Retail

Retail tech companies supporting the retail sector with services such as digital ledgers, inventory management, payments solutions, and tools for logistics and fulfillment are taking off in India. In the first nine months of 2021, investors pumped in US$ 843 million into 200 small and mid-sized retail technology companies, which is an additional 260% of capital compared to the entire 2020.

91 Squarefeet, a retail store development business, has worked with over two dozen companies, including Tata, Aditya Birla Group, and Reliance Retail, illustrating the quick pace with which brick-and-mortar stores are being opened.

In March 2022, Reliance Brands has bought the India franchisee rights and the current Sunglass Hut retail network from DLF Brands.

DLF would invest about Rs. 2,000 crore (US$ 262.2 million) in Gurugram and Goa to build two new retail complexes.

In November 2021, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade announced that it is working on a regulatory compliance portal to minimise burdensome compliance processes between industries and the government.

In October 2021, retailers in India increased by 14% compared with last year

In September 2021, New Delhi-based e-commerce enablement startup GoKwik raised US$ 5.5 million through Matrix Partners India. Dukaan, another startup that helps businesses digitise operations, received a US$ 11 million investment led by 640 Oxford Ventures.

The Indian retail trading has received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow totalling US$ 3.61 billion during April 2000- June 2021, according to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

IWith the rising need for consumer goods in different sectors including consumer electronics and home appliances, many companies have invested in the Indian retail space in the past few months.

India’s retail sector attracted US$ 6.2 billion from various private equity and venture capital funds in 2020.

According to a report by PGA Labs and Knowledge Capital, investors had put in US$ 1.4 billion into D2C companies between 2014 and 2020. The sector recorded an investment of ~US$ 417 million in 2020.

In October 2021, Reliance announced plan to launch 7-Eleven Inc.’s convenience stores in India.

In October 2021, Realme launched 100 new exclusive stores across India to expand and strengthen its footprint in the country.

In October 2021, Reliance Retail introduced Freshpik, a new experiential gourmet food store in India, to expand its grocery segment in the ultra-premium category.

In October 2021, Plum, the direct-to-consumer beauty & personal care brand, announced plan to launch >50 offline stores across India (by 2023) to expand its customer base.

In July 2021, Dyson announced to increase its retail presence to 12 stores.

Tanishq, Shoppers Stop and Bestseller India (sells fashion brands Vero Moda, ONLY and Jack & Jones) plan to add 10-35 stores in FY22.

In 2021, Lenskart received US$ 315 million funding from Falcon Edge Capital, Temasek Holdings, KKR. The company plans to use the proceeds to expand its retail footprint in Southern India.

Flipkart hired 23,000 individuals in India between March and May 2021 in various capacities across its supply chain, including delivery executives, to strengthen the supply chain.

In May 2021, Big Bazaar rolled out its two-hour delivery service in small cities, such as Bhopal, Mangalore, Raipur, Ranchi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi, and recorded a boost in orders over the past weeks.

In April 2021, Flipkart expanded its hyperlocal delivery service Quick to six new cities including Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Hyderabad, and Pune as the demand for essential goods on e-commerce platforms surges amid the second wave of the pandemic.

The Government of India has taken various initiatives to improve the retail industry in India. Some of them are listed below:

• In October 2021, the RBI announced plans for a new framework for retail digital payments in offline mode to accelerate digital payment adoption in the country.
• In July 2021, the Andhra Pradesh government announced retail parks policy 2021-26, anticipating targeted retail investment of Rs. 5,000 crore (US$ 674.89 million) in the next five years.
• Government may change Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules in food processing in a bid to permit E-commerce companies and foreign retailers to sell Made in India consumer products.
• Government of India has allowed 100% FDI in online retail of goods and services through the automatic route, thereby providing clarity on the existing businesses of E-commerce companies operating in India.
• The government’s focus to improve digital infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets would be favourable to the sector.
• The Minister of MSME announced inclusion of retail and wholesale trades as MSMEs. Retail and wholesale trade will now get the benefit of priority sector lending under the RBI guidelines.