In a move that was not widely expected, Mumbai real estate builder Runwal Enterprises has formally approached the IPO authorities to file for an Initial Public Offering (IPO), a milestone event in the history of the company. The draft prospectus confirms that the company will make a fresh issue of up to 10 billion rupees worth of shares through the IPO, indicating the company's ambitious expansion plans.
The deal is further made credible by industry giants ICICI Securities and Jefferies India being named book running lead managers for the issue. This would be likely to create huge interest among institutional as well as retail investors.
The Runwal Group's move to go public has surprised many, as top brass had ruled out any such move earlier. This move suggests a change of strategy, perhaps owing to the current positive market scenario and the success of recent real estate initial public offerings.
Runwal Enterprises becomes the latest in a list of property builders listing on the public markets, after Macrotech Developers (Lodha) and Sriram Properties. This is a trend that reflects growing investor demand for real estate shares and the consolidation of the sector.
As the IPO process goes on, everyone will be watching Runwal Enterprises to understand how this veteran player in Mumbai's realty space will use the public offering to drive its future growth and expansion plans.
Source: Financial Express, Times of India