Score with More Stores

The Indian retail market has been growing at a fast pace, reaching almost $900 billion today and, within the next 10 years, could almost double.

There is a change in consumer behavior and the retail landscape in India, driven by:

• Desires and aspirations to be world-class
• Better purchasing power
• Exposure due to travel and media

Brand stores have now started growing more and more in number. Organized retail has pushed this sector and accelerated its growth.

Croma is celebrating the opening of its 500th store, spreading its presence all over India.

• Started in 2006, catering to multi-brand digital gadgets and home electronic needs.
• Expands across 180 towns, offering a premium shopping experience.

Croma is a prime example of a brand store growing more and more.

Reliance Retail, the largest in the Indian retail sector, also started in 2006.

• 18,836 store locations in 7,000+ towns
• Offers a variety of products including foods, groceries, apparel, footwear, toys, home improvement products, and electronics
• Largest retailer in terms of revenue, growing at a phenomenal pace

Reliance Retail is another powerful example of how brand stores are multiplying rapidly.

Lenskart, an Indian multinational optical prescription and eyewear retail chain, has achieved rapid expansion:

• 2,000+ retail stores, with 25% outside India
• Focuses on cutting-edge technology and customer experience
• Expansion demonstrates strong market positioning globally

Lenskart proves that brand stores expanding more and more can lead to international success.

Raymond has seen exponential growth in branded organized retail:

• 1,500 retail outlets in 600 towns across India
• Offers premium fashion fabrics, including worsted, cotton, wool, linen, and denim
• Houses multiple renowned brands: Raymond, Park Avenue, Colorplus, Ethnix
• Features ‘Made to Measure’ stores, offering personalized tailoring solutions

Raymond showcases the power of the Indian retail industry and its ability to scale up significantly.

ABFRL has built a strong nationwide retail presence with:

• 3,977 brand stores across India
• Leading fashion brands: Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England
• Expanding into branded ethnic wear with Jaypore, Tasva, and Marigold Lane

ABFRL exemplifies how brands score with more stores, gaining greater market presence and visibility.

DMart, a one-stop supermarket chain, aims to offer customers a wide range of basic home and personal products under one roof. Each DMart store stocks home utility products:

• Food
• Toiletries
• Beauty products
• Garments
• Kitchenware
• Bed and bath linen
• Home appliances

These products are made available at competitive prices that consumers appreciate.

DMart today has a well-established presence in 366 store locations across the country. It started its first store at Powai, Mumbai, and then spread all across. One of the reasons for its success is the fact that it went for more and more stores.

Starbucks has 390 stores in India and is growing rapidly. This is yet another successful example of a brand scoring with more stores. In fact, Starbucks is planning to open two new stores in India each week. The Tata Starbucks joint venture has been highly successful because of its growing presence across towns. Within towns, it boosts:

• Availability
• Access to consumers
• Convenience to enjoy their cup of tea or coffee

Starbucks aims to move towards 1,000 store mark in the next few years.

Established in 1998, as part of the Tata group, Trent Ltd operates Westside, one of India’s largest and fastest-growing chains of retail stores, with over 200 outlets. Westside brings about offerings related to:

• Fashion
• Food
• Beauty
• Home products

Trent ventured into the hypermarket business in 2004, with Star Bazaar, keeping things forever fresh, clean, and modern, making daily grocery shopping easy for householders. Star Bazaar has gained momentum under the Trent group.

Another example of a brand that grows due to its number of stores is Tanishq, the jewellery brand. An Indian jewellery brand and a division of Titan company, Tanishq, founded in 1994, has grown big; it now has 410 retail stores across more than 240 cities in India and abroad. It is the market leader in branded jewellery stores and continues to grow through its retail presence. The brand experience at its stores is excellent and it has been able to create the gold standard in jewellery retail business.

Monginis, the cake shop brand, also began with one humble shop in Fort Mumbai but has now grown to over 1,400 store locations throughout India since its beginning in 1956. The Khorakiwala family has taken the brand to great heights – so much so, that it is a testimony to the strategy of ‘brands scoring with more stores.’ Apart from cakes, Monginis also serves:

• Savouries
• Beverages

It remains a favourite among consumers.

Another brand, the footwear specialist Metro Shoes, has 836 stores in 193 cities. Metro Shoes has grown from strength to strength. It has not only walked the talk but also has run and galloped in terms of growth, bringing alive the strategy: Brands score with more stores.

The strategy of ‘brands scoring with more stores’ has been highly successful in the Indian branded retail market. More stores have been a major contributor to the success of brands and companies. Whether the stores are on the Main Street, in the mall, or in a corner, brands do score with more stores.

These are my Brand Mantras®:

Enhances visibility across the country, ensuring that brands attract more consumers.

Emphasizes availability, making it easy for consumers to access their favorite brands near home, work, or while traveling.

Relationships with retailers and consumers drive repeat sales and long-term brand loyalty.

Strong customer service builds trust and enhances brand growth in the retail store segment.

India’s growth does not only depend on investment in capital goods, product innovation, or production. It also depends on the branded retail sector, which ensures that brands are easily available to consumers.

The mantra, brands score with more stores, should be kept in mind by companies that want to:

• Be available 
• Be visible 
• Build strong consumer relationships 
• Serve customers better and faster 

So that the prosperity of the consumer translates into the growth of the company in terms of top-line sales growth and bottom-line profit growth.

Brand builders, go ahead and score with more stores!