Big Bazaar, one of the leading hypermarket chains in India, plans to open 16 new stores over the next three quarters. With this, the popular brand aims to touch 300 stores in the country, according to the official.
“We are on track to complete the milestone of reaching 300 hypermarkets in the next three quarters,” said Sadashiv Nayak, CEO of Big Bazaar. Today, Future Retail operates 284 Big Bazaar stores in more than 100 cities across the country.
Following its expansion strategy, Future Group firm is expanding into smaller Tier II cities in India, which are less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The emerging consumer class in those areas has attracted the hypermarket chain.
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Big Bazaar operates multiple stores in various cities tier-II
is. It has six stores in Bhubaneswar, five in Patna, four in Nagpur and Jaipur, three stores each in cities like Baroda, Ranchi Nasik. The company had last week opened its new store in Lucknow, which is the seventh in the city.
“With the 300 stores, we would be reaching almost every state,” Nayak added, according to the news agency. PTI.
The coronavirus pandemic and the national lockdown affected Big Bazaar’s business. However, footfalls in tge stores have increased, especially during the festive season. Commenting on the recovery from the trade blockade, Nayak mentioned that all sections, including apparel and apparel, also posted good sales during the holiday seasons.
“We are still on the way to recovery, we have not fully recovered to normal,” Nayak said, adding that “there are also some behavioral changes on the part of consumers.”
“People have started to consume again, which is a good sign and people should be aware of prices and promotion and that has not disappeared. People are checking the price and promotions,” he said.
“Another change in behavior is that now people have begun to verify the origin of the origin of the products,” he mentioned.
“Chains like Big Bazaar are necessary not only to provide daily staples at affordable prices, but also for stroke consumption,” he added.
To sustain itself during the pandemic, Big Bazar has also embraced digital modes of purchase. Customers can also take advantage of the home delivery option through the shopping app, WhatsApp, and even the phone. The company has also introduced ‘store pickup’ options for everyone. When asked about the contribution of these new channels in the total sales of Big Bazaar, Nayak said: “The different markets have a different behavior … We have hit the catchment areas of cities and towns, where the order from delivery has reached 15 percent of store sales. “
In August, the Future group had announced the sale of its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing business to the Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) firm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries for a global consideration of ₹24,713 crore. Under the deal, RRVL would acquire popular Future brand stores such as Big Bazaar, Fbb, Foodhall, Easyday, Nilgiris, Central and Brand Factory.