Metropolis Healthcare plans annual acquisitions for expansion

Metropolis Healthcare plans to acquire 2-3 companies each year to strengthen its presence in northern and eastern India. This strategy is aimed at enhancing its specialty testing business across various medical fields, according to Ameera Shah, the company’s promoter and executive chairperson. The acquisitions will be financed through the company's internal funds, as it remains debt-free. Shah stated that Metropolis generates between 200 and 300 crore rupees in cash annually, which will be used for these purchases. The company is focusing on tests for diseases such as cancer, neurology, kidney issues, and infections. The goal is to challenge the market leader, Dr Lal PathLabs, and increase revenue significantly over the next few years. Currently, Metropolis is the second largest player in India, with an expected revenue of 1,300-1,350 crore rupees this fiscal year. Shah anticipates this will rise to 1,700-1,750 crore rupees next year. Recently, Metropolis acquired Core Diagnostics, a cancer diagnostics company in Delhi NCR, and is set to purchase Scientific Pathology in Agra. These acquisitions are expected to boost the revenue share from northern India from 8% to 13-14% by FY26. Metropolis is expanding its network from 300 to 750 towns and cities and plans to open 800 new collection centers along with additional labs. The company will invest between 75 crore and 150 crore rupees over the next two years for this expansion, focusing on advanced diagnostics and automation to improve operations and patient care.