RedTape founders plan major stake sale
Indian footwear firm RedTape's founders are soliciting interest from Blackstone and KKR as they look to sell a majority stake or even their entire holding worth nearly $510 million, according to sources and a document seen by Reuters.Shares in RedTape rose as much as 16% on the Reuters report, its biggest ever intraday gain, before closing 11% higher.Launched in 1996, RedTape competes with global giants such as Nike, Adidas, Bata India and Campus Activewear in a sector set to grow 11% a year to $21 billion by 2028, market research firm 1Lattice estimates.RedTape's founding family, the Mirzas, have appointed global consultancy Ernst & Young as the exclusive financial adviser for "divestment of their stake", a document dating from December detailing the planned transaction shows.EY has reached out to private equity firms Blackstone and KKR to explore potential offers for the family's stake, said two of the three sources.It is seeking non-binding indicative offers, added one of the three sources, who all sought anonymity, as the process is confidential.RedTape's Managing Director Shuja Mirza and his father, the company's chairman, Rashid Ahmed Mirza, did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.EY and KKR declined to comment.