Janus Trying to Take Its Success at Home Onto a Global Stage

Janus Capital Corp. is looking to translate its success with U.S. investors into a thriving international money management business.

Janus International, the Denver-based fund company's global unit, has amassed $1.5 billion of assets under management since it was started last December. The bulk of these assets, $1.28 billion, are in the Janus World Funds, its offshore series.

And Janus is looking to double those assets next year, said Richard Garland, chief executive.

To accomplish this, Mr. Garland said, Janus is beefing up its London sales office, launching more offshore funds, and expanding its offerings in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Janus, which manages $207.5 billion in the United States, is not alone in seeking out new markets overseas. As the U.S. fund market has hit a plateau, many large fund companies are increasingly turning their attention to other parts of the world. Fidelity Investments, Franklin Resources Inc., and Pioneer Investment Management Inc., for example, set up their own distribution abroad, and Wellington Management Co., American Funds, and Alliance Capital Management are among those forming subadvisory or joint venture relationships.

Alliance Capital, for example, said this week that it plans to launch a series of funds in Argentina that it will subadvise with Banco de Credito Nacional of Sao Paulo.

"Janus is clearly a hot ticket all over the world," said Geoffrey Bobroff, who heads a mutual fund consulting firm in East Greenwich, R.I. "They've got such a positive halo because of the performance numbers," he said. "Why not take advantage of it?"

Janus was the best-selling fund group in October and the second-best seller in September, according to Financial Research Corp. of Boston. Two key funds, the Twenty Fund and All Cap Growth Fund, have returned 56.4% and 80.6%, respectively, for the year through Dec. 7, Janus said.

One of the ways Janus International hopes to grow is by hiring sales directors for regions in Europe. For example, Janus recently hired Andreas Morsch, 30, to be regional sales director for Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland.

Janus plans to add another six to eight people - including a regional sales director to cover southern Europe and a sales director for French-speaking Europe - to its five-person sales team in London, Mr. Garland said. And Janus may hire someone to concentrate on the Middle East, he added.

The fund company also plans to open three of its U.S. funds to non-U.S. residents, bringing its offshore offerings to 10. They are the small-cap fund, a global technology portfolio, and a global life sciences fund. Unlike the retail funds sold in the United States, Janus' offshore funds carry a load and are sold through banks, brokerages, and insurance companies. The offshore funds are registered for sale in Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Hong Kong. They are being registered in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Sweden, Mr. Garland said.

Janus also plans to start a fund family for the U.K. market next year. Initially two or three sterling-denominated Janus Universal Funds are planned, Mr. Garland said.

And two funds that Janus subadvises for Maxxum Group in Canada are being rebranded with the Janus name. The fund company also plans to launch additional funds north of the border, as well as to open an office in Hong Kong or Singapore, he said.

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