Reliance may use stake sales to help fund growth plan
Live MintReliance Industries Ltd, which has raised more than ₹2.2 trillion through stake sales, is likely to go on a shopping spree as the coronavirus pandemic has clouded the prospects of cash-strapped businesses, making them takeover targets, said three people aware of the company’s plans. Kotak Institutional Equities, in a 9 September report, said that Reliance Industries is likely to make large investments to acquire synergistic opportunities across businesses to deploy its large cash balance and incremental free cash flow. On 9 September, Reliance Industries’ retail arm, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, sold a 1.75% stake for ₹7,500 crore to private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. “We expect Reliance Industries to increase its investments in supply chain and tech-enabled logistics so as to improve last-mile customer experience,” the report said, adding that RIL would likely have the JioMart app inside WhatsApp.