Reliance Retail changes strategy to drive growth

Hypermarkets will be the main focus of Reliance Retail Ltd as part of a new five-year business plan chalked out by the subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, or RIL under a new leadership team led by Gwyn Sundhagul, Chief Executive Officer, value formats.

One of the first moves by Sundhagul was to implement a “jigsaw plan”, to ensure that the retail business would have the right location, the right format, the right offering, the right support service and the right infrastructure (which included the right supply chain, training and the right communication). He says he has also halved attrition and simplified processes.

Reliance Retail currently has stores in many formats, including small neighbourhood stores (Reliance Fresh), consumer goods (Reliance Digital) and clothing (Reliance Trends). It uses the Reliance Mart brand for its hypermarkets, large format stores that allow consumers to buy a range of goods under one roof.

The newly designed hypermarkets, which are currently being planned, will have floor space of at least 80,000 sq. ft, and the first one will be opened in Thane, in the outskirts of Mumbai, according to an internal company presentation.