Abstract This paper provides detailed information about the growth of retailing industry in India.

It examines the growing awareness and brand consciousness among people across different socioeconomic classes in India and how the urban and semi-urban retail markets are witnessing significant growth. It explores the role of the Government of India in the industrys growth and the need for further reforms. In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the India Retail Industry to grow faster. The paper includes growth of retail sector in India, strategies, strength and opportunities of retail stores, retail format in India, recent trends, and opportunities and challenges. This paper concludes with the likely impact of the entry of global players into the Indian retailing industry. It also highlights the challenges faced by the industry in near future. INTRODUCTION The India Retail Industry is the largest among all the industries, accounting for over 10 per cent of the countrys GDP and around 8 per cent of the employment. The Retail Industry in India has come forth as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries with several players entering the market. But all of them have not yet tasted success because of the heavy initial investments that are required to break even with other companies and compete with them. The India Retail Industry is gradually inching its way towards becoming the next boom

industry. The total concept and idea of shopping has undergone an attention drawing change in terms of format and consumer buying behavior, ushering in a revolution in shopping in India. Modern retailing has entered into the Retail market in India as is observed in the form of bustling shopping centers, multi-storied malls and the huge complexes that offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof. A large young working population with median age of 24 years, nuclear families in urban areas, along with increasing workingwomen population and emerging opportunities in the services sector are going to be the key factors in the growth of the organized Retail sector in India. The growth pattern in organized retailing and in the consumption made by the Indian population will follow a rising graph helping the newer businessmen to enter the India Retail Industry. In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the India Retail Industry to grow faster. Indian retail is expected to grow 25 per cent annually. Modern retail in India could be worth US$ 175-200 billion by 2016. The Food Retail Industry in India dominates the shopping basket. The Mobile phone Retail Industry in India is already a US$ 16.7 billion business, growing at over 20 per cent per year. The future of the India Retail Industry looks promising with the growing of the market, with the government policies becoming more favorable and the emerging technologies facilitating operations. THE INDIAN RETAIL SCENE

India is the country having the most unorganized retail market. Traditionally it is a familys livelihood, with their shop in the front and house at the back, while they run the retail business. More than 99% retailers function in less than 500 square feet of shopping space. Global retail consultants KSA Technopak have estimated that organized retailing in India is expected to touch Rs 35,000 crore in the year 2005-06. The Indian retail sector is estimated at around Rs 900,000 crore, of which the organized sector accounts for a mere 2 per cent indicating a huge potential market opportunity that is lying in the waiting for the consumersavvy organized retailer. Purchasing power of Indian urban consumer is growing and branded merchandise in categories like Apparels, Cosmetics, Shoes, Watches, Beverages, Food and even Jewellery, are slowly becoming lifestyle products that are widely accepted by the urban Indian consumer. Indian retailers need to advantage of this growth and aiming to grow, diversify and introduce new formats have to pay more attention to the brand building process. The emphasis here is on retail as a brand rather than retailers selling brands. The focus should be on branding the retail business itself. In their preparation to face fierce competitive pressure, Indian retailers must come to recognize the value of building their own stores as brands to reinforce their marketing positioning, to communicate quality as well as value for money. Sustainable competitive advantage will be dependent on translating core values combining products, image and reputation into a coherent retail brand strategy. There is no doubt that the Indian retail scene is booming. A number of large corporate houses Tatas, Rahejas, Piramalss, Goenkas have already made their foray

into this arena, with beauty and health stores, supermarkets, self-service music stores, newage book stores, every-day-lowprice stores, computers and peripherals stores, office equipment stores and home/building construction stores. Today the organized players have attacked every retail category. The Indian retail scene has witnessed too many players in too short a time, crowding several categories without looking at their core competencies, or having a well thought out branding strategy. STRATEGIES, TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES 2007 Retailing in India is gradually inching its way toward becoming the next boom industry. The whole concept of shopping has altered in terms of format and consumer buying behavior, ushering in a revolution in shopping in India. Modern retail has entered India as seen in sprawling shopping centres, multistoried malls and huge complexes offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof. The Indian retailing sector is at an inflexion point where the growth of organized retailing and growth in the consumption by the Indian population is going to take a higher growth trajectory. The Indian population is witnessing a significant change in its demographics. A large young working population with median age of 24 years, nuclear families in urban areas, along with increasing workingwomen population and emerging opportunities in the services sector are going to be the key growth drivers of the organized retail sector in India. GROWTH OF RETAIL SECTOR IN INDIA Retail and real estate are the two booming sectors of India in the present times. And if industry experts are to be believed, the prospects of both the sectors are mutually dependent on each

other. Retail, one of Indias largest industries, has presently emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries of our times with several players entering the market. Accounting for over 10 per cent of the countrys GDP and around eight per cent of the employment retailing in India is gradually inching its way toward becoming the next boom industry. As the contemporary retail sector in India is reflected in sprawling shopping centers, multiplex- malls and huge complexes offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof, the concept of shopping has altered in terms of format and consumer buying behavior, ushering in a revolution in shopping in India. This has also contributed to large-scale investments in the real estate sector with major national and global players investing in developing the infrastructure and construction of the retailing business. The trends that are driving the growth of the retail sector in India are

Low share of organized retailing Falling real estate prices Increase in disposable income and customer aspiration Increase in expenditure for luxury items (CHART)

Another credible factor in the prospects of the retail sector in India is the increase in the young working population. In India,

hefty pay packets, nuclear families in urban areas, along with increasing working-women population and emerging opportunities in the services sector. These key factors have been the growth drivers of the organized retail sector in India which now boast of retailing almost all the preferences of life - Apparel & Accessories, Appliances, Electronics, Cosmetics and Toiletries, Home & Office Products, Travel and Leisure and many more. With this the retail sector in India is witnessing rejuvenation as traditional markets make way for new formats such as departmental stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets and specialty stores. The retailing configuration in India is fast developing as shopping malls are increasingly becoming familiar in large cities. When it comes to development of retail space specially the malls, the Tier II cities are no longer behind in the race. If development plans till 2007 is studied it shows the projection of 220 shopping malls, with 139 malls in metros and the remaining 81 in the Tier II cities. The government of states like Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) are very upbeat about permitting the use of land for commercial development thus increasing the availability of land for retail space; thus making NCR render to 50% of the malls in India.

Recent trends Retailing in India is witnessing a huge witnessing a huge revamping exercise as can be seen in the graph be seen in the graph

India is rated the fifth most attractive emerging retail market: a potential market: goldmine. Estimated to be US$ 200 billion, of which organized retailing (i.e. modern trade) makes up 3 percent or US$ 6.4 billion As per a report by KPMG the annual growth of department stores is estimated at 24%

Mission & Vision Future Group shall deliver everything, everywhere, everytime for every Indian Consumer the most profitable manner We share the vision and belief that our customers and stakeholders shall be served only by creating and executing future scenarios in the consumption space leading to economic development. Introduction to Big Bazaar

 A chain of shopping malls in India currently with 31 outlet owned by Kishore Biyanis Pantaloon Group. Pantaloon Group. Big bazaar is not just another hypermarket. Provides the best products at the best price. Reflect the look and feel of Indian bazaars at their modern outlets. All over India, Big Bazaar attracts a few thousand customers on any regular day. Target Audience Big Bazaar targets higher and upper middle class customers. The large and growing young working population is a preferred customer segment. Big Bazaar specifically targets working women and home makers who are the primary decision makers. It is part of Big Bazaars (owned by Biyanis Future Group) new Guerrilla Marketing Strategy. Guerrilla force is divided into small groups that selectively attack the target at its weak points. Wah lah, enter the future and in the world of cut throat competition, corporate use extension of the same strategy in marketinghmmmm never imagined this while we were in our shorts!! Corporate like coke, pepsi, etc have been using the same for quite some time now and the latest entrant is our very own Future Group- Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Future Bazaar, eZone are all part of this group and they are taking on the biggies like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, and Tatas Westside. With retail market in India especially in metros where standard of living and disposable income is at an all time high, competitors will vie for the market share and can stoop to any levels while marketing their products. Guerilla marketing is just one of the strategies and surely one can learn a lot from the ongoing battle, especially people interested in marketing/marketing techniques. Different elements of retail mix

Merchandise assortment Merchandise assortment Location Price Visual merchandising Visual merchandising

Retail-mix contd. Store atmosphere Store atmosphere Customer service Customer service Advertising Promotion Personal selling Personal selling

Internal Attributes Envelope lope Internal layout Methods of display Methods of display Visual merchandising

Distribution Distribution is one of the 4 aspects of marketing.marketing. Traditionally, distribution has been seen as dealing with how to get the product or service to the customer. the customer Distribution is done by distributor who is is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer the manufacturer and retailer Logistics Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the

flow of goods , energy, information and other resources like products, services and people from the source of production to the marketplace. marketplace. Its Important to have professional logistical support logistical The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible.possible. Supply Chain Supply chain, is a coordinated system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service in physical or virtual manner from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer.

Supply chain management

Promotion Promotion can be loosely classified as "above the line" and "below the line" promotion. The promotional activities carried out through mass media like television, radio, newspaper etc. is above the line promotion. The terms 'below-the-line' promotion or communications, refers to forms of non-media communication, even non-media advertising. Below-the-line promotions are becoming increasingly important within the communications mix of many companies, not only those involved in fmcg products, but also for industrial goods. Some of the ways by which companies do BTL (below the line) promotions are by exhibitions, sponsorship activities, public relations and sales promotions like giving freebies with goods, trade discounts given to dealers and customers, reduced price offers on products, giving coupons which can be redeemed later etc. BELOW THE LINE SALES PROMOTION

Below the line sales promotions are short-term incentives, largely aimed at consumers. With the increasing pressure on the marketing team to achieve communication objectives more efficiently in a limited budget, there has been a need to find out more effective and cost efficient ways to communicate with the target markets. This has led to a shift from the regular media based advertising. A definition of below-the-line sales promotion given by Hugh Davidson: 'An immediate or delayed incentive to purchase, expressed in cash or in kind, and having only a short term or temporary duration'. Methods of below the line sales promotion 1. Price promotions Price promotions are also commonly known as" price discounting". These can be done in two ways: (1) A discount to the normal selling price of a product, or (2) More of the product at the normal price. Price promotions however can also have a negative effect by spoiling the brand reputation or just a temporary sales boost (during the discounts) followed by a lull when the discount would be called off. 2. Coupons

Coupons are another, very versatile, way of offering a discount. Consider the following examples of the use of coupons: - On a pack to encourage repeat purchase - In coupon books sent out in newspapers allowing customers to redeem the coupon at a retailer - A cut-out coupon as part of an advert - On the back of till receipts The key objective with a coupon promotion is to maximize the redemption rate this is the proportion of customers actually using the coupon. It must be ensured when a company uses coupons that the retailers must hold sufficient stock to avoid customer disappointment. Use of coupon promotions is often best for new products or perhaps to encourage sales of existing products that are slowing down. 3. Gift with purchase The "gift with purchase" is a very common promotional technique. In this scheme, the customer gets something extra along with the normal good purchased. It works best for - Subscription-based products (e.g. magazines) - Consumer luxuries (e.g. perfumes) 4. Competitions and prizes

This is an important tool to increase brand awareness amongst the target consumer. It can be used to boost up sales for temporary period and ensure usage amongst first time users. 5. Money refunds Here, a customer receives a money refund after submitting a proof of purchase to the manufacturer. Customers often view these schemes with some suspicion particularly if the method of obtaining a refund looks unusual or onerous. 6. Frequent user / loyalty incentives Repeat purchases may be stimulated by frequent user incentives. Perhaps the best examples of this are the many frequent flyer or user schemes used by airlines, train companies, car hire companies etc. 7. Point-of-sale displays Shopping habits are changing for the people living in metropolitan cities. People prefer big retail outlets like Big Bazaar to local kirana stores. Most of the decisions of buying are taken by the virtue of point-of-sale displays in these retail outlets. SOME INTERSTING EXAMPLES OF BTL PROMOTION Most of the big brands are following the suit of BTL promotion because of rising prices of media based promotion, advertising clutter and increased impulse purchasing. Some of the interesting examples are: Most of the educational institutes like career launcher, Time and

PT are holding informative workshops and free tests for students which give a direct interaction of these institutes with the target customer and hence a suitable platform to sell themselves. Ring tones and music videos on cell phones are helping the entertainment industry to promote for a music video or a movie for dirt-cheap rate as compared to media promotion. Various companies sponsor sport events to promote their brand, but nowadays media companies like Hindustan Times are holding weekly events through out the country in which companies can put up their stalls, display banners and posters and arrange for some fun activities. These events give the companies a platform at very low price to promote their brand and increase visibility among target consumer. These companies also give discount coupons to winners in the games, which in turn boost the sales of the products and ensure that first time users try these products as well. Pepsi organized an inter school cricket event for 425 schools across 14 cities which did wonders for the company by promoting the brand amongst the right target customer for almost no cost. Most of the pharmacy companies do BTL promotion by getting shelf space through doctors to display their products or by giving away free calcium tablets again through doctors, knowing that for a patient a personal advise from a doctor would hold more value as compared to a commercial advertisement. Another interesting BTL promotion was by NIKE, an athlete dressed up in Nike sportswear could be seen jogging on an elevated treadmill for the whole day on National Highway 8, Delhi.

BTL promotions are gaining popularity among all big companies nowadays considering their effectiveness because of the "individual customer promotion" at a price, which is much lesser than the normal media promotions. Low prices on Wednesday Low prices on Wednesday Concept of Big Day Concept of Big Day Promotional offers School Jao Khushi Khushi Khushi Ki Barsaat Happy Fathers Day E.g. Big Bazaar's `junk' swap offer Big Bazaar is launching a promotional offer from Saturday, with the slogan, "Bring anything old and take something new". A press release issued by the company says the customer can bring anything old, such as newspaper, and get coupons issued in exchange of the junk. The customer can redeem the coupons before the due date on the condition that he/she shops four times the value of the coupon. The prices fixed by Big Bazaar are: clothes (Rs 200 per kg), newspaper (Rs 25 per kg), plastics/utensils/leather goods (Rs. 75 per kg), footwear/luggage (Rs. 100 per kg), Pet/beer bottles (Rs 15 per kg), tyres (Rs 50 per kg), furniture (Rs 75 per kg) and others (Rs 20 per kg). "This offer will help the housewife clean out the junk while getting a good value for it," says Mr Sanjeev Agarwal, President (Marketing), Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd. News related big bazaar Future Group to hive off Big Bazaar Kishore Biyani-led Future Group is considering hiving-off its

hypermarket format Big Bazaar into a separate company. Managing a $1 billion business already is a challenge, Biyani said speaking to the reporters on Friday, referring to the big Bazaar format, which is expected to generate revenue of $1 billion in the fiscal 2007-08. Big Bazaar is a hypermarket format of the Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd. The Group expects to increase its revenues to $7-8 billion by 2011, of which Big Bazaar is expected to contribute a large chunk of around $4 billion. It has emerged as the largest retail format of Future Group's retail division. Biyani said that the proposal is at a very initial stage and has to be taken to the board. Currently we have more than 80 Big Bazaars and we are planning to scale it up to 160 by the year end, he said. Highlighting that the company was going to go very aggressive in rolling out the Big Bazaar format, he said that the total floor area by 2011 would scale up to 30 million square feet from the present figure of 10 million square feet. Speaking on the other formats, Biyani said that the group was expecting a revenue of Rs 1,300 crore from the Home Town stores which the company launched last year. The consumer electronics segment is doing extremely well, he said, elaborating that the group was expecting the segment to generate revenue of Rs 2,000 crore by next year Big Bazar to add more stores After opening its fourth store in Ahmedabad, Big Bazar, the value retailing concept of Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd, part of the Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group, on Friday announced its plans to open 75 to 80 new stores across India by June next. Mr Rajan Malhotra, Head of Big Bazar India's Concept Division, told reporters here that the retail chain is going to double the number of stores in Gujarat next year with two more stores planned in Ahmedabad, the 39th store opening in Surat on November 24 with three more in the pipeline and similar stores to be set up in major towns and cities of the State. The 37th store is

being opened at Allahabad tomorrow and the 38th at Coimbatore next week, he added.