Indian whisky maker Allied Blenders's IPO attracts bids worth $3 billion

By Kashish Tandon

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Indian whisky maker Allied Blenders and Distillers' $180-million IPO was oversubscribed on Thursday but fell short of the blowout demand for recent issues amid concerns about its growth prospects in an increasingly competitive liquor market.

The IPO, the first by an alcohol company since Sula Vineyards' in 2022, received bids for 924.9 million shares, worth up to $3.12 billion and about 23 times the 39.4 million shares on offer, exchange data showed.

In contrast, all the four previous IPOs on the main exchange this month, including engineering firm DEE Development Engineers, were oversubscribed by around hundred times.

Most of the bids came in the final hours of bidding on Thursday, with institutional buyers bidding for 50 times the shares allotted, while retail investors bid for about four times the allotment.

Allied Blenders, which sells 'Officer's Choice' and 'Sterling Reserve' whisky, is going public in a booming Indian IPO market.

A total of 129 companies have raised $4.32 billion in IPOs so far this year, more than double the amount raised by this time last year, per LSEG data, with the domestic equity market at an all-time high on the prospect of healthy economic growth.

Allied Blenders faces stiff competition in India's $33 billion spirits market, including from Radico Khaitan's 'Rampur Whisky' and Diageo-owned United Spirits' 'Johnnie Walker' and 'Black Dog'.

The company's share of the premium portfolio is relatively lower than its peers, meaning its growth rates may not be that strong, said Karan Taurani, an analyst at Elara Capital.

Taurani does not expect the stock to rise much when it makes its market debut.

Allied Blenders ranked third in terms of whisky sales in India in fiscal 2023, according to its prospectus, trailing United Spirits and 'Chivas Regal'-maker Pernod Ricard.

Its core profit (EBITDA) margin is also less peers', Taurani noted.

Anchor investors, including domestic mutual funds, had already subscribed to shares worth 4.5 billion rupees.

The offer included a fresh issue worth 10 billion rupees, while co-chairperson Bina Chhabria and vice chairperson Resham Chhabria Hemdev were seeking to up to 5 billion rupees in stock. ($1 = 83.5850 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)