Reliance Retail’s business to double in next three to four years: Isha Ambani

Reliance Retail

Isha Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Retail Ventures, is confident that the group will double its retail business over the next three to four years.

“With the strong foundation we have built, I am confident that we will achieve our goal of doubling our retail business in the next three to four years,” she said at the 47th Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

Highlighting the leadership position of Reliance Retail, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited noted that Reliance Retail continues to build on its position as the leader of the Indian retail sector, while achieving scale comparable to top retailers globally.

“Reliance Retail is now among the top five global retailers in terms of number of stores, amongst the top 10 retailers in terms of market capitalization, amongst the top 20 retailers in terms of number of employees, and among the top 30 retailers in terms of revenue,” he said

The retail arm of India’s largest conglomerate has inventory across channels that provide hyperlocal delivery, and has built multiple channels to serve customers through 19,000 owned stores across 7,000 plus cities.

The company has over four million registered kirana partners in new commerce business, supported by a footprint of over 220 Metro stores across 200 cities.

“With the acquisition of Metro India Cash & Carry, we have strengthened our omni-channel capabilities,” said Isha Ambani.

“Registered customer base crossed a milestone of 300 million customers, nearly the population of the US. We opened 1840 new stores this year, bringing our total store count to 18,846 stores. $46 with a retail space of 79 million square feet,” she added.

Reliance Retail is among the top five global retailers in terms of number of stores, among the top 10 retailers in terms of market capitalisation, among the top 20 retailers in terms of number of employees, and among the top 30 retailers in terms of revenue.

Talking about the retail business’ growth in fashion and lifestyle categories, she said, “Our own brands Avaasa, Netplay, and DNMX each surpassed the Rs 2,000 crore annual sales milestone last year, while John Players and Teamspirit crossed Rs 1,000 crore in sales. To keep up with this growth, we have established 18 domestic and three international design centres, ensuring our designs are locally relevant.”

She added that new formats like Yousta and Swadesh offer fast, accessible fashion, while Ajio continues to lead as an online fashion destination, with repeat customers contributing 85 percent of sales. Ajio Luxe is also solidifying its position as the top fashion destination for premium and luxury customers.

Ambani added that the group has ambitious plans to enter the luxury jewellery segment.
“We also have ambitious plans to enter the luxury jewellery segment with a curated, design-led experience and are exploring the fashion jewellery and accessories segment to broaden our market reach,” she said.

Grocery and Online Platforms

Reliance Retail is the largest and fastest-growing retailer in grocery, expanding at 2.5 times the rate of the rest of modern trade. The company is establishing its presence in smaller towns and selectively expanding in large cities, with a focus on enhancing consumer experience.

“We're selectively expanding our Premium Format, Fresh Signature and Freshpik in large cities, continually innovating to enhance the consumer experience,” Isha Ambani said.

The online platform, Jiomart, offers hyper-local delivery with a wide and relevant assortment, with every store equipped to handle digital orders.

“Our extensive network for smart points in over 1300 cities gives us a significant competitive advantage in the e-commerce space,” she added.

Deep Tech and AI Investments

Reliance Retail is investing in companies with proven expertise in deep tech and AI, such as Adverbs and Fynd.

Adverbs provides innovating warehouse automation solutions with intelligent robots, while Fine specialises in retail tech solutions enhancing customer experiences across multiple platforms.