Walmart to buy 73% of Flipkart for $14.6 billion, Alphabet to contribute $3 billion

Walmart Inc. is seeking to acquire Flipkart with a 73% stake in the company, according to a report from FactorDaily. The US retail conglomerate is tipped to spend at least $14.6 billion, and as much as $16 billion, in the cash-and-stock buyout of the Indian e-commerce company.

“Everything has been finalized… the papers have been signed by both the parties,” a source told FactorDaily, following negotiations yesterday.

The sources indicated that Walmart had valued Flipkart at between $20 and $22 billion. Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. is said to be participating in the deal with a $3 billion investment.

Flipkart’s CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, and other top-level staff, are expected to maintain their roles.

Walmart would maintain a focus on the grocery market, said the sources, suggesting that almost 50% of Walmart’s initial investment would be funneled into building a food and grocery supply chain.

According to estimates, India had 60 million online shoppers in 2016 — 14% of those with internet access in the nation. It’s anticipated that more than 50% of those with internet access will shop online by 2026.

US retailer Amazon is Flipkart’s largest online competitor in India, though Flipkart has the biggest market share. Amazon was also reportedly interested in a Flipkart buyout, which would give it control of around 90% of the market.

If the Walmart deal goes through, however, Amazon and Flipkart would remain competitors — which would likely be the best result for consumers.

We’ve reached out to Flipkart and Walmart on the matter and will update this article should we receive any information.