Business
Did Zomato buy Blinkit to offset its losses from online food delivery?
Online food delivery platform Zomato, which saw its stock tumbling below its IPO price as India reopened and retail food industry came back on track, had acquired quick-commerce grocery delivery platform Blinkit for a whopping Rs 4,447 crore (about $568 million). Will this acquisition change its future prospects?
Zomato already owned more than 9 per cent stake in Blinkit (earlier Grofers). While the earlier Blinkit deal was valued around $700 million, the drop in Zomato’s share price reduced it to $568 million.
Zomato’s stock is hovering around Rs 70, after sliding to nearly Rs 50 (it opened at Rs 76 during its mega IPO last year).
According to market experts, Zomato is facing severe cash flow problems as its operational cost is running quite high.
Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said on Friday that he is not getting into the quick commerce market because growth in food delivery is now saturating.
“Food delivery has a long runway ahead. In FY22, our Adjusted Revenue grew by 109 per cent over FY21 and we expect healthy growth to continue going forward,” he noted.
According to him, quick commerce is a natural extension of Zomato’s food delivery business.
“How is it a natural extension? Because it is also a hyperlocal business, just like food delivery. And, because it also caters to a need for quick delivery of products for our customers. Quick commerce will help us increase the customer wallet share spent on our platform and also drive higher frequency and engagement from our customers,” he said in a company statement.
Zomato has grown at a CAGR of 86 per cent in the last four years to an adjusted revenue of $710 million “while the adjusted EBITDA margin has improved from (153 per cent) in FY19 to (18 per cent) in FY22”.
The acquisition came as the quick commerce (10-minute delivery) segment is brewing with new hope as people prefer groceries and other home essentials at their doorsteps within no time after making an online order.
Startups like Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Reliance-backed Dunzo, among others, are trying to defy the current slowdown, as they add more goods and daily essentials to their kitty and deliver them to their customers.
In December 2021, Swiggy announced to pour $700 million into Instamart.
Last month, 10-minute delivery platform Zepto raised $200 million, taking its valuation to around $900 million.
India’s quick commerce market is all set to witness 15 times growth by 2025, reaching a market size of nearly $5.5 billion, according to Bengaluru-based market research firm RedSeer.
The total addressable market for quick commerce in India stands at $45 billion, and urban areas are driving this market on the back of mid-high-income households.
According to Akshant Goyal, Chief Financial Officer, Zomato, their food business is trending towards profitability faster than what they hadAthought at the time of the IPO last year.
“The timeframe for overall Zomato profitability does not change in our minds. In fact, we believe we will now get to profitability within the same timelines (as we thought last year) but with a much larger addressable market. We are also not envisaging any furtherAcapital raise to get to profitability in this timeframe,” he said.
Goyal said that as a food company, “we are already tapping into the large food delivery opportunity in India”.
“Customers (and data) are clearly signalling the macro trend that people are moving to unplanned and spontaneous purchases. To add to this, monthly order frequency on Blinkit app was 3.5x in May 2022, which is higher than that of food delivery on Zomato,” informed Goyal.
Blinkit’s gross order value (GOV) is fast catching up with Zomato’s GOV in some key markets, therefore indicating that quick commerce will add a significant new addressable market to our business in the long term.
“In a sample market like Gurugram, Blinkit GOV is already 63 per cent of Zomato’s food delivery GOV,” Goyal added.
Quick commerce naturally extends across multiple categories including beauty and personal care, electronics, OTC pharma, stationery and other gift items, among others.
The company said it will keep the Blinkit app and brand separate from Zomato.
“We will explore ways in which Blinkit can benefit from Zomato’s large customer base (and vice versa in the long term). Post the deal closure, we are going to start experimenting with various ideas that we have and see which all bear fruit, including having the Blinkit tab on the Zomato app,” the company said.
Business
‘Innocent Unless And Until Proven Guilty’: Adani Group Issues Statement In The US Bribery Indictment; Denies Charges, Calls Them Baseless
The Adani Group, which has been at the eye of the storm since the beginning of the new day, has issued a statement in the US Indictment matter.
Adani Denies Charges
The company, in a statement procured by the conglomerate-owned IANS, said, “The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied.”
Furthermore, the statement asserted its stance and added, “As stated by the US Department of Justice itself, “the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” All possible legal recourse will be sought.”
Committed to Highest Standards
The Adani Group further added that it has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations.
US Court Indicts Adani and Co.
The company, in an attempt to assuage stakeholders, partners and employees, said that the company is a law-abiding organisation, fully compliant with all laws.
The storm was kicked off by a post from short-seller group Hindenburg, which shared the news of the US Federal Court’s indictment of Gautam Adani and seven others associated with the company.
Billionaire Gautam Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over USD 250 million (about Rs 2,100 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts.
The press release from the US court elaborated on the allegations and claimed that the company and its leadership had indulged in mass bribery activity, in which the company bribed Indian officials to bag a contract for its Adani Green Energy company.
This in turn led to misleading American investors and global financial investors.
The court reportedly also issued an arrest warrant against Gautam Adani and seven others.
Adani Shares Tank
In the aftermath of the report, Adani Group company shares tanked at Dalal Street. With Adani Enterprises shares hitting the lower circuit, losing 20 per cent of their value. The situation was the same with the other Adani stocks, including Adani Green Energy, which is in the middle of the new storm.
Business
Bharat NCAP Awards 5-Star Crash Test Rating to Mahindra Thar Roxx
The Mahindra Thar Roxx has earned a prestigious 5-star rating in Bharat NCAP’s latest crash tests, reflecting its commitment to safety. Recently evaluated under stringent testing, the SUV excelled with a 31.09 out of 32 score for adult occupant protection and 45 out of 49 for child safety.
Tested in its AX5L and MX3 variants, the Mahindra Thar Roxx delivered notable results, scoring 15.09 out of 16 in the Frontal Offset test and a perfect 16 out of 16 in the Side Impact test. The assessment revealed strong protection for most areas, with adequate ratings for the driver’s chest and lower legs.
The Mahindra Thar Roxx has received high marks for child occupant safety, scoring 24 points in Bharat NCAP tests, along with 12 points for CRS (Child Restraint System) installation and a Vehicle Assessment Score of 9. This top-tier safety rating applies to all Thar Roxx units produced from November 2024 onward, underscoring Mahindra’s dedication to enhancing safety features across its SUV range. Additionally, Mahindra’s XUV400 and 3XO models have also achieved 5-star safety ratings, further emphasizing the automaker’s commitment to robust safety standards.
The Mahindra Thar Roxx offers two interior themes – Classic Ivory and a new Dark Mocha Brown. Comfort and convenience are prioritizing with ventilated seats, leatherette upholstery, a digital driver display, a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen, a high-quality Harmon Kardon sound system, a panoramic sunroof, rear AC vents, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a six-way adjustable driver’s seat, combining practicality with luxury.
Mahindra Thar 5-door comes packed with safety and interior upgrades to enhance its appeal. On the safety side, it includes essentials like six airbags, three-point seatbelts for all occupants, hill control features, electronic stability control, and a seatbelt reminder. Advanced driver-assist features, such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping support, lane departure alerts, and a 360-degree camera system with blind spot monitoring, add an extra layer of protection.
Mahindra Thar Roxx offers two engine choices: a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel. The petrol engine comes in two setups—150 bhp and 330 Nm of torque for the manual, and 174 bhp with 380 Nm for the automatic. The diesel option is available only with four-wheel drive.
Business
Why The Indian Stock Market Struggled: Inflation, FPI Outflows, And Currency Pressure; Everything You Need To Know
The Indian stock market on Wednesday (November 13) wrapped the another challenging day, marking the fifth consecutive session of losses.
The Sensex and Nifty, the two benchmark indices, both ended lower amid concerns over inflation and a broad selloff in metal stocks.
Market Snapshot
By the close of the trading session, Sensex was down by 984.23 points, or 1.25 per cent, ending at 77,690.95. Nifty 50 followed suit, shedding 324.40 points, or 1.36 per cent, to settle at 23,559.05.
The day saw a sea of red on both the Sensex and Nifty, with the majority of stocks ending lower. Among the few gainers were NTPC, Tata Motors, and Infosys, which saw minor upticks on BSE.
However, the broader market was dominated by heavy losses, especially in stocks such as JSW Steel, State Bank of India (SBI), Adani Ports, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), and Tata Steel, all of which posted declines.
Reasons behind the sharp decline
One of the major factor contributing to the market’s downward trajectory is the growing concern related to inflation.
As per the data which released by the Ministry of statistics and Programme Implementation regarding the India’ retail inflation, it showed that for the month of October, it surged to 6.21 per cent, breaching the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent for the first time in over a year. The primary factors that contributed to surge include rise food prices, driven by the extended monsoon season and crop damage.
Adding to the pressure is the continued outflow of foreign portfolio investments (FPIs). On November 12, FPIs sold shares worth Rs 364.35 crore, bringing the total outflows for November to Rs 23,911 crore
The Indian rupee also struggled on November 13, weakening by 1 paisa to close at 84.38 against the US dollar.
The rise of the US dollar, which surged 1.8 per cent in November, has been exacerbated by the US presidential election result and higher bond yields. The US 10-year bond yield spiked to 4.42 per cent, further diverting capital away from emerging markets like India.
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