Bharti Retail to roll out supermarket format

After making its debut in satellite TV, Bharti is all set to stretch its arms in its already existing retail business. According to sources in the company, Bharti Retail is now planning to roll out its supermarket format in Punjab by the end of the year. Bharti had entered the state with its retail venture earlier in the year through its convenience store format; several of which were opened in different parts of the state.

Further, the company will open supermarkets of about 40,000 square feet in Punjab. However, the company is not planning to open any more formats outside Punjab and Haryana this year and larger-format hypermarkets will open only next year, add sources.

Bharti, best known for being India’s largest mobile phone company, started its retail business in April in its founders home-town of Ludhiana, with three convenience stores called Easy Day. The number of these stores has since grown to nine. The company has also partnered a 50:50 joint venture with Wal-Mart Stores to open 15 cash-and-carry stores in India.

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Subhiksha to foray into eastern India

Food and grocery retail chain, Subhiksha, plans to expand its wings in the east soon, a top company official said.

“The company is already present in the north, south and western regions. To make its presence felt in the east, we will soon foray into the east,” Subhiksha’s Senior President, Sunil Kataria, told reporters here.

The company plans to set up a store in Kolkata by December, he said.

Currently, the company has around 1,580 supermarkets under its Subhiksha Retail brand in more than 100 cities. It plans to enhance this network to around 2,200 stores by the end of the current fiscal.

The company intends to achieve a turnover of Rs 4,500-crore this fiscal as compared to Rs 2,305-crore posted in the previous financial year.

Source: The Hindu