accessories.

It operates through the following segments: Retailing, Manufacturing, and Investment & Property Development.

The Retailing segment designs, promotes and markets apparels footwear accessories and leather goods. The Manufacturing segment engages in the manufacture and market of leather goods. The Investment & Property Development segment consists of investment holding and rental and development of commercial properties.

Other than expanding its own in house brands, the group has also been aggressively expanding its co owned brand … Braun Buffel.

In Sept 2015 Bonia’s subsidiaries BB Global Holdings Pte Ltd (BBGH) acquired intellectual property rights from Braum GmbH & Co KG (BBKG) in a deal worth EUR1.88 million (equivalent to RM9.21 million)

The clothing manufacturer reported a net profit of RM5.41 million or 0.67 sen a share for the fourth quarter financial year ended June 30, 2015 (4QFY15), a 39.3% drop from RM8.92 million or 1.11 sen a share a year ago.

Revenue for the period also dipped slightly to RM148.3 million, from RM165.86 million in 4QFY14.

To recap it had proposed one for one bonus issue and two for one share split went ex on July 21 2014. Both exercises will increase its outstanding number of shares.

Key risks for Bonia will be a regional slowdown in consumer spending and stiffer than expected competition.

As at 2014 institutional shareholdings in Bonia stand at 40% compared with an estimated 15% to 20%. For instance, Milingtonia Ltd holds a 11.2% stake in the group. Milingtonia is said to be linked with Creador Group, a long-term private equity firm. Albizia Capital Pte Ltd holds a 7.96% stake in the company.

The institutional shareholdings in Bonia are also more diverse compared with several years ago, considering that Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) once held a dominant 32.99% stake in the retail group in June 2011. PNB has ceased to be a shareholder of Bonia, having divested its stake gradually to other institutional funds including Creador.

The group is open to strategic partnerships that can propel it further, beyond...Southeast Asia, such as China or even the Middle East eventually.

The Chiang family, through Bonia Holdings Sdn Bhd, Freeway Team Sdn Bhd, and family members, collectively own half of the group. Should the group find a suitable partner, the family may have to divest part of its stake.