Tata Group urges investors to buy stake in new e-commerce venture

Tata Group is urging potential investors to acquire stakes in its new digital platform. Its holding company Tata Son is working with advisers to explore bringing in financial or strategic investors, including global technology companies. The group aims to create the new entity by bringing together digital assets across various Tata businesses.

Tata’s platform seeks to compete with Amazon.com and Flipkart to tap the nascent market of more than 1 billion consumers. It plans to build an all-in-one e-commerce app for its swathe of consumer products and services. The platform is expected to be launched by end-2020 or early next year.

Tata Group already has a bunch of entrenched consumer businesses, many of which also have an online presence. These include Tanishq’s jewelry stores, Titan watch showrooms, Star Bazaar supermarkets, chain of Taj hotels and a joint venture with Starbucks in India. The group aims to consolidate these currently fragmented web operations.