In what is billed as one of the biggest retail unions, India’s two leading retailers – Future Group and Bharti Retail – announced a merger earlier this week.Future, started by retail pioneer Kishore Biyani, runs hypermarkets under the Big Bazaar brand in addition to stores like Home Town and Foodhall. Privately-held Bharti, owned by billionaire Sunil Mittal... Continue Reading →

Ashapura Intimates Fashion plans to open 200 Valentine loungewear retail showrooms across India in three years on a franchise basis.It plans to open 26 Valentine showrooms in Mumbai this year, most of which will be company-owned, it said in a statement on Monday.Ashapura sells intimate garments such as lounge wear, bridal night wear, honeymoon sets,... Continue Reading →

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the Indian state of Maharashtra on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Swedish furniture retailing giant, IKEA, to set up two to three stores. Maharashtra is one of four states, including Telangana, Karnataka and Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), identified by IKEA to open its stores.... Continue Reading →

India’s retail market expected to double in next 5 years: report Mumbai: India’s retail market is expected to double to $1 trillion by 2020 from $600 billion in 2015 driven by income growth, urbanization and attitudinal shifts, a new report said. While the overall retail market will grow at 12% per annum, modern trade will... Continue Reading →

US-based watchmaker Fossil will invest up to INR40 crore (INR400 million, USD6.3m) to open 25 retail outlets in India by 2017 as it aims to reposition itself from a watch brand to a fashion lifestyle brand. The company, known for its range of watches, will sell non-watch products such as leather bags for women and... Continue Reading →

Innovative casual footwear brand Crocs India is setting foot in towns like Siliguri, Sikkim and Coimbatore through local partnership. The brand has already yjytmade a mark in the metros and now it is focusing on tier 1 and 2 towns where it hopes to strengthen its presence throughnk the franchise model. Crocs took the global... Continue Reading →

World's largest furniture retailer Ikea on Wednesday said it has plans to invest Rs. 12,500 crore to set up 25 stores in the country over the next decade. The new stores, each needing investment of around Rs. 500 crore, will come in the cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore, the Swedish furniture retailer said.... Continue Reading →

Launching in India is the latest step in the clothing retailer’s international expansion plan. Gap plans to open its first stores in India in its latest international expansion. The San Francisco-based retailer, which also owns the Old Navy and Banana Republic chains, said Thursday it will launch a total of 40 franchise Gap GPS 0.16%... Continue Reading →

NEW DELHI: IKEA may take another three years to open its first store in India, because the world's largest furniture retailer is yet to sign up real estate for its usually sprawling facilities. And, the Swedish company will adopt a cluster approach when it rolls out the stores by opening multiple outlets in places like... Continue Reading →

While Fast Retailing is currently looking for suppliers in India, its flagship brand Uniqlo may open a thousand stores in the country, over the next ten years. Uniqlo has recently launched its new Paris flagship That’s according to Times of India. Sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper that during the recent visit of... Continue Reading →

Indian retail-to-energy group Reliance Industries Ltd reported a record $1-billion net profit for the financial first-quarter, fuelled by a strong petrochemicals performance. Reliance, controlled by the country's wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani, announced net profit for the three months to June climbed by a better-than-expected 13.7 percent to 59.57 billion rupees ($1 billion) in the same... Continue Reading →

Swatch has applied to set up stores in India, a report said Saturday, as the Swiss-based watchmaker moves to tap a growing and increasingly accessory-conscious consumer class. Swatch, with $10 billion in annual sales, has made a formal proposal to the commerce ministry under which the company would have 100 percent control of its business,... Continue Reading →

Ikea, the Swedish furniture retailer will have its first Indian store in Hyderabad. A team of representatives of Ikea, led by its CEO Juvenico Maeztu met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao in Hyderabad today and discussed the plans. Welcoming the decision of the company, KCR assured that all the necessary clearances would be granted... Continue Reading →

NEW DELHI: Japanese retail giant Uniqlo on Wednesday suggested that it will open up to 1,000 stores in India in the coming years to tap into the growing consumption story and announced a strategy to source garments from the country. Two sources familiar with the development told TOI that Uniqlo chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai,... Continue Reading →

Reliance Industries Ltd today said its retail chain has become the largest in the country and reported a cash profit in 2013-14. Revenue at Reliance Retail rose 34 per cent to Rs 14,496 crore in 2013-14 from a year earlier. "Retail business has turned around and is now India's largest retail chain," Reliance Industries Chairman... Continue Reading →

Hong Kong - Wal-Mart Stores Inc plans to open 50 additional wholesale stores in India over the next 4-5 years, company spokesman Anthony Rose said on Tuesday. The world's largest retailer already runs 20 wholesale stores in India. The retailer will also launch wholesale e-commerce operations this summer in the country, Rose added.

Coffee chain Starbucks expanding aggressively in India NEW DELHI: The world's largest coffee chain Starbucks Coffee Co. is expanding aggressively in India even as its competitors, including global rivals such as Costa Coffee and Gloria Jean's Coffees, are having a tough time in the country's cafe market. Tata Starbucks Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between... Continue Reading →

Research and consulting firm, Great Place To Work Institute and Retailers Association of India (RAI) came together to recognise India's Top 10 Best Retail Companies To Work for in 2014. The companies were considered on the basis of five dimensions: credibility, respect and fairness, pride and camaraderie. By executing practices across areas such as inspiring,... Continue Reading →

Fossil plans to set up 25 stores in 5 years Bangalore: Watches and accessories maker Fossil Inc. will open 20-25 stores under its namesake brand in malls in India over the next five years and will also start selling jewellery as it seeks to increase its presence in the country. After Fossil India got approval... Continue Reading →

Sanjay Lalbhai-controlled Arvind has finalised a deal to buy out 49% stake jointly held by the Murjani Group and the US-based private equity fund Matrix Partners in Calvin Klein India for close to 100 crore, said three persons close to the transaction. The deal will help the denim major widen its ties with its existing... Continue Reading →

Apple Inc, the maker of iPhones and iPads, has asked the government to relax the local sourcing clause in its policy on foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail. Though government officials seem to have ruled this out for now, the proposal has not yet been closed. The company’s senior management executives recently met officials... Continue Reading →

Amazon.in launches India’s largest selection for Video Games, Music and Luggage MUMBAI: Amazon.in today announced the launch of three new stores: Video Games, Music and Luggage & Bagson its marketplace, http://www.amazon.in. With the launch of these three new stores, Amazon.in now has a wide selection across 18 product categories comprising of over 900,000 products, more... Continue Reading →

Online retailer Lenskart will set up 100 retail stores across the country over the next 2 years as it aims to strengthen offline presence and compete with local players in the Rs 10,000-crore Indian eyewear market. Lenskart, which offers prescription-based and fashion eyewear, currently has seven stores in places like Chandigarh, Pune, Agartala and Goa... Continue Reading →

Costa Coffee keen on expansion After Chennai and Bangalore in South India, Costa Coffee, one of the largest retail coffee chains in the world, has set up shop in Kochi. The British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Bharat Joshi, opened the Kochi outlet at Lulu Mall. Santosh Unni, CEO, Costa Coffee-India, said the outlet would... Continue Reading →

Foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinational food processing companies has shot up to $2.14 billion in the country between April and October 2013, and continues to increase significantly. The Indian retail market, currently estimated at $490 billion, is project to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 6 per cent to reach $865 billion... Continue Reading →