Daily briefing

Sunday, 1 November 2026

Reliance margins thin, Zudio nears 1,000, Blinkit races stores

Delhi desk, 1 November 2026. Q2 filings show festive timing and dark-store capex biting the big chains even as value formats and quick commerce keep adding doors. Merchants watch December for the real test.

1. Retail

   Reliance profit drops 24% on festive lag

   Adds 303 stores to 19,947 but margins thin on digital spend and calendar shift.

2. Retail

   Trent profit up 25%, Zudio near 1,000

   Opens 19 Zudio stores; Noel Tata retires as chairman on 11 November.

3. Ecommerce

   Blinkit lifts store goal to 3,500

   Network at 2,751; smaller-city stores now hit metro-like order density.

4. Retail

   Titan jewellery eyes double by FY30

   Festive and wedding demand firm; international boutiques now at 20.

5. Retail

   Festive timing now drives retail P&Ls

   Q2 misses show calendar risk is structural; December numbers will settle the argument.

6. Retail

   Smart Bazaar hands McCann festive brief

   Reliance value chain shifts campaign to ‘living well’ from making do as households upgrade kitchens and baths.