Jumei poised to raise US$400 million in American IPO

Chinese beauty and skincare products website Jumei International Holding is set to raise US$400 million in an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, as cash-tight Chinese e-commerce sites fight for position in the market.

Jumei, which sells cosmetics and skin care products, is among a number of Chinese e-commerce sites to list in the US, including Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group and JD.com.

China's biggest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group, earlier this month filed what could become the largest IPO in the United States as it rides the booming online shopping trend.

China's second-biggest e-commerce site, JD.com, plans to raise up to $1.5 billion in the US.

Jumei said in its prospectus that revenue more than doubled to about US$483 million last year while profit more than tripled to US$25 million.

Beijing-based Internet research firm Analysys International said in a research note that the listing could help Jumei expand its product categories and reach out to a wider customer base, although it may not be perfect timing as a number of e-commerce sites are also seeking listing around the same time.

Online cosmetics transactions grew by 55 percent last year to 92 billion yuan, making up about 5 percent of China's overall B2C market size in 2013, according to Analysys International.