Radhakishan Damani may look to raise Rs 5,870 crore via stake sale

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Baiju Kalesh and P R SanjaiBank of America Corp
and Kotak Mahindra Capital Co
are among banks Indian billionaire Radhakishan Damani picked for another planned stake sale in Avenue Supermarts Ltd., owner of the DMart
chain by selling about 5.2% next year, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private
Damani, who sold about 1% earlier this year, has to sell more shares before the end of March to meet a minimum requirement for public float,
one of the people said. A 5.2% stake in Avenue Supermarts would be valued at around 58.7 billion rupees ($823 million), based on the closing
price in Mumbai on Friday
The founders hold about 80.2% of Avenue Supermarts, including about 37.4% by Damani, according to exchange data
The public shareholding is below the minimum 25% threshold. The share sale could come at a time when companies in India are battling weaker
Avenue Supermarts, which operates food and grocery retail stores under the DMart brand, is among the few players that could sail against the
wind
the people said