Perhaps to overcome the growing political opposition and revolt from local fruits and vegetable vendors, Reliance Retail has launched its ninth format christened Reliance Super.
When contacted, a Reliance spokesperson told Indiaretailing: “It is not a reworked strategy or model. This is a new concept wherein we are trying to offer almost all the products that we have launched exclusively through various formats. It is quite natural that the Super store will also retail fresh produce and food and grocery.”
The company, which opened its first Reliance Super in Amritsar (approximating 13,500 square feet), is planning to open more Reliance Super stores across the country. When quizzed about the targeted number of Reliance Super stores for this fiscal, the spokesperson said: “At this point of time I cannot specify a number, but it would be huge and eventually spread across the country.”
It is learnt that the company will experiment with this new format in states where they face less protests, and would eventually move on to anti-retail playgrounds. Making it more shopper-friendly, Reliance Super provides easy and attractive finance options, including 0 per cent financing for purchases on select products.
Shoppers have the option to choose from a wide array of products in categories ranging from fresh produce, food and grocery, home care products, and apparel and accessories, to non-food FMCG products, consumer durables and IT, automotive accessories, lifestyle products, and footwear.
Reliance Super will also retail fine jewellery and fashion jewellery as part of its lifestyle section. Reliance Super also boasts of a host of Reliance’s own apparel brands in select categories.
Commenting on the launch of this new format, Raghu Pillai, president and CEO, Operations and Strategy, Reliance Retail, said, “The launch of Reliance Super is yet another step by Reliance Retail towards providing an international shopping experience to all our customers at unmatched affordability, guaranteed quality and choice of products and services throughout the week.”
Meanwhile according to reports, Reliance Brands, another subsidiary of Reliance Retail, is looking at becoming a private-equity partner to struggling companies and brands in the apparel, footwear and lifestyle segments. If our sources are to be believed, the company is also exploring routes for both national and international buyouts of brands.
However, for the time being, let us wait for the launch of its tenth format.
– Vishnu Rageev R, Bengaluru Bureau
