Retail Companies in India

Pantaloon India Limited

Pantaloon Retail, a flagship venture of The Future Group is a name to reckon with in the flourishing Indian retail sector. Started as Pantaloon Shoppe in 1993, this retail giant has travelled places occupying a total retail space of over 5 million square feet. It operates an assorted range of retail store formats with a wide spectrum of products and services, ranging from food and groceries to apparel and accessories. Pantaloon Retail owns some of the most popular brands in the market like Big Bazaar and BrandFactory; in fact Pantaloon has a huge pie of the value and lifestyle segments in the Indian retail market.

Pantaloon India is a pioneer of organised retailing in India with many first to its name, setting benchmarks for nouveau players entering the retail space. It has bucked the retail trend with many innovations like BrandFactory (the discounted store format), Hometown (one stop shop store format), Sports Bar (sports theme restaurants that screen games), Health City (spa and body care) etc. The USP (unique brand proposition) of Pantaloon is the policy of tapping the consumer base of two important segments – Value and Lifestyle & Luxury, with the establishment of store formats like Big Bazaar (value) and Central (lifestyle and luxury).

Pantaloon Retail is a key player in the organised retail sector with nearly 500 stores located across 45 cities in the country. With around 15,000 employees on its payroll engaged in various retail activities, this retail company is on for a long haul. Recently it has started offering programmes and courses in association with reputed institutes to provide world class education in Retail Management and other allied courses.

Shoppers’s Stop Limited

Shoppers’s Stop is a retail venture of the K Raheja Group, established in 1991, offering a wide range of retail formats and verticals especially in the lifestyle and luxury segment, with an eye on the ever increasing affluent upper middle class population. Since its inception, the company has gradually progressed from a single brand store to a complete family store providing high quality fashion and lifestyle products with impeccable service.

In 2007, Shopper’s Stop signed a 50:50 Joint Venture with the Nuance Group (Switzerland) for Airport Retailing and another MOU with the Home Retail Group of UK to enter into an exclusive franchise arrangement for the Argos formats of catalogue & internet retailing. Shopper’s Stop Limited has also made strategic partnerships with other international retail brands like Mothercare Plc of Britain and Leisure & AlliedIndustries of Australia. It has also made forays in the entertainment and leisure segment by acquiring a huge stake in Timezone Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., along with the opening of Brio, the coffee bars in Crossword Bookstores run by the company.

Shopper’s Stop has been clocking an impressive conversion ratio (total number of transaction to the customer footfalls ratio) in spite of the global economic downturn. Recently Shopper’s Stop became the only retailer from India to get a membership of the prestigious Intercontinental Group of Departmental Stores (IGDS) that consists of 30 experienced retailers (Selfridges, Karstadt, Shanghai No.1 and Manor, to name a few) from all over the world.

Other Key Retail Players in India

Tata Trent Ltd.:

Established in 1998, Tata Trent Ltd. is one of the early players that have established firm roots in the organised Indian retail sector. The company currently operates store formats like Hypermarkets and Supermarkets in various retail segments like apparel, books and music. With revenue of around US$ 53 million, Tata Trent Ltd has successfully launched popular brands like Westside, Landmark and Star India Bazaar successfully.

RPG Enterprises:

RPG has come a long way, with revenue of nearly US$ 200 million, since it ventured into organised retailing in 1996 with a big bang. It has been successfully running different store formats like Convenience Stores and Supermarkets, offering a variety of wares like food and grocery, and beauty products. RPG Enterprises runs some of the most popular brands like Spencer’s and Music World. Music is a specialty of RPG with its niche brand Music World having tie-ups with around 350 affiliates across the country. The company plans to set up 2000 stores across the country by the end of this year.

Landmark Group:

With interests in various retail segments from apparel to home decor and furnishings, The Landmark Group has been a part of the organised retail bandwagon in India since 1999. It runs retail store formats like departmental stores and hypermarkets in the major metros of the country with plans to establish their presence in the mini metros and other Tier-II cities in the near future. Max Retail, Home Centre and Lifestyle are its flagship brands. Currently it has around a few dozen outlets across the country.

Madura Garments:

Madura Garments is a part of the Aditya Birla Nuvo Group established way back in 1988. It is one of the trusted names in the apparel retail segment, running reputed apparel outlets like Planet Fashion and Trouser Town. Madura Garments owns top of the line brands starting from Louis Philippe and Van Heusen to Allen Solly, SF Jeans, and Peter England. It has recently signed an MOU for a Joint Venture with Esprit, a leading international apparel brand. The company is on an opening spree, targeting some 300 outlets by the yearend, with plans to diversify into the women’s wear segment in the near future.

Vivek Group:

Established in 1965 with revenue accounting to around US$ 91.5 million, the Vivek Group has dabbled in a number of retail segments like Food & Grocery, and Beauty products. Electronics & Home appliances are niche retail segments of the group with a huge consumer base spread throughout the country, especially in the smaller towns and villages. Vivek Group has supermarkets and hypermarkets, selling very popular electronics and home appliances brands like Viveks, Jaisons, and Premier. The group currently has around 60 outlets with plans to set up 60 more stores in South India alone.

Globus:

Opened in 1998, Globus is one of the retail companies operating in India with a huge clientele, especially the middle class, in the value segment (apparel). The company has around a hundred outlets spread all over the country. Globus manufactures a spectrum of private labels under the brand Globus and F21, solely in the apparel segment. Currently the company operates in the stand alone store format.

Subhiksha Trading Services:

Subhiksha Trading Services owns 'Subhiksha', which is a household name especially in the southern part of the country. The company with a turn over running into US$ 75.6 million, before it was hit by the recent global recession, was established way back in 1997. Subhiksha mainly caters to the food and medicine segments, and are operated in the supermarket format. The retail brand is all geared up to open around 600 more stores (145 stores in the NCR region alone), adding to the existing 150 outlets.

Nilgiris Ltd.

Nilgiris has occupied a pride of place among its huge base of middle class Indian consumers since its inception in the early part of the last century, 1904 to be exact. Nilgiris is a reputed brand in the food and grocery segment, which are generally operated in the supermarket format. With earnings amounting to nearly US$30.5 million, Nilgiris have huge expansion plans targeting a total of 100 stores in the immediate future. Nilgiris are well known for their bakery products, which is of course their specialty.

Trinethra Super Retail Ltd.

Trinethra Super Retail Ltd. that owns the chain of TrinethraQuick Shop was established in 1986, before it was eventually taken over by the Aditya Birla Nuvo Group in 2006. The company with a turnover of US$58.5 million has over 150 outlets across the country in different store formats like convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets. Currently the company deals only in select segments like food & grocery and beauty, but it is on the lookout for opportunities to branch out to other segments like medicines, apparel and footwear.

Provogue Ltd.

Provogue is one of the most admired brands among the well heeled young middle class population. The company has seen a phenomenal growth since its establishment in 1997, clocking returns of US$38.1 million in the last fiscal. Currently operating from around 150 outlets as standalone stores, Provogue deals only in the selected segments of apparel and footwear with its fashionable brands like Provogue and Prozone. Provogue Ltd. has big future plans to foray into the business of managing and developing malls.

Bata India Ltd.

Bata is notably the most trusted brand in India before Privatisation, though it still continues to carry its legacy forward even in the face of huge competition, with the entry of MNCs and other international players in its niche segment, footwear and accessories. Present in India since 1931, Bata India Ltd. manage standalone stores with more than 1000 outlets across the length and breadth of the country. With a turnover of around US$179.8 million, Bata is presently in the process of remodelling 150 stores and opening 40 new stores in the next few years.

Archies Ltd

Archies is the most trendy and fashionable brand dealing in greeting cards and gifts cutting across all sections of the society, with a huge fan following among the youth, before the invasion of the internet and the introduction of e-cards. The brand has been in India since 1979 with a revenue touching US$20.8 million. Archies Ltd. owns the brands Archies and Stupid Cupid, which are generally sold in standalone stores.

RETAIL COMPANIES ACROSS VERTICALS

Food and Grocery:

· Hindustan Unilever Limited

· BJN Group

· Magna

· Café Coffee Day

· Barista

· Apna Bazaar

· Spar

· TC

· Aditya Birla Group

· NF

· FabMall

· Godrej

· Mc Donald’s

Clothing and Textiles

· FabIndia

· Biba

· Pyamid

· Lee

· Levi’s

· Ebony

· Pepe Jeans

· Raymonds

· Kappa

· Mango

· Lee Cooper

· Nalli

· Peter England

Jewellery and Watches

· Tissot

· Gili

· Tanishq

· Kiah

· Carbon

· JBL

Footwear

· Reebok

· Liberty

· New Balance

· UMBRO

· Adidas

· Woodland

· Paragon

Home decor and Furnishings

· Raymond

· Lifestyle

· Durian

· Bombay Dyeing

· Nilkamal

· Gautier

· Pantaloon

· Carmicheal House

Electronics

· Croma

· Onida

· Videocon

· Whirlpool

· LG

· BPL

· Philips

· Next

· Samsung Electronics

· Godrej

Beauty Care

· L’orreal

· Amway

· Revlon

· Health Glow

· Biotiue

· Maybelline

· Lakme

· Himalaya

Books and Music

· Depot

· Music World

· Crossword

· Hallmark

· Planet M

INTERNATIONAL RETAIL PLAYERS

India is currently considered a hot spot destination for the leading global retail majors. Many of the big names in international retail are either opening up or consolidating their retail business in India, with an eye on the colossal consumer base. Reebok's largest store in the world has been set up in Hyderabad, Tommy Hilfiger and Levis alone have already dedicated over 20,000 square feet of retail space and stand- alone stores cutting across major metropolitan cities. Fast-food giants like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and Subway have become very regular features of the urban landscape, as the emerging Tier II and Tier III cities continue to attract the interest of international retail brands. Some of the international retailers plying their trade in the Indian market, cutting across segments and formats, would consists of:

· Nine West

· United Colors of Benetton

· Adidas

· Mango

· Pizza

· Marcoricci Italy

· Red Earth

· Nike

· TGI Friday’s

· Mc Donalds

· Samsonite

· Promod