Ferns N Petals eyes IPO in 2020 to fund expansion

Ferns N Petals plans to come out with its initial public offer (IPO) in 2020 while it expands its operations beyond the core business of flowers and gifts retailing, a top company official said.

The company's expansion plans include FMCG and hospitality sectors.

"We are looking at coming out with an IPO in the next 14-18 months...in year 2020. Work has already started on this front. We will use money to fund our growth plans as we expand beyond our core business of flowers and gifting," Ferns N Petals Founder and MD Vikaas Gutgutia told PTI.

The company plans to become a major player in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment with launch of packaged water, chocolates, cookies and cakes. It is also looking at establishing a chain of wedding hotels.

"We want to expand base beyond our core business of flowers, gifting and wedding decor. Apart from growing FMCG, we are also looking at opening a chain of wedding hotels and producing content for different platforms such as web series and short films," he added.

Gutgutia said Ferns N Petals plans to invest Rs 20 crore to open three to four hotels in the next 12 months. At present, it has one operational property in Delhi.

The company had reported about Rs 360 crore turnover last fiscal, and expects about 30 per cent year-on-year growth.

Ferns N Petals has 300 outlets in 120 cities across India. By the end of year 2020, the brand is planning to open 500 outlets across the country.