The Competition Commission has approved Reliance's proposed acquisition of retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing businesses of Future Group. The Rs 24,713 crore deal that would boost Reliance Industries' fast growing retail business was announced in August. In a tweet on Friday, the regulator said it has approved "acquisition of retail, wholesale, logistics & warehousing businesses of Future Group by Reliance Retail Ventures Limited and Reliance Retail and Fashion Lifestyle Limited".
Future group firms are convening meetings of their respective shareholders and creditors in November to seek approval to their proposed merger into Future Enterprises as part of the 24,713-crore deal with Reliance Retail. Several listed transferor firms including Future Retail, Future Consumer, Future Enterprises, Future Lifestyle Fashions, Future Markets Networks and Future Supply Chain Solutions - have informed their shareholders and creditors about the meetings which will take place on November 10 and 11. The meetings of the equity shareholders, secured creditors and unsecured creditors will be held through video conferencing /other audio-visual means, said Future group companies, adding that remote e-voting facility will be offered to all participants.
Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd on Thursday accused e-commerce giant Amazon of adopting a media strategy of "having every development reported and converted into a line of communication with stock exchanges" regarding the Amazon-Future Coupons' arbitration proceedings in Singapore. The Court of Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) had turned down a plea of Future Retail Ltd (FRL) to be excluded from being a party to arbitration. In a regulatory filing disclosing the development, FRL said,"...this disclosure is being made out of abundant caution to avoid any speculation given Amazon's media strategy of having every development reported and converted into a line of communication with stock exchanges."
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday allowed Kishore Biyani-led Future Group firms to hold meetings of its shareholders and creditors to seek approval for the sale of assets to Reliance Retail Ltd. A Mumbai-based two-member NCLT bench comprising Suchitra Kanuparthi and Chandra Bhan Singh dismissed the application filed by e-commerce major Amazon opposing the scheme of merger of the Future group companies, sources close to the development said. Confirming the development, a Future group firm through a regulatory filing informed that NCLT has passed an order, allowing the company to hold meetings of its shareholders and creditors to seek approval for the scheme.
Future group founder Kishore Biyani on Wednesday said the homegrown retail major lost nearly Rs 7,000 crore revenue in first three-four months of the Covid-19 pandemic due to closing of stores, which led him to sell his business to Reliance Industries.
US e-commerce major Amazon Wednesday apprehended the "disappearance" of assets and sought an interim order from the Supreme Court to ensure the preservation of assets of Future Retail Ltd besides resumption of arbitration over FRL's merger deal with Reliance Retail. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli took note of the allegations of the US firm that the "applecart was being upset" by its rivals and asked the Future group firms, FRL and Future Coupons Ltd (FCPL), to respond to the interim plea of Amazon seeking resumption of arbitration and preservation of assets and fixed the hearing on March 23. Amazon and Future group are engaged in multi-forum litigations on the issue of FRL's merger deal to the tune of Rs 24,500 crore with Reliance Retail Ltd after the US e-commerce giant dragged the latter to arbitration at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in October 2020.
The probe is being conducted under various sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) after the central probe agency recently received a communication from the commerce ministry seeking "necessary action" against e-commerce players like Amazon and Flipkart pertaining to certain multi-brand retail businesses and an observation made by the Delhi High Court in relation to Amazon.
Amazon on Thursday said it has received a show-cause notice from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) based on a complaint filed by Future Group, with which the e-commerce major is locked in a legal battle. The American company and Future Group - one of the biggest retail companies in the country - have been engaged in a bitter tussle after the latter entered into a Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Industries for its retail, logistics and warehousing assets. "We are in receipt of a show-cause notice from the CCI based on the complaint filed by Future as a part of an ongoing dispute.
Future Retail Ltd has said that SEBI's one-year ban on its chairman Kishore Biyani and some other promoters from the securities market will have "no impact" on the Rs 24,713 crore-deal with Reliance. Further, Kishore Biyani, some other promoters and Future Corporate Resources Pvt Ltd (FCRPL) plan to appeal against the order passed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday. "The order will have no impact on the ongoing Scheme of Arrangement of the company. We understand that the relevant parties propose to challenge this order in exercise of their statutory right to appeal," Future Retail Ltd (FRL) said in a late-night regulatory filing on Wednesday.
Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd (FRL) on Monday said it is "reviewing" the Delhi high court order that has rejected its plea to restrain Amazon from writing to regulatory authorities about the SIAC arbitral order against its asset sale under a Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance. FRL, in a regulatory filing, said it would submit a brief summary after consultation with legal advisors.
While the investment amount could not be immediately ascertained, a report pegged it at about $2 billion.
Amazon has asked Sebi to suspend its review of the Rs 24,713 crore Future-Reliance deal and not grant a no objection certification on the ground that its challenge to the agreement was before the Delhi high court. E-commerce major Amazon has written to Sebi again, this time apprising it about the admission of its appeal before the division of the Delhi high court and urged the market regulator to suspend the review of the Future-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) deal. This is the eighth letter by Amazon to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman Ajay Tyagi since late October. Amazon has been opposing Future group's pact with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's RIL that was signed in August last year.
E-commerce major Amazon has written to Sebi yet again, apprising the market regulator of the formation of the arbitration tribunal at SIAC while urging it to suspend the review of the Rs 24,713 crore Future-RIL deal. It has also filed an appeal with the division bench of the Delhi high court against the December 21 order of the single member bench, according to sources.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Women of Big Bazaar SOS group said: "Future Retail and Reliance had entered into an arrangement through which Future's retail stores will continue to be operated by Reliance. Reliance has also committed to clear all debts and dues owed by Future Retail to suppliers and vendors."
Amazon on Sunday won an interim award against its partner Future group selling retail business to Reliance Industries for Rs 24,713 crore after a Singapore-based single judge arbitration panel put the deal on hold. Amazon had dragged Future to arbitration after the Kishore Biyani group firm had agreed to sell businesses to billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance.
Amazon has shot off yet another letter to market regulator Sebi, accusing Future Retail of insider trading and called for an investigation as the US online retailer looks to ratchet up pressure against the Future-RIL deal. Future Group, however, vehemently denied the charges, saying these allegations were "Amazon's ill-motivated attempts to throw everything at the situation to stultify the transaction."
Reliance Retail will acquire the retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing businesses of the Future Group. Future Group's financial and insurance businesses are not part of the deal.
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