Owners of self-made petrol stations at a $ 6.5 billion auction for Asta

Two self-made billionaire brothers from the north of England have moved to the polar state to buy Asta and stun the city.

Mohsin Issa, 49, and his brother Juber, 48, built their company EG Group out of a garage in Puri in 2001 for $ 150,000, with 5,400 outlets and a $ 9 billion company with 35,000 employees.

The two, who arrived in the UK ‘for nothing’ in the 1960s, have been chosen as the preferred bidder in the battle to buy Asta, which will return the supermarket to the British owner.

Any deal is expected to cost the supermarket about $ .56.5 billion. The decision has left the city confused, believing US grocery retailer Walmart is ready to sign a deal with Apollo Global Management, led by former Debenhams boss Rob Templeman.

Preferred bidder: Any deal is expected to fetch the supermarket approximately $ 5 6.5 billion

Lone Star Funds, which worked with former Asta executive Paul Mason, pulled out last week – leaving Apollo with a clear run.

Walmart is thought to have been inspired by Isas’ entrepreneurial player and the ability to place Asta Convenience stores at EG’s petrol stations.

Walmart wants to sell its stake in Asta to focus on defending its position in the US against Amazon and pursue opportunities in high-growth markets such as India. ISA is backed by private-equity firm DTR Capital, which has owned half of the EG Group since 2016, and is a continuing lender, including Barclays and Lloyds.

Sky News first announced that they had been selected as the preferred bidder for Asta.

Shore Capital’s Clive Black said the proposed deal ‘puts original entrepreneurship and ambition in the driving seat’.