Mallya v/s Chhabria, Battle Finally Ends

Chhabria, who was pushed to the sidelines by his competitor Mallya, gets a strong chance to make a comeback in the liquor scene. With famous brands like Officer's Choice and Jolly Roger, ADB sells about 21 million cases with an 8 percent share of India's branded liquor consumption. Followed by United Spirits and French giant Pernod Ricard, it turns out as the third largest spirit maker firm in the country with approximately 10 percent of market share.

Deepak Roy, former Mallya associate and industry veteran, has been appointed as the Chief Executive of ABD to bring the company back on track. They are in talks with private equity investor for raising fund to expand the business, which reported strong double digit growth in recent years. Sanjay Jain, Director at Taj Capital, a New Delhi-based boutique investment advisory firm said, "The litigations were hanging heavy on Chhabria's expansion plans, and with that gone he could come back as a force to reckon with in the regular priced segments of liquor (especially if Diageo's deal with United Spirits go through). Officer's Choice has been a stand-out performer among Indian brands." If United Spirits comes under the control of Diageo, it would make ABD the largest domestic player in the liquor business.