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20 stories for “Ready”

Handwritten discount board and stacked plastic stools outside a small Indian retail shop at dusk

Opinion · Retail

Value retail’s festive tightrope looks thinner this year

Inflation absorption and quick-commerce frequency are testing the old low-price promise just as footfall peaks.

The Desk · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Closed glass-front convenience store with empty shelves visible through locked doors at dusk

Retail

Reliance Retail exits 7-Eleven after five years, shuts nearly 60 stores

Convenience format posted ₹90 crore loss on ₹92 crore revenue; kiranas and quick commerce left no room for the middle.

Meera Iyer · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Stacked grocery cartons and bulk packs on metal shelves in a large supermarket back aisle

Retail

DMart lifts store count to 518 as Q2 revenue rises 18.4% to ₹19,206 crore

Strong top line failed to calm investors worried about same-store growth and quick-commerce leakage; shares fell over 6%.

Meera Iyer · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Modern empty fitting room with wall mirrors, bench and wall-mounted tablet under soft spotlights

Retail

Reliance Brands opens first Fabletics store in Delhi

Exclusive tie-up brings RFID fitting rooms and membership model to Indian activewear shoppers.

Meera Iyer · 6 Oct · 4 min read

Empty value-fashion store interior with clothing racks and bright overhead lights

Retail

BofA starts Trent coverage at Buy with ₹3,075 target

Zudio and Westside growth plus supply chain cited; value fashion keeps taking share.

Meera Iyer · 4 Oct · 4 min read

Stacked snack cartons on a small wholesale counter with weighing scale

Supply Chain

D2C food brands widen offline trade as quick-commerce shelves fill

Dark-store space crunch before festive forces snacks and sweets makers onto B2B marketplaces and kirana-modern trade routes.

Farhan Qureshi · 3 Oct · 4 min read

Denim display wall inside a bright department store corner with hanging jeans

Retail

Ace Turtle seals 24 G-Star shop-in-shops with Shoppers Stop

Exclusive licensee rolls out SIS across metros and regional cities to grab footfall without waiting for standalone stores.

Meera Iyer · 3 Oct · 4 min read

Laptop screen showing fashion product grid on a wooden desk with fabric swatches

Ecommerce

Nykaa Fashion offers six-month zero commission to apparel brands

Hidden Gems accelerator waives fees for homegrown labels so they can fund inventory and ads instead of platform take-rates before festive rush.

Ananya Rao · 3 Oct · 4 min read

Empty mid-size department store aisle with hanging garments and soft overhead lights

Retail

Trent bets ₹2,500 cr to add 100 Westside stores a year

Tata retailer shifts capital to mid-premium private-label format as value fashion crowds up and margins matter more on the floor.

Meera Iyer · 3 Oct · 4 min read

Quiet small-town Indian market street at early morning with closed shutters and stacked delivery crates

Opinion · Platforms

Why Tier-2 festive growth now decides marketplace winners

Homegrown labels already clock 60 per cent jumps in smaller towns; the next two weeks will separate platforms that can fulfil from those that only promise.

The Desk · 2 Oct · 4 min read

Vast empty warehouse interior with high racks and scattered cardboard cartons under industrial lights

Supply Chain

Flipkart Ekart adds 14 million cu ft storage and 900 hubs

Warehousing capacity jumps 50 per cent and last-mile reach widens for Big Billion Days and remote same-day.

Farhan Qureshi · 2 Oct · 4 min read

Empty multi-level fashion store interior with clothing racks and soft overhead lighting before opening

Retail

Trent bets ₹2,500 cr to open 100 Westside stores yearly

Mid-premium format accelerates from 10-15 openings a year as Zudio faces crowded value aisles.

Meera Iyer · 2 Oct · 4 min read

Empty quick-commerce dark store aisle with stacked crates and overhead LED lights at dawn

Ecommerce

Amazon Now doubles to over 120 cities in two weeks

Minute-level drops reach Amritsar Jalandhar Vizag Kochi just as Great Indian Festival opens 8 October.

Ananya Rao · 2 Oct · 4 min read

Quiet urban street corner with parked delivery bikes and closed shutter of a small warehouse at early morning light

Opinion · Ecommerce

Why dark-store maths now favour discipline over pure discount

Amazon’s cheque and Flipkart’s PIN grab arrive just as Blinkit and peers cut promo intensity.

The Desk · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Retail

ITC seals full Yoga Bar ownership with ₹645 crore buyout

Remaining 52.5 percent stake gives the FMCG giant complete control of the clean-label nutrition brand ahead of festive health push.

Meera Iyer · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Compact empty dark store interior with shelving of grocery packs and packing table under cool LED light

Ecommerce

Amazon bets $3 billion on India quick commerce dark stores

Plan lifts Amazon Now from roughly 750 stores toward 1,300 by April and targets daily essentials share now at 6.2 percent.

Ananya Rao · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Empty stainless steel food prep counters and stacked delivery bags inside a compact dark store

Ecommerce

Zepto Cafe cuts footprint to 250-350 sites after peak

Quick-commerce player scales back from 850-900 locations to focus on high-performing cities and tighter menus, easing dark-store cost pressure.

Ananya Rao · 30 Sep · 4 min read

Neat rows of beauty bottles and cartons on warehouse shelves under cool LED light

Ecommerce

Nykaa posts ₹7,374 crore 9M revenue on 25% growth

One Nykaa model with owned brands drives the print, putting pressure on pure D2C beauty sellers and offline counters ahead of festive GMV.

Ananya Rao · 30 Sep · 4 min read

Parked delivery bags and helmets beside stacked crates outside a small warehouse gate

Opinion · Ecommerce

Will dark-store scale finally cool the q-comm discount war?

As Amazon and Flipkart near 1,000 sites the incentive race shows early signs of moderation, yet festive demand could reignite burns.

The Desk · 29 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of stocked metal shelves inside a compact urban dark store under fluorescent light

Ecommerce

Flipkart Amazon near 1,000 dark stores in q-comm sprint

Bernstein note shows Flipkart approaching the mark while Amazon eyes festive season scale, pressuring Blinkit margins.

Ananya Rao · 29 Sep · 4 min read