Workflow
香港郑氏家族,静待875亿「救命钱」
创业家·2025-06-27 09:59

Core Viewpoint - The Zheng family, led by Zheng Jiachun, is actively working to manage debt and liquidity issues faced by New World Development, a real estate company heavily leveraged with over HKD 151 billion in debt and a net debt ratio of 57.5% [4][9][11]. Group 1: Financial Situation - New World Development is negotiating a refinancing deal of up to HKD 87.5 billion to alleviate its liquidity crisis [4][12]. - As of the end of 2024, the company has total assets of HKD 427.57 billion and cash reserves of only HKD 21.86 billion, while short-term debt exceeds HKD 32 billion [10]. - The company has delayed interest payments on perpetual bonds totaling USD 3.4 billion, which could increase debt costs and complicate refinancing negotiations [11]. Group 2: Management and Strategy - Zheng Jiachun has appointed his daughter, Zheng Zhiwen, to the core management team, indicating a potential succession plan [17]. - The management is focused on reducing leverage and aims to recover HKD 26 billion in funds by selling assets, including several office buildings in Hong Kong [19][20]. - The company is also working on converting agricultural land into developable land to enhance cash flow [20]. Group 3: Market Performance - New World Development's contract sales for the period from July 2024 to May 2025 are projected to reach approximately HKD 24.8 billion, achieving over 95% of its annual sales target [13]. - The mainland market, which contributes 70% of revenue, has shown strong sales performance, prompting management to raise the sales target for the mainland from RMB 11 billion to RMB 14 billion [13][14]. - Despite these positive sales trends, the company reported a revenue decline of 1.6% for the second half of 2024, with a shareholder loss of approximately HKD 6.63 billion [21]. Group 4: Broader Business Context - The Zheng family's business interests span various sectors, including jewelry, retail, and infrastructure, with Chow Tai Fook, a leading jewelry retailer, also facing challenges and planning to raise HKD 8.8 billion through convertible bonds [24]. - Chow Tai Fook's revenue and net profit have declined, with the company closing 905 stores in the past year, although it has seen an increase in average sales per store [25][26]. - The family’s other ventures, such as those managed by Zheng Zhiming, are performing better, with a net profit increase of 15% in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year [30].