Three months ago reports surfaced the international retail giant Walmart was looking to invest in homegrown ecommerce startup Flipkart. While sources suggested the deal may close as soon as March, but new reports hinted Seattle based ecommerce giant Amazon.com was also looking to make a bid for a potential investment in the company. Since then, there has been a continuous back and forth between Walmart and Amazon to finalize a record breaking deal.
Recently, a number of key Flipkart shareholders agreed to sell their stakes in the company to Walmart. However, sources close to the development said SoftBank, which is the largest shareholder in Flipkart, is holding out for a better price. In order to become the largest investor in the Bengaluru based company, Walmart Inc., has already reached an agreement with the New York based investment firm Tiger Global Management, the South African media conglomerate Naspers, the venture capital firm Accel and China’s Tencent Holdings. According to The Economic Times, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal may sell a part of their stake in the company as well. However, a new hurdle in the form of the ecommerce firm eBay, may hamper the deal.
Recode reported, Walmart may have to first work out a deal with eBay, a Flipkart investor and partner, in order to buy a majority stake in India’s online shopping site. eBay, which invested close to $ 500 million in Flipkart last year, has a 5% stake in the business and handed over its eBay India operation as a part of the deal. Along with the investment, the San Jose based firm also signed a four year exclusive commercial arrangement to partner with Flipkart. The four year exclusive commercial arrangement gave the merchants who sell on Flipkart access to more than 150 million new customers from eBay, while eBay sellers outside of India got access to a new group of consumers inside the country. In accordance with this agreement, Walmart may not be able to seal merchandise based deals with Flipkart, unless Walmart and eBay come to some agreement. Recode further added, according to one person familiar with the arrangement eBay can also take back control of the eBay India brand name if Flipkart is acquired.
On the other hand, SoftBank has reportedly remained relatively cold to overtures made by Walmart. The Japan based venture firm invested close to $ 2.5 billion in Flipkart last year after the failed merger deal between Flipkart and Snapdeal. According to a report by The Economic Times, SoftBank was offered a $ 10-12 billion valuation to purchase its shares in Flipkart. One of the sources also said, “Discussions with SoftBank are still ongoing. Most of the others have come aboard. In a deal like this, there are always ebbs and flows, but there is a time factor to consider as well.”
Flipkart has slowly grown to become one of the most valued company in the Indian startup ecosystem. With close to 8,000 permanent employees, the company has made at least 10 acquisitions in the 10 years of its existence. The firm managed to establish itself in the ecommerce industry by introducing the “cash on delivery” payment method, one of the biggest factors for its success.
Note: This article will be updated as and when we get further information.
