(LiveMint)
India’s retail sector is set to further consolidate with the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group seeking to cement its pole position through collaborations and partnerships. The options open to India’s largest listed retailer, with listed retail companies such as Future Retail Ltd, Future Consumer Ltd and Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd, include pursuing acquisition of an e-commerce platform, potential partnerships and even equity investments for forming a joint venture, said Kishore Biyani, group chief executive officer, Future Group, in a meeting with Mint on Friday.
Possible partners include some of the biggest retailers, technology companies and strategic investors, including Amazon.com Inc., the Walmart-Flipkart combine, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Chinese firms such as Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and even Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., as it looks at pursuing growth, Biyani said. Investment options open to the company also include forming a 51:49 joint venture for its small stores business.
