New Delhi: Tata Digital Ltd announced on Friday that it has acquired a majority stake in the online grocery platform Bigbasket.

Tata Digital is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons. With this deal, one of India's largest conglomerates has entered into direct competition with Flipkart, Amazon, and Reliance Industries which have continued to bolster their presence in the country's fast-growing e-commerce space.

"Grocery is one of the largest components of an individual's consumption basket in India, and Bigbasket as India's largest e-grocery player fits in perfectly with our vision of creating a large consumer digital ecosystem. We are delighted to welcome Bigbasket as a part of Tata Digital," said Tata Digital CEO Pratik Pal in a statement on Friday.

Exact details about the deal were not disclosed. But according to some media reports, the deal is worth about Rs 9,500 crore.

E-grocery has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in the consumer e-commerce space. Its growth has been further propelled by the country's rising consumption and digital penetration, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic which led consumers to increasingly opt for safer deliveries of groceries at home.

"We are extremely excited about our future as a part of Tata Group. As a part of the Tata ecosystem we would be able to build stronger consumer connect and accelerate our journey," said Bigbasket CEO Hari Menon. Founded in 2011, the Bangalore-based company has now expanded its presence to over 25 cities.

Meanwhile, the Tata Group is now building a digital consumer ecosystem addressing consumer needs across categories in a unified manner. Online food and grocery is an important part of this ecosystem. The acquisition presents an attractive opportunity for the group in its overall vision of creating a digital ecosystem, it said in a statement on Friday.