INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Samara Capital has actually shown interest in buying Future Retail's businessesNew Delhi: Place on notice to confirm capital infusion to
prevent a looming loan default, Amazon informed Future Retail Limited (FRL) that Samara Capital remains interested in buying out the
debt-strapped merchant's services such as Big Market for Rs 7,000 crore.Asked by FRL's independent directors to confirm if it will infuse Rs
3,500 crore into the cash-strapped merchant to allow it to pay its lending institutions by the due date of January 29, Amazon composed to
them saying FRL needs to offer its financial information to Samara Capital for the private equity fund to carry out an accelerated due
We validate that based on your letter dated January 21, 2022, Samara Capital has when again reiterated to us that they remain interested and
dedicated to lead and take forward the term sheet dated June 30, 2020, signed amongst Samara, FRL and the promoters of FRL, which ponders a
purchase factor to consider of (Rs 7,000 crore), Amazon said in January 22 letter to independent directors of FRL.Amazon, nevertheless, did
not describe why Samara Capital was confirming this to the United States company instead of talk to FRL directly.Samara Capital, which had
in June 2020 signed a non-binding term sheet to obtain FRL's companies including Huge Fete, Easyday and Heritage, to name a few chains, for
Rs 7,000 crore, couldn't be independently reached to confirm the offer.An e-mail sent to Amazon asking why Samara Capital was communicating
with it and not with Future Retail straight stayed unanswered.Emails sent to Future and Reliance likewise stayed unanswered by the time of
filing of the story.According to sources, Amazon is trying to facilitate the deal in between Samara and FRL to protect its own financial
investment in Future, and make sure that FRL does not offer its injuncted properties to Reliance Retail or entities restricted based on the
original contract.Amazon, in its January 22 letter, stated: The deal imagined in the Samara term sheet would ensure availability of funds
in FRL at the earliest, through an asset sale and an equity infusion, which would be a direct remedy to FRL's insolvency
While Amazon is opposed to billionaire Mukesh Ambani's group obtaining businesses of FRL together with other group companies for Rs 24,713
crore, it appeared from the letter that it was open to Samara Capital taking over the business.The Amazon letter, a copy of which was seen
by PTI, asserted that the engagement with Samara will not impact the binding nature of the injunctions passed in the Arbitration Procedures
and by Indian Courts over transfer/encumbrance of FRL's retail assets.It stated the new transaction will have the understanding that the
deal with the Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (Reliance Industries Limited) group (MDA Group) will not continue and not be acted upon; and all
assistance would be done through legally certified structures
Amazon argued that the structure with Samara in place is likewise similar to the proposed acquisition of the retail and wholesale endeavor
of the Future group (that includes FRL's retail assets) by Reliance Retail and Style Way Of Life Ltd (RRFLL)
We comprehend that this entity has negligible business operations and whose parent entity Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) has gotten at
least Rs 47,265 crore from various foreign investors
We also comprehend that this amount is proposed to be utilised to money the acquisition of FRL's retail, wholesale and logistics assets,
the letter said.It even more said that the deal involving FRL and constituents of the MDA Group, viz., RRVL and RRFLL, follow a strikingly
The letter said the Samara Term Sheet attends to an acquisition of all retail properties of FRL, consisting of the small store formats
consisting of the Easy Day , Adhaar and Heritage brand names, through an Indian owned and managed entity structure led by Samara and
supported by Amazon.Amazon has requested the independent directors to supply Samara the chance to carry out due diligence of FRL
If access can be provided in relation to all financial, tax, regulative, operational, licenses, properties, encumbrances, product contracts,
material liabilities, material litigations, material investigations and similar data which was shown the MDA Group, Samara is all set to
start the due diligence exercise from Sunday, January 23, 2022, and complete it in an expedited way, Amazon said.Future and Amazon have
actually been secured a bitter legal tussle after the United States e-commerce giant dragged Future Group to arbitration at the Singapore
International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in October 2020, arguing that FRL had actually breached their agreement by entering into a deal for
the sale of its properties to billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail on a downturn sale basis.
