
Jubilant Bhartia plans Rs 5,600 crore bond issue to fund Coca-Cola deal
Jubilant Bhartia Group
is looking to raise over ₹5,650 crore through non-convertible debentures (
NCDs
) across two group entities to part-fund its ₹12,650 crore acquisition of a 40% stake in
Hindustan Coca-Cola Holdings
Pvt Ltd (HCCH), the parent of
Coca-Cola
's largest bottling partner in India.
Jubilant Beverages Ltd will issue ₹2,650 crore in fully paid-up, unsecured, rupee-denominated, listed-rated, redeemable NCDs, according to people familiar with the matter.
The offering will include ₹795 crore from anchor investors and ₹1,855 crore via a non-anchor tranche.
Separately,
Jubilant Bevco
Ltd is raising ₹3,000 crore through a similar bond issuance.
Step-up Clause
This includes ₹900 crore from anchor subscriptions and ₹2,100 crore from the wider market.
Both bond issuances are structured as zero-coupon instruments with tenures of two years, 11 months, and 27 days. They offer implied annualised yields of 9% for Jubilant Beverages and 9.15% for Jubilant Bevco. The NCDs feature a step-up clause that increases the internal rate of return by 25 basis points in the event of a credit rating downgrade. Instead of periodic coupons, a redemption premium will be paid at maturity.
The public issuance opens on June 4. Eight anchor investors have committed ₹900 crore in the Jubilant Bevco tranche. These include HDFC Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund, Nomura Fixed Income Securities Ltd., and
Bajaj Finance Ltd.
There are six anchor investors, including HDFC Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Nomura Fixed Income Securities Ltd., who have committed ₹795 crore in the Jubilant Beverages Ltd. issue.
The proceeds will help finance the acquisition of HCCH by the
Jubilant Bhartia
Group and funds managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The deal was announced in December 2024 and received approval from the Competition Commission of India on May 1, 2025.
Under the transaction structure, Jubilant Beverages Ltd. will acquire equity shares from Coca-Cola entities, while Jubilant Bevco and the investor consortium will subscribe to compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) in Jubilant Beverages Ltd. The funding mix includes ₹5,650 crore of debt, CCPS from private capital providers, and the remainder via equity infusion by Jubilant Bhartia's holding company, JBCL. The transaction pegs the enterprise value of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages at ₹31,250 crore.
JUBILANT STALLS PLANS
Separately,
Jubilant FoodWorks
Ltd (JFL), operator of Domino's Pizza, has stalled the expansion of global coffee and doughnut chain
Dunkin' Donuts
and Chinese fast casual brand Hong's Kitchen, to focus on its other larger brands Domino's Pizza and Popeyes, amid the group's acquisition of HCCB. JFL, India's largest food services operator, has roped EY to restructure and streamline the business, as well as explore the possibility of selling off franchisee rights of some of its smaller brands such as Hong's Kitchen and Dunkin' Donuts in India, people directly aware of the development said.
"We have already taken the stance of curtailing any or not doing any expansion in Dunkin' and Hong's," Sameer Khetarpal, managing director of
Jubilant FoodWorks
told analysts on a post Q4 investor call last week.
Domino's Pizza's store count stood at 2,179 restaurants in India across 475 cities as of March 31, '25 . In contrast, there are 31 Dunkin' stores in 14 cities as of March 31, '25, as per JFL's website. JFL had opened its first Dunkin' Donuts in India in 2012, and expanded to over 70 stores rapidly. "However, since then, the chain has shut down most of its unprofitable stores to curtail fixed operating costs and overheads amid subdued sales, and instead focused on smaller and kiosk format outlets," one of the executives said.
Jubilant Bhartia Group, JFL and EY did not respond to email queries.
For the January-March '25 quarter, Domino's India reported like-for-like year-on-year growth of 12.1%, while at an overall group level, JFL reported revenue growth of 19% year-on-year."Execution on pricing, delivery time and product innovation drove order growth of 25%-plus year-on-year. Key downside risks are raw material costs turning inflationary and higher than expected increase in competitive intensity," ICICI Securities wrote in a report on May 15.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
18 minutes ago
- Mint
China's consumers are spending in smaller cities. It's the power of the new middle class.
After years of sluggish growth in China's property market, many investors have grown cautious about the country's broader consumption story. Yet beyond the megacities of Beijing and Shanghai, a different narrative is emerging—one that could offer fresh opportunities for long-term investors. In China's vast network of smaller cities—often categorized as 'lower-tier" or 'third- and fourth-tier" markets—consumer spending is showing surprising resilience. From personal care and budget cosmetics to domestic travel and local e-commerce, everyday consumption appears to be holding up far better than national headlines suggest. This divergence matters because China's economic future increasingly hinges on the spending power of its 'new middle class" living outside the country's wealthiest urban cores. While property prices in these regions have been under pressure—dragging on local government revenue and household wealth—residents in smaller cities are still spending on products and services that improve their quality of life. Official data offers some evidence. In the first half of 2024, per capita disposable income in China's third- and fourth-tier cities grew by nearly 5.8%, outpacing the 4.8% growth seen in first- and second-tier cities. Retail sales in these markets have also held up better in categories like food and daily necessities, reflecting consistent demand for affordable, everyday products. Hu Ling, a partner and managing director at AlixPartners, was quoted in Chinese media as saying, 'China's consumption market is gradually transitioning from being primarily driven by top-tier cities to a model of dual-engine growth." Consumers in smaller cities often face lower living costs and less financial pressure. That economic stability, paired with rising lifestyle expectations, has helped support spending in categories such as personal care, dining out, and domestic travel—even in the face of broader economic uncertainty. Budget-friendly domestic brands like Perfect Diary, Florasis, and HomeFacialPro have been gaining traction among younger consumers seeking quality without the premium price tags of international labels. Local tourism operators have also noted an uptick in short-distance travel bookings, especially among middle-class families and retirees eager for affordable leisure. 'Business is getting better," said Lin Meiyi, a travel agent in China's scenic Yunnan province. 'The clientele is more modest financially, I would say, compared to before the pandemic. Many come from towns instead of cities." Lower-tier cities are also fueling the rise of value-driven e-commerce. Platforms like Pinduoduo—which built its business around bulk discounts and group-buying models tailored to price-sensitive consumers—have seen notable engagement from rural and small-city users. In its most recent earnings report, Pinduoduo cited stronger-than-expected growth in categories like agricultural products and household essentials, much of it from outside the urban centers. Its strategy of building logistics infrastructure in smaller cities and rural areas has paid off, allowing it to reach consumers underserved by traditional retail. The market has responded: Pinduoduo's U.S.-listed shares are up more than 40% over the past year, outperforming most major Chinese tech peers. Analysts point to its deep reach in price-sensitive regions as a durable competitive edge as national consumption habits adjust. It's true that the downturn in China's property sector—especially acute in smaller cities—has dampened overall household wealth. But the link between housing markets and consumption may be more nuanced than previously assumed. In lower-tier cities, where real estate is more affordable and many homes are fully owned, households are generally less leveraged. That gives consumers greater flexibility to spend on smaller-ticket items, even if they're holding off on major purchases. Confidence among millennials in lower-tier cities is higher than in top-tier cities, with 75% of respondents expressing optimism about the national economy, compared with 65% in major cities, according to its McKinsey's 2024 China Consumer Report, which attributes this optimism in part to lower cost-of-living pressures and more stable local job markets. The implication for investors is clear: China's consumption recovery may be slower and more uneven than in past cycles, but it is still happening—just not always where the spotlight is. 'Consumers and business people from smaller cities and towns are importing ideas from developed regions," said Kane Hu, chief analyst at Peak Investment, a boutique brokerage in the western city of Chengdu, with roughly 80 clients and around 100 million yuan ($15 million) in assets. That creates opportunity for companies with strong regional presence, competitive pricing, and scalable operations. Domestic brands that can meet demand for affordable quality across a broad geographic footprint may be better positioned than premium brands concentrated in major metros. For global investors, the takeaway isn't to abandon China's consumption story—but to look closer at where growth is really happening. The most promising consumer activity may be taking place far from Beijing's luxury malls, in small cities with fewer headlines but plenty of untapped spending power. Write to editors@


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
China manufacturing shrinks in May despite trade war truce
China's manufacturing activity shrank in May for the second month running, official data showed Saturday, despite Beijing reaching a temporary ceasefire in a blistering trade war with the United States. Beijing and Washington agreed this month to pause staggeringly high tariffs, although US President Donald Trump on Friday accused China of breaching the de-escalation deal. While the two sides reached a temporary truce in mid-May, China recorded a contraction in factory output for the month. The Purchasing Managers' Index -- a key measure of industrial output -- came in at 49.5, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The reading was up from April's 49 but fell short of the 50-point mark that separates growth and contraction. China's overall economic output in May "continued to expand", NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said in a statement. According to some "US-related enterprises", foreign trade orders "restarted at an accelerated pace, and import and export conditions improved", Zhao added. The non-manufacturing PMI, which measures activity in the services sector, came in at 50.3, down from April's 50.4. Chinese leaders are aiming for economic growth this year of five percent, a goal considered ambitious by many economists as the country battles weak domestic consumption. Zhang Zhiwei, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, said "economic momentum is stable" although companies are operating in a challenging environment. "Firms in China and the US with exposure to international trade have to run their business under persistently high uncertainty," he wrote in a note. Although Beijing and Washington agreed this month to pause steep levies for 90 days, the two sides already appeared deadlocked in negotiations. Trump argued Friday that Beijing had "totally violated" the bilateral deal, without providing details. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Foreign-branded mobile phone sales in China edge up in April
When the world is scared of being taken over by made-in-China products, a unique story is playing out in the mainland. In a sign of resilience amidst fierce competition, foreign-branded mobile phone sales in China, including the popular iPhones from Apple Inc., experienced a slight upturn in April. According to data released on Friday by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), shipments of foreign-branded phones reached 3.52 million units last month, a marginal increase from 3.50 million units in April 2022. Apple remains the dominant player in the foreign mobile phone market in China, and its performance heavily influences overall sales figures. However, the company faced challenges in the first quarter of 2023, reporting a significant 9% decline in phone sales compared to the previous year. This downturn prompted Apple to take strategic actions, including price reductions, to fend off rising competition from domestic brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi. To attract consumers, Chinese e-commerce platforms have initiated substantial discounts on the latest iPhone 16 models, with price cuts reportedly reaching up to 2,530 yuan (approximately $351). These measures are part of Apple's efforts to maintain its foothold in the smartphone-centric Chinese market, which is increasingly dominated by local manufacturers that offer high-quality devices at competitive prices. Analysts suggest that while the increase in sales figures for April is a positive indicator, it is essential for Apple and other foreign brands to continue innovating and adjusting their strategies in response to evolving consumer preferences and aggressive pricing from domestic competitors. As the market dynamics continue to shift, the performance of foreign-branded mobile phones in China will be closely monitored in the coming months.