The Hindu Business Line : Chennai next on Reliance Retail radar

Retail push
15 expats from global retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Dairy Farm, have been hired and are at work, consulting for Reliance on supply chain, operations and planning.
In Hyderabad, 11 Reliance Fresh stores are notching up sales of over Rs 10 lakh a day while each store is selling over six tonnes of fruits and vegetables a day.

Chennai , Nov. 28

Close on the heels of Reliance Fresh opening in Hyderabad, Chennai is the next city where Reliance Retail expects to open a clutch of 10 stores, to start with, across dense residential areas around December 25, according to sources in the group.

These stores are expected to range in size from 1,500 sq ft to 3,500 sq ft. The retailer may also open six to seven stores in Jaipur around the same time and Delhi and Mumbai too are likely to see stores opening up by early January. By March, Reliance Retail expects to be present in six to seven States.

Hiring expats

Meanwhile, according to sources in the group, the chief of another large retail outfit may be roped in as CEO of its B2B business. Reliance also expects to hire at least 30 or more expatriates from various top retailers across the world as consultants. Sources say that already 15 expats from global retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Dairy Farm, have been hired and are at work, consulting for Reliance on supply chain, operations and planning. While the expats, not being familiar with the Indian environment, will not strategise at a macro level, they will provide inputs at the store level and on building the supply chain.

In Hyderabad, 11 Reliance Fresh stores, sources say, are notching up sales of over Rs 10 lakh a day while each store is selling over six tonnes of fruits and vegetables a day. Earlier expectations were that the stores would average sales of only 4-5 tonnes a day. At least 30 or more such stores are planned for Hyderabad.

Other formats

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Reliance's plans for its other two formats, Reliance Fresh Plus, and the hypermarkets, have been pushed back. Fresh Plus stores, expected to operate in the supermarkets space, will retail grocery, FMCGs as well as fruits and vegetables. Its first hypermarket in Ahmedabad, Reliance Mart, is expected to open only in March now.

Fresh Plus, according to these sources, is not in the immediate horizon, as the feeling is that the Fresh format itself needs scaling up. Larger stores under Reliance Fresh could also be under way.

More Stories on : Retailing | Outlook | Reliance Industries Ltd | Tamil Nadu

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