The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has awarded Rs 23.7 crore in damages, besides arbitration and litigation costs, to Amazon in its long-running dispute with the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group. The three-member bench of the tribunal held that Future Group had breached the terms of its contract with Amazon by entering into a transaction with Reliance.
The Indian lenders are worried over the fast depleting asset base of the Future group companies which would make their recovery of dues difficult. The asset base of Future group has eroded in the last two years due to lockdown and takeover of 947 stores by rival Reliance Retail after Future group's lease on the properties expired. Bankers said they have approached bankruptcy court so as to avoid any duplication of legal action and reduce time at the legal forums.
Future group promoter Kishore Biyani's stake fell consistently across group companies since December 2019 after American retail major Amazon infused funds in a Future group promoter entity and the group companies started showing signs of financial distress due to closure of stores due to Covid-19 pandemic. As lenders take Future group companies to the bankruptcy courts to recover their dues under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, the shareholders of Future group companies are staring at complete wipeout of their investments as secured lenders get top priority in any potential recovery, say lawyers. "The fate of all Future group shareholders is now sealed with them looking at a complete loss.
Shareholders of the six listed Future Group companies voted on Wednesday. Bankers said all the large lenders had rejected the proposal.
Shares of Future Group firms on Monday faced heavy drubbing, tanking up to 20 per cent, after Reliance Industries said its Rs 24,713-crore deal to acquire Future Group's assets cannot be implemented after secured creditors of the Kishore Biyani-led companies voted against the proposal. The stock of Future Consumer plummeted 19.91 per cent, Future Supply Chain Solutions slipped 19.96 per cent, Future Lifestyle Fashions 19.89 per cent, Future Enterprises tumbled 9.87 per cent and Future Retail fell 4.96 per cent on the BSE. Shares of Reliance Industries also dipped 1.75 per cent.
Listed companies of the Kishore Biyani-led Future group on Saturday informed exchanges about meetings of their respective shareholders and creditors being convened on April 20 and 21 to get their approval for the Rs 24,713-crore deal with Reliance Retail. Listed entities, including Future Enterprises Ltd, Future Retail Ltd, Future Consumer Ltd and Future Supply Chain, informed exchanges about dates and other procedures for the virtual meetings of shareholders and creditors. The meetings are held virtually through video conferencing and other audio-visual means, the addendum notice added.
The Supreme Court Wednesday sought a response from the Future group on Amazon's plea against the January 5 order of the Delhi high court staying the ongoing arbitration proceedings before an arbitral tribunal over Future Retail's Rs 24,500-crore merger deal with Reliance. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli issued notices to the Future group firms, Future Coupons Private Ltd (FCPL) and Future Retail Ltd (FRL) and said that it will hear the matter on February 23 "without any adjournment". The Delhi high court on January 5 had stayed the Amazon-Future arbitration which is going on before a three-member arbitral tribunal over the latter's Rs 24,500-crore deal with Reliance.
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".
When a Future Group official was contacted, he refused comment but industry insiders confirmed that the pull-out was on the cards because of the financial health of the company.
Debt-ridden Future Group on Friday said it will sell part of its stake in Amar Chitra Katha Pvt Ltd (ACKPL), which publishes Amar Chitra Katha comics, for Rs 13.62 crore. It has entered into definitive agreements on Thursday to dispose of part of its investments held in ACKPL constituting to 18.58 per cent of the total paid-up share capital of ACKPL to Ramanaidu Daggubati and Spirit Media, according to a regulatory filing. Future Consumer Ltd (FCL), part of the Future Group, will be offloading the stake.
Future group firms have started getting large orders from Reliance Industries, its CEO Kishore Biyani said in an email to his employees on Tuesday. The group firms Future Consumer and Future Enterprises have recently received orders from Reliance Industries. This will be a big support for the cash-strapped future group firms before the completion of Rs 24,713 crore buyout of the country's second-largest retailer by Reliance Industries' arm. Ecommerce major Amazon has raised objections over the deal.
While Amazon is expected to approach either Mumbai or Delhi high court to enforce the interim order of SIAC, the Future Group, too, is likely to challenge the order. Legal experts also expect the Reliance group to expedite the process for regulatory clearances in the deal.
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.
Reliance Industries on Saturday said its Rs 24,713-crore deal with the Future Group cannot go ahead as secured creditors of the latter have voted against it.
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.
Under its door-step delivery model, consumers can shop at any of the three Future Group-owned convenience formats - Easyday, Nilgiris and Heritage - both online or offline.
Enthused by its success in retail, the Kishore Biyani-led $2 billion Future Group will soon foray into the logistics business, investing more than Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion) by 2010.
Future Media, the media company of Kishore Biyani's Future group, announced the acquisition of on-screen media rights of all Inox Leisure multiplexes in the country for the next two and half years.
The partnership will initially focus on the Future Group fashion brands.
Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd, the food and FMCG arm of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, on Friday acquired south India-based convenience store chain Nilgiris for nearly Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion).
Kishore Biyani's Future Group has seen a turnaround in home retailing after months of decline, on the back of improved consumer sentiments and focused merchandising plans, a key group executive said.
Kolkata, which has remained a priority centre for Future Group is also all set to get three more Pantaloon stores by the festive season in 2011. The group has finalised locations for Madhyamgram, Lake Mall and Jessore Road.
Kishore Biyani, managing director, said the initial public offer would raise around Rs 2000 crore (Rs 2 billion), but refused to comment on the nature of the new company.
Making its entry into the last mile retail space, Kishore Biyani promoted Future Group on Wednesday said it will set up 1,500 new format fairprice shops over the next two years.
T E Narasimhan/Business Standard reports from Chennai on how the Future group plans to shore up its small store network in the South.
Big Bazaar stores have sold 900 Nano cars since February, when Tata Motors made the arrangement.
Clearing the air on the issue of succession and the role of professionals in the group, the younger Biyani (Rakesh) said, "I find it very awkward to think so early about succession when my elder brother, Kishore, is still young, not even 50. I wonder why nobody asks who is going to succeed Mukesh Ambani, who owns the biggest business empire in the country."
Kishore Biyani's Future Group is getting its act together on supplying its private labels outside the group's 1,000-odd outlets, even as Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail has already marched ahead by starting to sell some of its private brands to kiranawalas (independent stores).
It is learnt from sources that the two companies today paid Rs 20 crore as guarantee deposit to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"We are developing the cash and carry model with an overseas partner," Future Group's CEO Kishore Biyani told PTI here, without giving details.
Future's home retailing interests, including furniture and furnishings, are housed under Praxis Home Retail, which was created in FY18 when the group demerged the business from Future Retail.
Kishore Biyani's Future Group will hive off its electronics business into a separate company, as continued promotions and increased competition are taking a toll on its margins.
Ventures in areas such as insurance, financial services and logistics valued at Rs 4,500-5,000 crore ; company in talks with PE giants KKR and JP Morgan.
Bharti Retail will issue one equity share of Rs 2 each for every share of Rs 2 held in Future Retail
The group had launched a 5-day promotional blitz called Mahabachat across its retail chains from August 12 till August 17. The promotion and special offers were offered across the Group's retail formats -- Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Food Bazaar, Central, EZone, Home Town, Brand Factory, Furniture Bazaar, KBs Fairprice, Mobile Bazaar and Aadhar.
Raghu Pillai, former director and CEO (operations, strategy and business development) of Reliance Retail, today took over as the chief executive of Kishore Biyani's Future Value Retail. An industry veteran, Pillai talks about his new role with Business Standard.
Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group is expanding its private labels in various categories with plans to launch more products in new segments such as toothpaste as part of plans to become a Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) conglomerate by 2013-14.
Future Retail, once the crown jewel of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, is now heading for liquidation as its lenders could not get any reasonable buyer of the debt-ridden firm. As the Committee of Creditors (CoC) rejected the sole resolution plan submitted by Space Mantra after four extensions in the deadline to complete the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP), the RP of the company has now approached NCLT to initiate liquidation of Future Retail (FRL). "The resolution plan submitted by Space Mantra Private has not been approved by CoC of FRL, kindly note that, the Resolution Professional (RP) has filed an application, before the National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai Bench, for initiation of liquidation of FRL," said a regulatory filing from FRL.
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