Swiggy delivers 15% jump in India debut as investors bet on quick commerce

13 Nov 2024, 04:17 · CNA · Join

A man stands next to a logo of Swiggy ahead of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) listing ceremony at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, India, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiggy, Sriharsha Majety gives a memento to Managing Director and CEO of National Stock Exchange of India Ashishkumar Chauhan ahead of the listing ceremony of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, India, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiggy, Sriharsha Majety gives a replica of a Swiggy delivery bag to Managing Director and CEO of National Stock Exchange of India Ashishkumar Chauhan ahead of the listing ceremony of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, India, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiggy, Sriharsha Majety and Managing Director and CEO of National Stock Exchange of India Ashishkumar Chauhan pose with the statue of the NSE bull ahead of the listing ceremony of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, India, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiggy, Sriharsha Majety and Managing Director and CEO of National Stock Exchange of India Ashishkumar Chauhan speak ahead of the listing ceremony of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, India, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

BENGALURU :SoftBank-backed Swiggy's shares jumped nearly 15 per cent in their trading debut in India on Wednesday, signalling growing investor confidence in food and grocery delivery firms as shoppers increasingly go online and want fast deliveries.

Swiggy's shares bucked weakness in the broader Indian market and recorded a better performance than some analysts had predicted for the loss-making firm after its $1.4 billion IPO - the country's second biggest this year.

The stock listed at 420 rupees ($4.98) on India's National Stock Exchange and rose to a high of 448 rupees, giving the company a valuation of nearly $12 billion.

Swiggy and its main rival Zomato are riding a wave of new shoppers in India by offering so-called "quick commerce" grocery deliveries within 10 minutes, diversifying from their main food delivery businesses.

The boom in quick commerce sales has hurt supermarket revenues and forced players including Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man, to launch a faster delivery service from his retail stores in India.

Swiggy's quick commerce service Instamart has seen "explosive growth," Anand Kripalu, its board member, said at the listing ceremony at the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai.

Dutch tech investor Prosus, which owns 25 per cent of Swiggy, said on Wednesday it had made $2 billion on its investment in the company. SoftBank holds a roughly 8 per cent stake.

The listing comes as both Swiggy and Zomato face antitrust scrutiny over potential breach of competition laws in the food delivery business and calls from retail groups that their quick commerce business be investigated for alleged predatory pricing.

The Swiggy IPO was oversubscribed by more than three-fold last week, helped over the line by institutional investors rushing in with orders on the final day of the sale.

Swiggy's debut still pales in comparison with Zomato's blockbuster listing in 2021. Zomato shares have more than tripled since then.

But while Swiggy has narrowed its annual losses, it has yet to turn a profit, whereas Zomato posted a fiscal 2024 profit after a loss the previous year.

"The company's continued losses and the challenging market conditions may temper investor enthusiasm in the long term," Shivani Nyati, head of wealth at Swastika Investmart.

Macquarie Capital estimates Swiggy's food order values in 2024-25 will be $3.3 billion, roughly 25 per cent below Zomato's.

In the quick commerce sector, nationwide annual sales are set to exceed $6 billion this year, with Zomato's Blinkit having a nearly 40 per cent market share, while Swiggy has around 30 per cent, research firm Datum Intelligence estimates.

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