Rattan dadwho passed away late on October 9 at the age of 86, had succeeded JRD as chairman of Tata Sons in 1991. Since then, the company has scaled new heights as it witnessed a number of major international and domestic deals under his leadership. The deals made the Tata group one of India’s largest conglomerates. Here are some of the major deals signed during his era:
1. Acquisition of Tetley Tea (2000)
Tata Tea (now Tata Consumer Products) acquired the British tea company Tetley for $450 million in 2000, making Tata one of the largest tea companies in the world. It was one of the first major international acquisitions by an Indian company and marked the beginning of Ratan Tata’s global expansion strategy.
2. Acquisition of Corus Steel (2007)
Tata Steel’s acquisition of Corus, a UK-based steelmaker, in 2007 for $12.9 billion was one of the largest acquisitions by an Indian company at the time. This deal made Tata Steel one of the 10 largest steel producers in the world and demonstrated Ratan Tata’s vision of creating a global conglomerate.
3. Acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) (2008)
Ford’s acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover was a pivotal moment for Tata Motors. The deal was valued at $2.3 billion. Despite initial skepticism, this global acquisition turned out to be a great success, turning Tata Motors into a global player in the automotive sector and rejuvenating the iconic British luxury brands.
4. Acquisition of Daewoo Commercial Vehicles (2004)
Tata Motors acquired the commercial vehicle division of Daewoo in South Korea for $102 million, significantly strengthening Tata’s presence in the global commercial vehicle market. This acquisition gave Tata access to advanced truck manufacturing technologies and helped it expand into new markets.
5. Acquisition of NatSteel (2004)
As part of the group’s global deals, Tata Steel acquired NatSteel, a Singapore-based steel producer, for $486 million to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia. This was part of Ratan Tata’s strategy to expand Tata Steel’s operations globally, particularly in emerging markets.
6. Acquisition of The Ritz-Carlton Boston Hotel (2006)
Tata’s Indian hotel company (Taj Hotels) acquired The Ritz-Carlton Boston, a luxury hotel in the US for about $170 million in 2006, which helped expand the Taj luxury brand globally. This acquisition was part of the group’s drive to establish a significant presence in the global hospitality industry.
7. Joint venture with Starbucks (2012)
In a landmark deal, Tata Global Beverages (now Tata Consumer Products) has signed a joint venture with US-based Starbucks to open Starbucks stores in India. This partnership helped Tata tap into India’s booming coffee retail market, which has seen significant growth in the years since.
8. Acquisition of Brunner Mond (2006)
For £90 million, Tata Chemicals has acquired Brunner Mond, a UK-based soda ash producer. This deal helped Tata Chemicals become one of the largest producers of soda ash globally, strengthening its presence in international markets.
9. Acquisition of BigBasket (2021)
Although Ratan Tata retired in 2012 as chairman, he remains chairman emeritus of the Tata group. The Tata Group became the owner of BigBasket in May 2021. Natarajan Chandrasekaran was the Chairman of Tata Sons.
Also Read: From Jamshedji to Ratan Tata: The Family Tree of India’s Pioneering Business Conglomerate
Tata Digital has acquired a majority stake in BigBasket, an Indian online grocery platform, marking Tata’s foray into the growing e-commerce space.
10. Acquisition of 1MG (2021)
Tata Digital also acquired a majority stake in 1MG, an online pharmacy, as part of its broader push into digital healthcare.
11. Reacquisition of Air India (2022)
In 2022, Tata Sons won the bid to buy back Air India from the Indian government for Rs 18,000 crore. The chairman of the Tata group was Natarajan Chandrasekaran while Ratan Tata was the chairman emeritus. The airline was originally founded by JRD Tata but was nationalized in 1953. It was a landmark moment as Tata brought the iconic airline back into its fold.
12. BSNL 4G Deal (2023)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has secured a contract worth Rs 26,821 crore to provide 4G equipment to BSNL for its national network upgrade. This deal is critical to BSNL’s modernization drive.
13. Proposed merger with ThyssenKrupp (2018 – terminated)
Separate from those deals, Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp proposed a joint venture to combine their European steel operations in 2018. That deal was supposed to create Europe’s second-largest steelmaker, but was called off in 2019 due to regulatory concerns.
Veteran industrialist and chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ratan Tata passed away at the age of 86 late on Wednesday. He was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai since Monday due to a sudden drop in blood pressure and was in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.
In his official statement, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said Ratan Tata was “a truly extraordinary leader whose immeasurable contribution has shaped not only the Tata Group but the very fabric of our nation”. He said Tata was more than the chairman of the Tata Group and was a “mentor, guide and friend” to him.
