Motilal Oswal group-backed funds India Business Excellence Fund – IV, managed and advised by MO Alternate Investment Advisors Private Limited (MOPE), along with India SME Investments - Fund I and Motilal Oswal Finvest Ltd have completed an investment of $66 million (around Rs 520 crore) in premium tiles manufacturer, Simpolo Group.
Simpolo Group includes the flagship company Simpolo Vitrified Private Limited and Nexion International Private Limited, Motilal Oswal group said in a statement.
Post completion of the transaction, Simpolo and Nexion will continue to operate as independent entities in the premium and luxury segments, respectively.
“We believe that the luxury and premium tiles segment in India is poised for rapid growth, as the share of high-end tiles will increase from less than 10% today to 30-40% as seen in developed markets. Simpolo and Nexion, with their focus on innovative designs, superior product quality, widespread dealer network and brand positioning is well placed to capture this growth and become a leading building materials player in India,” said Prakash Bagla, director of MOPE.
Last month, the ceramics tiles maker had received regulatory approval to raise the funding from the entities.
In 2020, VCCircle reported that Simpolo Vitrified has hired the investment banking arm of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd to scout for potential investors.
India SME Investments fund I, operating since 2019, a sector agnostic fund focussing on investing in early-growth small and mid-size companies. Simpolo is India SME’s 9th investment and has earlier concluded deals in the fintech, retail, branded food processing, manufacturing and B2B platform businesses. Some of its investments include KrazyBee, SmartCoin, LokSuvidha, Citykart, Kushal’s, Priniti Foods, Venus Pipes and Source.One.
Meanwhile, MOPE is managing both private equity and real estate funds and cumulatively manages around $1.7 billion between the two asset classes. The private equity vertical focuses on providing growth capital to mid-market companies across its preferred sectors of consumer, financial services, life sciences and niche manufacturing, typically in the range of Rs 200-500 crore.
It is currently raising its fourth fund IBEF IV with a target corpus of Rs 4,500 crore. Earlier in April, International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of World Bank, committed to invest at least $35 million in the fund. IBEF IV’s focus will continue on providing growth capital to mid-market Indian companies.
“The Simpolo Group will use the financial resources, access to best practices and the skills contributed by MOPE to capture market share and grow penetration in India and abroad, enabled by targeted investment in sales, advertising & promotions, and to expand the current capacity in tiles and sanitaryware, improve logistic and enhance customer service. Simpolo sanitaryware division will also expand into the faucets sector, the statement added.
The Simpolo group, founded in 1977 by Thakershibhai, is a ceramics tiles manufacturing company, based out of India’s ceramic hub of Morbi, Gujarat. It sells products across the country as well exports.
Established in 2008, Simpolo Vitrified is promoted by first generation entrepreneur Jitendra Aghara and is based out of Morbi, Gujarat, one of the largest tiles manufacturing districts in India. Simpolo has a pan India presence with a robust network of 1,100 plus dealers and exports to over 50 countries. Nexion International Pvt. Ltd, established in 2015, is a JV between Simpolo promoters and the promoters and former owners of Emilceramica SpA, an Italian company established in 1961 and one of the global leaders in the luxury tiles segment.
On a consolidated basis, Simpolo and Nexion reported revenues of around $150 million in FY 2022.
Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors has acted as an exclusive financial adviser to the Simpolo Group. Wadia Ghandy & Co, AZB Partners and JSA Advocates & Solicitors were the legal advisers to the transaction.