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20 stories for “tier-2”

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

Retail

Trent pushes Zudio past 1,000 stores as Q2 revenue hits ₹5,788 crore

Value format now dominates the network; merchants watch whether ticket sizes hold as competition thickens in tier-2.

Meera Iyer · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Retail

Trent pushes Zudio past 1,000 stores as Q2 revenue hits ₹5,788 crore

Value format now dominates the network; merchants watch whether ticket sizes hold as competition thickens in tier-2.

Meera Iyer · 6 Oct · 4 min read

Roadside clothing stall with stacked low-price garments under morning sun

Opinion · Retail

Why value fashion still beats premium this festive

Zudio-style volume keeps winning while department stores chase margin; the till tells the story.

The Desk · 4 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

Empty optical store interior with rows of spectacle frames on glass shelves

Ecommerce

Lenskart sets 31 October IPO, eyes ₹2,150 cr raise

Pre-IPO cheques from Damani family and SBI MF lock valuation path; store and tech spend next.

Ananya Rao · 4 Oct · 4 min read

Two parallel retail aisles one bright value racks one softer premium displays

Opinion · Retail

Will private-label department stores outrun value fashion this festive?

Trent’s Westside bet and Nykaa’s fee waiver both point to the same shopper: one who wants curated product without endless discounting.

The Desk · 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

Retail

Zudio opens 23,000 sq ft maiden store at Gurugram M2K

Two-floor value-fashion box anchors new corporate park retail, testing denser NCR catchments.

Meera Iyer · 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

Large empty warehouse aisle with stacked cartons and conveyor belts under industrial lights

Supply Chain

Flipkart adds 750 PIN codes and 14 million cu ft via Ekart

Logistics arm lifts national storage 50 percent and peak processing over 30 percent ahead of Big Billion Days.

Farhan Qureshi · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Neat stacks of folded colourful apparel on low tables under bright mall lighting

Opinion · Retail

Value fashion keeps winning while premium defends margins

Zudio-style sub-₹999 weekly drops force department stores and mid-tier brands to choose volume or ticket size before the festive rush.

The Desk · 30 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of empty spectacle frames on glass display shelves in a brightly lit optical store

Retail

Lenskart sees ₹2,391 crore block deal as investor exits 2%

Secondary sale signals continued private-market interest even as the eyewear chain keeps adding stores in tier-2 cities.

Meera Iyer · 30 Sep · 4 min read

Plain metal clothing racks holding rows of inexpensive colourful shirts and trousers in a brightly lit empty store

Opinion · Retail

Value fashion is rewriting the mid-market P&L

Zudio-style private-label volume at sub-₹999 is forcing department stores and mid brands to choose between premiumisation or exit.

The Desk · 28 Sep · 4 min read

Empty apparel racks and hanging garments under fluorescent lights in a compact value fashion store aisle

Retail

Trent’s Zudio crosses 1,000 stores in smaller cities

Value fashion chain hits milestone with over 80 pc of recent openings in Tier-2/3; kiranas and mid-market formats feel the pinch on footfall.

Meera Iyer · 28 Sep · 4 min read

Large empty warehouse interior with stacked cardboard boxes and sorting conveyors under industrial lights

Ecommerce

Amazon opens first Varanasi fulfilment centre

New 1-lakh-cubic-feet hub and sort centre cut festive delivery times in UP, squeezing local courier margins and kirana restock cycles.

Ananya Rao · 26 Sep · 4 min read

Simple metal clothing racks packed with low-priced hanging garments in a plain store interior

Opinion · Retail

Value fashion is rewriting the apparel P&L

Zudio-style volume at sub-₹999 is forcing every brand to choose between turns and ticket size before the festive tills open.

The Desk · 24 Sep · 4 min read

Neat rows of folded colourful t-shirts and hangers on simple metal racks in a brightly lit store aisle

Retail

Trent posts 16% growth as Zudio hits sub-₹999 pace

Value format drives ₹15,046 crore 9M revenue while weekly inventory refresh forces peers to cut lead times.

Meera Iyer · 24 Sep · 4 min read

Smartphone and electronics boxes stacked on a warehouse conveyor

Ecommerce

Flipkart Big Billion Days starts 9 October a day after Amazon

Both platforms lock the festive calendar and force brands to split inventory and ad spends.

Ananya Rao · 23 Sep · 4 min read