Bharti buys BT Group stake, joins Tatas, RIL on a growing list of Indian owners of British firms

One of India’s oldest business groups, Tatas have the biggest portfolio of UK firms under its umbrella

Bharti Enterprises, which runs India’s second biggest telecom operator Bharti Airtel, has picked up 24.5 percent stake in BT Group Plc from Altice UK through its international investment arm Bharti Global for $4 billion, sealing one of the biggest overseas deals by an Indian corporate major.

Altice UK is the British telecom firm’s largest shareholder and the investment vehicle of telecom tycoon Patrick Drahi. The acquisition has made Bharti Global the largest shareholder in BT Group.

The telecom major is the latest to join the club of Indian conglomerates acquiring firms in the UK toeing the lines of Tatas, Reliance, Mahindra and some others.

Also read: Bharti Enterprises' international arm to buy Altice UK's BT Group stake worth $4 bn

Let's take a look at some of the Indian corporates that run British companies.

Tata Group

One of India’s oldest business groups, Tatas, has the biggest portfolio of British firms. In February 2000, the over 150-years-old group acquired Britain’s leading tea group of the time Tetley Tea for £271 million.

Then came the acquisition of the luxury automobile brand Jaguar Land Rover. Tata Motors acquired JLR in 2008 from Ford Motor for $2.3 billion.

Tatas paid $12 billion to buy Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus Group in 2007 and later renamed it as Tata Steel Europe. It has plants in Britain, including the Port Talbot facility.

Last year, Tata Group announced a more than $5.1 billion investment in a UK electric car battery factory.

Reliance Industries

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has two major firms in its portfolio. In 2021, the oil-to-telecom conglomerate’s new energy unit acquired British battery technology company Faradion Ltd for $135 million.

Earlier in 2019, Reliance Brands acquired a 100 percent stake in the 259-year-old British toy store chain Hamleys from C Banner International Holdings for $88.5 million.

Wipro

Indian tech giant Wipro acquired Capco, a UK-based management consultancy firm, in a $1.45-billion deal in 2022.

Eicher Motor

The leader of India’s mid-weight motorcycle segment Eicher Motor, which manufactures Classic 350 and Himalayan 450 among others, had acquired the 1901-founded iconic British brand Royal Enfield.

Mahindra and Mahindra

The Indian automobile major acquired BSA Motorcycles in 2021 and brought the defunct brand back into circulation after a nearly 50-year production halt. The brand, which was relaunched the same year , will make its India debut this Independence Day with its flagship product the Gold Star 650. BSA Motorcycles was established in 1861 as Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). As the name suggests, the firm originally produced firearms, before expanding into making motorcycles.

Also read: BSA Motorcycles to make India debut on August 15, launch flagship Gold Star 650

 TVS Motor Company

The automobile group acquired the iconic British brand Norton in 2020. In fiscal 2023, the company also bought a 70 percent stake in EBCO Ltd for producing and distributing electric bikes in Britain.

Wadhawan Global Capital

Indian investment group Wadhawan Global Capital was the lead investor in a £32-million fundraise by British digital bank Zopa in 2017.

Indian-owned companies in the UK

A research by Grant Thornton found that there were 971 Indian-owned firms in the UK in 2024, up from 954 in 2023, of which just 6 percent were in the financial services sector, Reuters reported.

- St James Court Hotel Ltd is owned by The Indian Hotels Co Ltd and is part of the Taj chain of hotels.

- EET Fuels, formerly Essar (Oil) UK Ltd, which focuses on decarbonisation efforts in the UK, is owned by Indian conglomerated Essar Group.

- Major Indian pharmaceutical companies such as Dr Reddy's, Cipla and Glenmark have UK units, with some focusing on generic medicines and supplies drugs to the NHS.

- Diversified miner Vedanta Resources, owned by Indian businessman Anil Agarwal, is headquartered in London and was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange.

There is no India-based company among the top investors in the UK's publicly listed banks and financial services companies, according to LSEG data.

With inputs from Reuters

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