Metro AG: In deal season, German cash & carry chain feels the heat in India

The low-profile German cash & carry chain is suddenly finding itself at the centre of controversy as negotiations for the sale of its India business get underway

German chain Metro Cash & Carry may not have been under the spotlight in India all these years unlike American major Walmart, but things changed swiftly in the deal season. Dusseldorf-headquartered Metro AG started making plans for selling its India business (fully or partially) more than one year ago at the peak of Covid-19, but negotiations with potential bidders and investors picked up speed in the last two months or so. And suddenly Metro became the centre of controversy — ranging from an all-out foreign-versus-Indian battle to death threats to top executives.

To put things in perspective, Metro came into India