
MIT takes big bite of Burger King India's Rs 500-crore QIP
Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) of Restaurant Brands Asia (RBA), the Indian operator of Burger King.
Among the world's top universities, MIT was the single largest investor in the QIP of the quick service restaurant chain. The Cambridge, US-based private research university invested ₹92 crore in the issue as a foreign portfolio investor.
SBI Multi Asset Allocation Fund, Arisaig Asia Fund, Mercer QIF Fund Plc and 238 Plan Associates LLC rounded off the five top investors among 23 entities joining the QIP which closed March 26.
«The funds will be used for opening new stores in India, reducing our debt, strengthening our balance sheet, and for general corporate purposes,» said Rajeev Varman, group chief executive at RBA, earlier known as Burger King India.
Industry executives said MIT's robust participation solidifies India's position as a core growth bastion given its large underpenetrated market at a time most consumer markets globally are nearing maturity. The investment comes despite discretionary demand in India staying subdued over the past four quarters, especially in urban markets as inflation-hit consumers go slow on dining out among other consumer sectors.
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«While university endowments do invest in businesses, it's mostly in start-ups. MIT too has invested in a couple of restaurant start-ups in the US,» said Jaspal Sabharwal, cofounder of TagTaste, a food data and insights platform. «I consider this investment as good news for food businesses in India,» said Sabharwal, a former