How to IPO: a list for when you’re thinking of Listing is a summary of what we learnt during the Initial Public Offerings of Virgin Wines and Parsley Box earlier this year.
The first half of 2021 was the most buoyant period for UK IPOs in several years. This is more than a pandemic bump. Though the uncertainty of early 2020 caused delays, the exit market more broadly remained not just open but vigorous throughout the flux, and the meteoric rise of the SPAC attracted attention. While Private Equity’s appetite for take-privates has undoubtedly created headlines, London Stock Exchange saw a 467% year-on-year increase in the number of Flotations in H1 2021.
Virgin Wines, one of the UK’s largest direct-to-consumer online wine retailers, began trading on AIM in March 2021, at a market capitalisation of £110 million.
Parsley Box, the direct-to-consumer provider of ready meals focused on the Baby Boomer+ demographic, also floated on AIM in March 2021, at over £83 million.