Hyderabad, Aug. 29: 
Dr Batra’s, the homoeo clinic chain, will be raising Rs 100 crore from private equity players. Most of the funds raised will be spent on the expansion of its new line of business B-Perfect. Part of the funds will also be used for mergers and acquisitions.

“We are in talks with a few private equity funds. We will sign a deal with more than one player to raise the funds. We don’t require any assistance for our regular business of homoeo clinics,” said Mukesh Batra, Chairman and Managing Director of Dr Batra’s Positive Health Clinic Pvt Ltd.

The company, which runs 96 clinics across the country, will be adding 25 more by the end of the financial year. As it cross the 100-clinic mark, it has decided to start franchisee model this year to expand to tier-II and tier-III cities. “We have received 90 applications. We will be opening 35 clinics in this model by March next year,” said Mukesh Batra, Chairman and Managing Director of Dr Batra’s Positive Health Clinic Private Limited.

For the next three years, the company would be adding 80 clinics, including 50 in the franchisee model. On the merger and acquisitions, he said the company was looking at buying small chains with 4-5 clinics in a city or in a State.

In the Rs 2,760-crore homoeo care market in the country, Dr Batra’s has a share of Rs 100 crore in 2011-12. The other two ventures (products and B-Perfect) contributed another Rs 13 crore. “The industry association Assocham has projected that the homoeo market size would go up to Rs 5,900 crore in 2017,” Mukesh Batra said.

The firm recently tied up with Big Bazaar group to sell its product in the country. “To begin with, we will be putting up our products at its Mumbai stores,” he said. Source: The Hindubusinessline