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20 stories for “store count”

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

Empty retail construction site with scaffolding and stacked tiles under afternoon light

Opinion · Retail

Do big store bets still pay when dark stores multiply?

Listed retailers are funding aggressive offline expansion even as quick commerce densifies urban delivery. The P&L test arrives this festive season.

The Desk · 5 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

Wide empty fashion store floor with clothing racks and mannequin bases under ceiling lights

Retail

Trent Q1 revenue rises 19% to ₹5,666 crore

Westside and Zudio additions power the print as the retailer keeps opening in smaller cities despite uneven demand.

Meera Iyer · 20 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of packed grocery shelves and delivery crates inside a compact urban warehouse

Ecommerce

Amazon India eyes 300 cities and 3,000 quick-commerce stores

Late entrant pushes micro-fulfilment and urban centres; Prime free speed raises the bar for Blinkit Zepto.

Ananya Rao · 16 Sep · 4 min read

Display cases of eyeglasses and frames on clean glass shelves in a quiet optical store

Retail

Reliance Brands seals LensCrafters India buy from DLF

Second Luxottica eyewear deal after Sunglass Hut gives Reliance premium optical stores in key malls.

Meera Iyer · 15 Sep · 4 min read

Empty apparel racks and hanging garments under fluorescent lights in a large-format store aisle

Retail

Zudio crosses 1,000 stores across 300 cities

Trent’s value chain hits the milestone in a decade, putting pressure on every mid-market apparel till and kirana rack.

Meera Iyer · 14 Sep · 4 min read

Empty apparel racks and hanging garments under bright store lights in a large open floor

Retail

Trent Zudio crosses 1,000 stores in 300 cities

Value chain hits milestone with 100 million customers, tightening the noose on mid-price apparel floors.

Meera Iyer · 12 Sep · 4 min read

Empty optical display cases and mirror stations under mall skylight

Retail

Reliance Brands seals LensCrafters India buy from DLF

Second Luxottica deal after Sunglass Hut puts premium optical floors in key NCR malls and lifts high-street rents for independents.

Meera Iyer · 11 Sep · 4 min read

Long empty supermarket aisle with stacked cartons and ceiling lights

Opinion · Retail

Why big-box grocery still draws capital in the 10-minute era

Carrefour’s 50-store plan and Reliance’s store count show physical formats remain the cheapest way to own the large basket and private-label margin.

The Desk · 10 Sep · 4 min read

Empty optical display counters and frame racks under mall lighting

Retail

Reliance Brands acquires LensCrafters India from DLF

Second Luxottica buy after Sunglass Hut hands Reliance premium optical stores in key NCR malls and squeezes independents on high-street rents.

Meera Iyer · 10 Sep · 4 min read

Temple-adjacent high street with shuttered shop fronts and hanging fabric rolls in early light

Retail

Zudio Reliance Trends open in Ayodhya Varanasi pilgrim boom

CBRE flags fashion chains racing into 14 spiritual cities as tourist footfall lifts high-street and mall rents for local landlords.

Meera Iyer · 8 Sep · 4 min read

Close-up of gold weighing scales and uncut pieces on a plain wooden counter

Opinion · Retail

Why jewellery consolidation lands before festive

GRT-TBZ is the clearest signal yet that mid-tier chains need scale to survive gold volatility and mall rents.

The Desk · 6 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of stocked metal shelves in a compact empty fulfilment room

Ecommerce

Blinkit pushes dark stores beyond metros

CLSA notes the platform alone is expanding outside top cities while rivals consolidate core networks.

Ananya Rao · 6 Sep · 4 min read

Sunlit empty high-street shopfront with rolled-down shutters and stacked cardboard boxes on the pavement

Opinion · Retail

Why physical stores still set the terms for Indian retail

Three thousand-plus new doors from the big groups prove density beats pure digital reach when festive tills and kirana shelves are at stake.

The Desk · 3 Sep · 4 min read

Retail

Reliance Trent Aditya Birla add 3,891 stores in three years

Combined network hits 26,067 outlets; Reliance alone ends FY26 at 20,160 stores as organised retail pushes deeper into smaller towns.

Meera Iyer · 3 Sep · 4 min read

Neat stacks of folded apparel on metal racks under bright store lights

Retail

Trent’s Zudio pushes 16% growth on sub-₹999 tickets

Weekly inventory refresh and value pricing keep footfall high while premium peers chase margins.

Meera Iyer · 1 Sep · 4 min read

Row of delivery bags lined on a warehouse floor beside sorting racks

Platforms

Flipkart Minutes overtakes Instamart with 627 dark stores

CLSA mapping of top-10 cities shows Walmart unit ahead of Swiggy on both store count and pincode coverage, tightening the race for merchant shelf space.

Rhea Kapoor · 31 Aug · 4 min read

Rows of delivery bags and inventory bins in a compact urban facility

Opinion · Platforms

Why dark-store density now decides quick-commerce winners

CLSA maps and capital top-ups show the race has shifted from city count to pin-code stranglehold.

The Desk · 28 Aug · 4 min read