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Acquisition · 12 November 2026A2BChennai South Indian food chainaabsweets.com ↗
AcquisitionCommerce & Consumer Brands

Bodhi Tree to buy majority of A2B for $180M

By · Editor ·

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Majority stakeChennai
  • A2B is a Chennai-based South Indian restaurant and packaged sweets brand with about 160 outlets in India and over 30 abroad
  • Bodhi Tree Systems, led by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, will put in $180 million to take a majority holding in the company
  • The money will fund growth of its restaurants and its packaged sweets and savouries line, at home and in overseas markets

What happened

  • Bodhi Tree Systems will invest $180 million.
  • The deal gives it a majority stake in A2B.
  • Both sides announced a partnership on 12 November.
  • The cash backs restaurant growth.
  • It also backs packaged sweets and savouries.

Why it matters

  • The aim is a professionally managed global Indian food company.
  • A2B already runs outlets in Singapore, the US, Australia, Malaysia and the UK.
  • Uday Shankar is set to take a leadership role at the board.

The business

  • A2B is headquartered in Chennai.
  • It is strong in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
  • It runs about 160 outlets in India.
  • It has over 30 outlets abroad.
  • It employs over 15,000 people.
  • It also sells packaged sweets and savouries.

Who put in money

  • Bodhi Tree Systems Investor — Platform led by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar.

In numbers

160Outlets in India · 2026
15,000+Employees · 2026

The numbers around it

Commerce & Consumer Brands in November 2026: 7 rounds with a disclosed amount, $116 million in all; the biggest was GIVA ($100M+). Every sector this year →

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Terms in this story

  • Lead investor: A lead investor is the investor that sets the price and main terms of a funding round, does the deepest checks on the company and usually puts in the largest cheque. When a headline says a round was led by a fund, that fund was the first to commit and shaped the deal that others joined.
  • Majority stake acquisition: A majority stake deal is an acquisition in which the buyer takes more than half of a company, often 51%, and agrees on how the remaining shares may be bought later. It gives the buyer control now, keeps the founders invested, and spreads the price over time.

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