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9 stories for “discounts”

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

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

Empty highway-side retail building exterior with large glass windows and afternoon sunlight

Opinion · Platforms

Why permanent outlets beat seasonal sales

Bhiwandi’s 365-day model exposes the limits of festive-only discounting for both brands and full-price retailers.

The Desk · 26 Sep · 4 min read

Spacious empty outlet mall corridor with clothing racks and bright overhead lighting

Retail

Outlet Mall of India opens in Bhiwandi with 70% off

Maharashtra’s first large outlet centre runs 365-day discounts on 100-plus brands, forcing high-street and mall full-price operators to rethink markdown calendars.

Meera Iyer · 26 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of packed grocery crates on roller racks inside a lit warehouse aisle

Opinion · Ecommerce

Why quick commerce profits still look uneven

Blinkit turns operating profit while Zepto and others post heavy losses; subsidy cuts and policy costs decide who scales into festive demand.

The Desk · 22 Sep · 4 min read

Side-by-side view of a busy apparel store floor and a compact warehouse aisle under separate lighting

Opinion · Retail

Why value density still beats quick-commerce hype

Zudio’s 1,000 stores and Minutes’ 1,200 centres show physical throughput remains the real P&L lever.

The Desk · 13 Sep · 4 min read

Long view of a brightly lit retail floor with checkout counters and stacked shelves at dusk

Opinion · Retail

Why big-box still writes the festive cheque

Carrefour’s return and Trent’s store machine show physical retail is not dead; it is simply learning to feed the apps.

The Desk · 5 Sep · 4 min read

Stock ticker board reflection on empty glass shopfront at dusk

Opinion · Retail

Why secondary sales now price Indian retail risk

Lenskart’s back-to-back block deals show listed consumer names face real liquidity tests that franchise and store expansion plans cannot ignore.

The Desk · 30 Aug · 4 min read

Stacked cartons of packaged foods on a warehouse floor under strip lighting

Ecommerce

ITC Nestle widen own e-stores with 30% discounts

FMCG majors expand direct platforms to more cities to cut marketplace fees and lock in shoppers before festive stocking.

Ananya Rao · 30 Aug · 4 min read