ITC’s stake to increase from 26.5% to up to 49.3% with investment of approximately Rs 81 crore
New Delhi: Multi-conglomerate ITC is set to invest an additional amount of Rs 81 crore in Mother Sparsh, thereby increasing its stake in the Indian baby care brand from 26.5% to 49.3%. The investment will be made by ITC in two tranches, through a combination of primary subscription and secondary purchase, by the end of Q1 FY27. Following this fresh strategic investment, the conglomerate’s total investment in the baby care brand will stand at approximately Rs 126 crore. The balance stake will be acquired over two to three years on pre-agreed conditions and valuation criteria.
Himanshu Gandhi, Founder & CEO, Mother Sparsh
Sameer Satpathy, the Divisional Chief Executive of Personal Care Products Business Division at ITC, said, “This acquisition is an exciting opportunity, aligned with our aspiration to build a formidable portfolio of future ready, best-in-class innovative offerings that delights Indian consumers. Mother Sparsh in a true spirit of entrepreneurship, has created a reputed brand with Indian ethos in the natural baby care space, powered by an assortment of innovative products and a robust digital eco-system."
Himanshu Gandhi, Founder & CEO, Mother Sparsh said, “We are delighted that ITC has found value in Mother Sparsh, coming forward as an early investor, well poised to leverage the growth potential in the baby care space. We have built Mother Sparsh with a lot of love, passion and innovation, and we are happy to have found a home for it in a place where it will thrive. ITC is the largest incubator of FMCG brands in India and knows how to build and scale brands. We are confident that ITC will take Mother Sparsh to the next level and help serve the needs of mothers for generations to come.”
Mother Sparsh has a bouquet of premium natural and ayurvedic products that are winning the trust of Indian mothers seeking safe and high-quality baby care, anchored on traditional Indian knowledge. The range of offerings straddles baby personal care, baby health and hygiene and baby expert products. The company has adopted a digital first strategy with a robust presence across online channels. The entire range has been made available through its own dedicated website mothersparsh.com, as well as across e-commerce platforms. It also has a focused offline presence in baby stores. Mother Sparsh currently stands at an Annual Revenue Runrate of about Rs 110+ crore.
The investment is in line with the 'ITC Next' strategy articulated by Chairman Mr. Sanjiv Puri that focuses also on building a future-ready suite of products that serve evolving consumer needs. The acquisition is expected to unlock future growth opportunities by filling in whitespaces in the personal care products portfolio and will be scaled up further, leveraging the institutional strengths of ITC. ITC had first invested in Mother Sparsh in 2021 with the aspiration of having a significant play in the natural and ayurvedic segment as well as in the Digital online space. With follow on rounds of investment, ITC currently holds 26.5% stake in Mother Sparsh. The balance 73.5% stake in Mother Sparsh will be acquired by ITC over a period of 2-3 years.
