Wadia Group

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Wadia Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryConglomerate
Founded1736; 288 years ago (1736)
FounderLovji Nusserwanjee Wadia
Headquarters,
India
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nusli Wadia
(Chairman)[1]
Products
RevenueIncrease US$2.700 billion (₹28,000 Crores)
Total equityIncrease US$6.929 billion (₹51,400 Crores)
OwnerWadia family
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.wadiagroup.com

Wadia Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, founded in Surat, headquartered in Mumbai. It was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736 and is the oldest company in India, with its subsidiary The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, established in 1863, being the oldest publicly traded Indian company.[3] Other notable companies of the group are Bombay Dyeing, a textile company established in 1879, and Britannia Industries, a food and beverage company established in 1918.

Lovji Wadia secured contracts with the British East India Company to build ships and docks in Bombay in 1736.[4] This, and subsequent efforts, would result in Bombay becoming a strategic port for the British colonial undertakings in Asia. The Bombay dry dock, the first dry dock in Asia, was built by Lovji and his brother Sorabji in 1750. Among the historical ships built by the Wadia Group are HMS Minden, HMS Cornwallis, and HMS Trincomalee.

Group company logos displayed on the nose of a GoAir plane
A GoAir aircraft at Bangalore International Airport, with pink colours.

Companies[edit]

The Wadia group consists of several companies, four of which are listed on Indian stock exchanges.

Apart from the listed companies, Wadias own several other firms, including:

  • Gladrags – a fashion magazine which is the particular interest of Maureen Wadia, a former air hostess. Established in 1959.
  • Wadia Techno-Engineering Services Limited (WTESL) – Established in 1960.
  • Go First – Established in 2005.
  • Punjab Kings – a cricket team, one of the ten franchisees playing in the Indian Premier League. Established in 2008.
  • Bombay Realty – Established in 2011.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "India Wadia Group stays in Britannia long term-paper". Reuters. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Home". wadiaengg.com.
  3. ^ Mudgill, Amit. "Old isn't gold always! These 19th century firms failed to reward investors in last 5 years". The Economic Times. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ Mihir Bose (2006). Bollywood: a history. Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-2835-2.

External links[edit]