Global private equity major Warburg Pincus faces Indian realty setback

Warburg Pincus, a global private equity major, has faced challenges in India's real estate sector, with four investments yielding unsatisfactory results. In the most recent setback, the firm planned to sell its stake in student housing startup Good Host Spaces. Baskin Lake Investment, an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, acquired HDFC's stake in the startup for Rs 216.18 crore in April 2021.

After investing over $6 billion in various sectors, Warburg Pincus is divesting its stake in Good Host Spaces, along with majority owner Goldman Sachs. This is not an isolated incident, as three other investments or ventures in Indian real estate saw early exits or struggled to take off. In late 2018, Warburg Pincus terminated its two-year-old joint venture (JV) with Lemon Tree Hotels for co-living spaces and student housing. Sources indicate that Warburg was dissatisfied with the progress of the JV. Additionally, in 2019, Warburg completely exited its 13-year investment in Lemon Tree Hotels through trades on the stock market.

Warburg Pincus and Mumbai-based property developer Runwal Group formed a joint venture in May 2019 to create a shopping mall platform. The JV planned to invest $1 billion in building and developing malls across tiers 1, 2, and 3. However, due to the pandemic and the temporary closure of malls, the venture did not scale beyond purchasing two land parcels and building malls. In May 2021, Warburg Pincus and Embassy Group sold their industrial parks venture, Embassy Industrial Parks, to Blackstone for Rs 5,250 crore. The JV attempted to sell it earlier but faced a valuation mismatch. Warburg exited the investment after five and a half years, indicating dissatisfaction with the JV's business scaling. The JV had an equity commitment of $175 million from Warburg, with Embassy contributing $75 million.

Despite these challenges, Warburg Pincus has experienced success with its investments in Piramal Realty and Asia-focused logistics company ESR. Warburg-backed ESR has become a prominent player in warehouse construction in the country. According to peers, Indian real estate struggles to scale up businesses funded by global investors. Warburg's approach to real estate differs from others, focusing on corporate or entity-level investments. However, the Indian real estate market is not mature enough for such investments, making it challenging for management to scale up.

Despite criticism, Warburg Pincus has achieved impressive returns in the consumer sector and made long-term investments. The firm made significant exits in Bharti Airtel, HDFC, and Nicholas Piramal. In March 2021, Warburg exited investments in Gangavaram Port, realizing a 12-fold return on investment. In November 2021, it sold its stake in BPO firm Encora, generating six-fold returns.

Since its establishment in 1966, Warburg Pincus, headquartered in New York, has raised 21 private equity funds and two real estate funds, deploying over $109 billion in more than 1,000 companies across more than 40 countries, showcasing its global expertise and investment prowess.

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Global private equity major Warburg Pincus faces Indian realty setback

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