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, Editorial··4 min read
Store count is the simplest proxy for distribution power. Twenty thousand Reliance doors plus Trent’s Zudio network give suppliers guaranteed volume and give shoppers a place to return product or feel fabric. Quick commerce dark stores cannot match that trust loop yet.
A merchant stocking both a new Zudio and a JioMart dark store knows the apparel sale happens under lights while the grocery top-up happens on the phone. The P&L still leans on the room that builds brand memory. Riders deliver; stores convert.
Density still decides who owns the festive till and the kirana conversation.
Pure-play apps that lose weekly actives while the big groups keep opening doors will find fundraising harder. Regional chains that cannot add square feet will cede catchment after catchment.
Festive 2026 filings will show whether same-store growth returns. If it does, the store-addition race accelerates into 2027. If not, expect selective closures and a sharper pivot to shop-in-shop and franchise models.