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20 stories for “grocery”

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

Wide supermarket aisle with stacked grocery cartons and price tags under cool overhead lighting

Retail

DMart adds 15 stores to 518 but shares slide over 6 per cent

Strong top line failed to calm investors worried about same-store growth and quick-commerce leakage.

Meera Iyer · 6 Oct · 4 min read

Stainless steel kitchen counters and empty prep stations in a compact cafe kitchen

Ecommerce

Zepto Cafe cuts footprint to 250-350 sites after peak

Quick-commerce firm scales back from 850-900 locations to focus on high-performing cities and tighter menus.

Ananya Rao · 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

Stacked snack packets and oil bottles on metal shelves inside a compact dark store under cool LED lighting

Ecommerce

Flipkart Minutes launches Pykd private label in gourmet

Quick-commerce arm adds namkeen, chips and premium grocery range; dark-store margins and basket values get a lift ahead of festive demand.

Ananya Rao · 28 Sep · 4 min read

Empty wide retail floor with scattered shopping trolleys and high windows letting in morning light

Opinion · Retail

Why physical stores still write the festive cheque

Opinion: Dark stores win minutes, but square footage still wins baskets and private-label margins when families stock up.

The Desk · 27 Sep · 4 min read

Retail

Reliance Retail crosses 20,000 stores after adding 1,564 in FY26

Network hits 20,160 outlets and 78.3 million sq ft as JioMart hyperlocal orders accelerate across 5,100 pin codes.

Meera Iyer · 27 Sep · 4 min read

Wide empty supermarket aisle with stacked shelves of packaged goods under bright ceiling lights

Retail

Carrefour opens 50,000 sq ft Noida flagship, eyes 50 stores

French hypermarket returns via Apparel Group franchise, betting physical clusters still beat pure quick commerce for bulk grocery.

Meera Iyer · 27 Sep · 4 min read

Metal racks stacked with medicine boxes and grocery packs inside a small warehouse bay

Ecommerce

Rio Health raises $4.5 mn to scale NCR dark stores

Pre-Series A funds push network from three to over 15 dark stores and target ₹150 crore annual run rate in quick commerce.

Ananya Rao · 25 Sep · 4 min read

Wide supermarket aisle with stacked produce crates and packaged goods under bright ceiling lights

Retail

Carrefour opens Noida store eyes 50 outlets in NCR UP

French retailer returns with 50,000 sq ft format and cluster plan, testing whether hypermarket economics still work against q-comm.

Meera Iyer · 24 Sep · 4 min read

Row of parked delivery bikes outside a small urban warehouse at dawn

Opinion · Ecommerce

Why Amazon and Flipkart still cannot ignore the dark-store math

Festive capacity is useless if the minutes layer keeps taking the daily habit.

The Desk · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Smartphone box on a metal shelf inside a compact dark store

Platforms

Blinkit and Zepto turn iPhone 18 launch into 10-minute marketing play

Quick commerce platforms list scarce units on launch day to own the immediacy conversation.

Rhea Kapoor · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Empty supermarket aisle with stacked grocery cartons and price tags

Retail

DMart opens Narmadapuram store takes count to 512

Cluster expansion continues in Madhya Pradesh as value grocery holds the floor against quick commerce.

Meera Iyer · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Warehouse aisle stacked with sealed cartons under fluorescent lights

Ecommerce

Amazon sets Great Indian Festival for 8 October with 1.6 lakh jobs

Network adds 20 fulfilment centres and 150 last-mile stations just as shoppers start stocking lists.

Ananya Rao · 23 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

Neatly folded apparel stacks on metal warehouse shelving under cool LED light

Ecommerce

Clovia lists 100 styles on Zepto for 10-minute delivery

Lingerie and sleepwear reach 18 cities via quick commerce, turning intimate apparel into an impulse dark-store category.

Ananya Rao · 22 Sep · 4 min read

Stainless steel kitchen counter with stacked empty food trays and a closed service hatch

Ecommerce

Zepto cuts Café outlets to 250-350 from 850-900

Menu slimmed and equipment sold as the quick-commerce player retrenches the food format after hygiene and demand issues.

Ananya Rao · 22 Sep · 4 min read

Two parallel clothing racks one packed with bright low-price tees the other with sparse premium shirts under mixed lighting

Opinion · Retail

Value fashion’s 1,000-store race leaves mid-market short

Zudio’s milestone and Yousta’s chase are rewriting price architecture; mid-tier brands must pick volume or premium fast.

The Desk · 20 Sep · 4 min read