Big Bazaar – India’s Real Retail Story

Published on Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 14:34 | Updated at Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 16:24 | Source :
Moneycontrol.com
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Big Bazaar, the flagship retail chain of the Future Group, is on the verge of achieving a unique
milestone in the History of World Retail – by being the first hypermarket format in the globe to
rollout fastest 101 stores in a short span of seven years.

Currently, Big Bazaar has 98 stores in the country, including the recently opened store in Mysore
on September 26th 2008. Further to this, Big Bazaar will be opening three more stores in a single
day – i.e. 30th September 2008, which will take the eventual count to 101 stores in the country.
These three stores opening shortly in Pune (Kalyani Nagar), Cuttack (Darga Bazaar) and Delhi
(Rajouri Garden).

RELATED NEWS

• Future Generali partners with Big Bazaar during Maha Bachat

• Food Bazaar offers ‘Monthly Bachat Bazaar’

• Kishore Biyani :The most Admired Retail Face of the year

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Big Bazaar’s journey began in October 2001, when the young, first generation entrepreneur
Kishore Biyani opened the country’s first hypermarket retail outlet in Kolkatta (then Calcutta). In the
same month, two more stores were added – one each in Hyderabad and Mumbai, thus starting
on a successful sojourn which began the chapter of organized retailing in India.

Speaking on this momentous occasion and remembering the days of conceptualising the
hypermarket idea Mr. Kishore Biyani said, “We initially decided to name the format as “Bazaar”
because we had designed the store keeping the Indian mandi style in mind. Since the size of the
hypermarket was big than an average mandis, the thought came to name it as “Big Bazaar”.
However, we had freezed on the punch line “Isse Se Sasta Aur Achha Kahi Nahi” much before
we met the creative agency to design the final logo of Big Bazaar.”
Though, Big Bazaar was started purely as a fashion format including apparel, cosmetics,
accessory and general merchandise, the first Food Bazaar format was added as Shop-In-Shop
within Big Bazaar in the year 2002. Today, Big Bazaar, with its wide range of products and service
offering, reflects the aspirations of millions of Indians.

The journey of Big Bazaar can be divided into two phases – one pre and the other post January
26th, 2005, when the company rewrote the retail chapter in India, with the introduction of a never-
before sales campaign “Sasbe Sasta Din”. In just one day, almost the whole of India descended
at various Big Bazaar stores in the country to shop at their favourite shopping destination.

Further, what followed was the time and again rewriting of the Indian Retail experience, wherein
understanding of the Indian consumers reflected in the products and services offered, creating
innovative deals, expanding in the tier II and tier III towns, tying up with branded merchandise to
offer exclusive products and services to its customers.

Big Bazaar is present today in 59 cities and occupying over 5 million sq.ft. retail space and driving
over 110 million footfalls into its stores. The format is expecting the number of footfall in the
stores to increase by over 140 million by this financial year. Over the years, Mr. Biyani for his
vision and leadership, and Big Bazaar for its unique proposition to its customers’, have received
every prestigious consumer awards both nationally and internationally.

Says Rajan Malhotra, President, Strategy & Convergence, Big Bazaar, “What is important in our
journey is not the number of stores, but the customers’ faith in us. It’s the India and the Indians,
which have helped us, reach this feat in such a short time span and today our country is creating
a history in the World organized Retail.

Rajan Malhotra, who is also the first employee of Big Bazaar, joining the organization in early 2001
adds, “Since beginning, we have kept Big Bazaar as a soft brand, which reflects the India and the
Indianess. We believed in growing with the society, participating and celebrating all regional and
local community festivals, giving customers preferences above everything else.”

Every Big Bazaar is a small family by its own and the head of the family – Karta – is the store
manager. Kishore Biyani, the CEO of the Future Group, has a vast understanding of the
consumer’s insight, has inculcated the habit of ‘observing, understanding customers’ behaviour’,
in every employee of the group.

Future Group is confident of the Indian Retail Story. The Group has not slowed down its
expansion plans despite the fiscal woes in the economy present today. Future Group plans to
have 300 stores and is expecting revenues of Rs 13,000 crore by year 2011.