Reliance Retail buys 60% of NetMeds parent Vitalic Health for ₹620 crore
Reliance Retail enters the e-pharmacy space with a 60% stake in NetMeds parent Vitalic Health for ₹620 crore, positioning it against Amazon, PharmEasy and MedLife. Reliance plans to reach full ownership by 2024, despite unresolved regulatory hurdles around online pharmacy.
What happened
Reliance Retail acquired a 60% stake in NetMeds parent Vitalic Health for ₹620 crore, entering the e-pharmacy space against Amazon, with plans to reach full
Key facts
- 60% stake
- ₹620 crore
- 100% ownership
- 20% stake by 2024
- FY20 net loss ₹184.3 crore
- NetMeds net loss ₹164.15 crore
- 19.59% ownership
Why this matters
The 60% acquisition with a path to full ownership by 2024 shows Reliance favouring staged control buys to enter regulated verticals—watch for similar structures as PharmEasy and MedLife respond.
What to watch
- Central e-pharmacy regulation / draft rules finalization
- Amazon Pharmacy and PharmEasy funding or discount moves
- Chemist association (AIOCD) litigation or lobbying
- PharmEasy-Medlife/1mg consolidation announcements
- NetMeds GMV and city expansion disclosures
- Integrate NetMeds into JioMart and MyJio app for cross-platform discovery
- Expand cold-chain and last-mile logistics via Reliance Retail stores as fulfillment nodes
- Add diagnostics, teleconsultation and OTC wellness to build full healthcare stack
- Progressive stake increase toward full ownership by 2024
- Aggressive customer acquisition through Jio ecosystem bundling