Shein files for Hong Kong IPO in hopes of salvaging London listing: FT report

Online fast fashion giant Shein has confidentially filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong in a bid to apply pressure on U.K. regulators and accelerate its long embattled listing ambitions, according to the Financial Times.

The Chinese-founded, Singapore-based retailer privately submitted a draft prospectus last week with the Hong Kong exchange (HKEX) and courted the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), two sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper.

The HKEX said it does not comment on individual companies when contacted by CNBC. The CSRC, U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and London Stock Exchange did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the reports.

Shein previously filed to list in London around 18 months prior, but has struggled to receive regulatory approval and in May reportedly shifted its focus to Hong Kong.

U.K. and Chinese regulators have so far failed to agree on the appropriate language for the risk disclosure section of the company’s prospectus.

These provisions relate to Shein’s supply chain exposure in China’s Xinjiang region, which has been heavily scrutinized over alleged human rights abuses against its indigenous Urghur population. Chinese authorities have denied the claims.

The U.K.’s FCA approved a version of Shein’s prospectus earlier this year but the draft was not accepted by the CSRC, which has grown stricter on how companies describe the risks of operating in China.

Analysts have voiced skepticism over whether Chinese approval would force the U.K. regulator’s hand to grant similar concessions.

“Even if it has been approved by Chinese Authorities, approval by the FCA would still need to go through all its processes, so a London listing still has a number of hurdles,” Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, told CNBC by email.

 “The Financial Conduct Authority has a responsibility to protect investors against issues which could be detrimental to their interests,” she continued.

Streeter nevertheless suggested that continued pressure from the U.K. could further accelerate changes within the firm.

“ESG laggards come with high ESG risks, however there is an argument that investment opportunity lies in transformation. A Shein listing could make the firm more transparent and accountable to shareholders who could engage with the firm to improve standards,” she said.

A London listing had been seen as a boon for the nearly 17-year-old Chinese-founded company, providing international legitimacy and access to a deep and mature pool of Western investors.

Shein has faced an uphill battle in its listing ambitions. Shein last year shifted its attention from a New York listing to London after facing continued pushback on such issues from U.S. lawmakers.

Meanwhile, concern over its commercial practices prompted an EU investigation, which in May found the company in breach of consumer protection laws, including the use of fake discounts, pressure selling and misleading shoppers over sustainability claims.

The closure in May of the U.S.’s de minimis loophole for low cost goods — and possible similar measures by the EU and the U.K. — have only added to the company’s woes.