Overview
- Multiple outlets reported this week that Bodhi Tree Systems has paid $180 million for a majority stake in Adyar Ananda Bhavan, shifting control from the founding family to an outside strategic investor.
- Bodhi Tree is co-founded by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, and Shankar is set to chair A2B’s board, a move that replaces family-led governance with a professional management structure.
- A2B leaders say the funding will modernize production at Chennai and Bengaluru factories, expand the chain’s retail footprint in western India and Europe, and explore a new factory for retail and export markets.
- Industry sources put the implied company valuation at about $350 million and note this is Bodhi Tree’s third disclosed investment after ALLEN Career Institute and JioStar.
- The deal affects more than 15,000 employees across roughly 160 Indian outlets and 30 overseas stores, and it signals growing investor interest in scaling regional food brands and preparing them for public markets.