SoftBank-backed Delhivery contests metrics in rival Ecom Express’ IPO filing

Indian logistics firm Delhivery has publicly contested the accuracy of metrics presented by competitor Ecom Express in its draft initial public offering prospectus, a rare confrontation in the lead-up to the latter’s market debut. 

Delhivery, which is backed by SoftBank and already publicly listed, claims that Ecom Express has inaccurately represented Delhivery’s business metrics when drawing comparisons in its IPO filing. 

The 442-page draft prospectus (PDF) submitted by Ecom Express last month reported that the company had shipped 514.41 million packages in the fiscal year ending March 2024, while Delhivery handled 740 million during the same period. 

Delhivery alleged in a filing to the stock exchanges Friday that this comparison is flawed, asserting that what it considers a single shipment is counted as two by its rivals, potentially inflating Ecom Express’s volume figures.

This public dispute comes less than a month after Ecom Express, which counts Warburg Pincus, Partners Group, and British International Investment among its backers, filed for an IPO aiming to raise $310 million. 

Delhivery has also questioned Ecom Express’s presentation of service EBITDA and corporate costs, citing a lack of consistent definitions for these metrics in the prospectus.

This is a developing story. More to follow.