The stressed asset business will be a mix of an ARC and a distressed asset fund. Ambit has already started insurance brokerage and equity research and sales businesses this year. It closed a $100-million private equity fund called Ambit Pragma Ventures recently. It is also keen on starting proprietary trading.
IT major Wipro Technologies and Gurgaon-based knowledge process outsourcing firm Copal Partners have expressed interest in bidding for the Indian back office business of Lehman Brothers Holdings, the US-based investment banking firm that filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday.
Recently, IT czar Azim Premji bought a 10 per cent stake in Subhiksha through his personal investment arm for nearly Rs 230 crore, valuing the retailer at Rs 2,300 crore. Premji's firm purchased this stake from ICICI Venture. However, this time around, Subhiksha promoters are expected to issue fresh equity to investors and expect the valuation to be around Rs 3,800 crore, sources said.
This comes after both parties failed to arrive at an agreement on an appropriate valuation of the stake, a company executive said. Sterlite bought 51 per cent stake in Balco in March 2001 for Rs 552 crore (Rs 5.52 billion) when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government decided to divest the government stake in the public sector company.
The group, which employs nearly 26,000 employees, plans to cut employee costs by one per cent, or Rs 65 crore (Rs 650 million), in the current year by redeploying people in its various businesses and reducing new hirings. "Instead of external hiring, we have redeployed a part of our people resources from our mature businesses to the new ventures," Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said.
Companies that earlier took 36 months on housing projects are now completing them in around 30 months by boosting efficiencies and using modern technology. Commercial project developers are going a step further, completing projects in 17 months instead of 24. In some instances, mainly in smaller commercial buildings, developers are trying to cut down the project completion time to a mere 9 months.
Caisse manages nearly $155 billion of pension and insurance funds in Canada and North America while Ivanhoe has 70 shopping centres in Canada, the US, Europe and Latin America, totalling 46 million sq ft.
The regulator has also cancelled the licences of three packagers providing services to Subhiksha for violating the packaging rules. The warehouses are based in Bhiwandi, which is on the outskirts of Mumbai.
Property developers, consultants and brokers have seen a 40 per cent decline in enquiries from home buyers over the last three months.
The drive to cut costs is becoming critical as key input costs - steel, cement and labour - that account for 40 per cent of project costs have escalated 50 per cent over the past year.
Kinetic Motor Company, the Pune-based scooter-maker, which sold its business assets to Mahindra and Mahindra for Rs 110 crore (Rs 1.1 billion) on Wednesday, is now considering to get into the auto components business.
Unitech, the country's second-largest property developer, is planning to raise nearly $1 billion (Rs 4,200 crore) in the current financial year from private equity players for its hotel, commercial and retail projects across the country.
A Mahindra in every household wouldn't be realised without two-wheelers.
For such bonanzas, prospective home buyers have a downturn to thank. Property sales have fallen 15 to 20 per cent countrywide over the last six months, owing to rising home loan rates. This has pinched the cash flows of developers, already reeling under higher borrowing costs and a range of anti-inflationary measures that restrict their flexibility to raise funds.
Swan Telecom, which has received licences to operate mobile phone services in 13 out of the 22 telecom circles in India, is in talks with foreign companies for diluting 26 per cent of its equity for around $470 million.
ETAM, the French lingerie brand that has a joint venture with Kishore Biyani's Future Group, recently pulled out of Palm Beach Galleria mall in Navi Mumbai, together with six other retailers such as grocery chain Foodland Fresh and Manoranjan sarees.
Unitech, the country's second largest property developer, has raised $300 million (nearly Rs 1,290 crore) from international investors for its $600 million global property fund.
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), India's largest sports utility vehicle maker, is buying a major portion of two-wheeler maker Kinetic Motor Company's assets in a deal valued at Rs 110-120 crore (Rs 1.1 to 1.2 billion).
Housing Development and Infrastructure, country's third largest listed realty developer, has forayed into entertainment, power, oil & gas and broadcasting, among others, either directly or by acquiring stake. The company recently acquired a 51 per cent stake in Broadcast Initiatives, promoted by Sri Adhikari Brothers. Sarang Wadhawan talks about his company's plans and projects in an interview with Business Standard.
Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is looking for acquisitions to start its cement business much before it completes its 4,000-Mw mega power project at Sasan in eastern Madhya Pradesh, which is to provide the fly ash that is used to make cement.
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