Business Today- 27th December 2020 by Business Today Editorial Team ISBN B08Q8J884D instant download

Business Today- 27th December 2020 by Business Today Editorial Team ISBN B08Q8J884D instant download

Knives — and wallets - are out in full measure as three of the world's richest businesses vie for supremacy of India's $850 billion retail market, an industry that is projected to present an even greater business opportunity of $1.3 trillion as soon as 2025. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail, Jeff Bezos's Amazon Inc. and the Walton fam- ly's Walmart-Flipkart combo are pitching themselves for the long haul in Indian retail. With $33.3 billion (2.46 lakh crore) already invested, they are digging into their deep pockets to ready an arsenal that will endure a multi-year battle for leadership. And the Tatas-one of India's oldest busi- ness houses and among the most conservative — have also thrown their hat into the ring by bidding for India's biggest grocery retailer Big Basket. With such big money at their disposal, round one is about gaining scale before others do.
-
Each one of the contenders is sweeping up any brands or companies that are up for sale. In just 2020, Reliance Retail has acquired or bought stakes in five brands or companies, including furniture e-tailer Urban Ladder and lingerie e-tailer Zivame. It now has a portfolio of 45 in- ernational brands and companies under its belt. Amazon has stakes in Future Coupons, Shopper's Stop, besides buying grocery retail business More' from Aditya Birla group in 2018. And Walmart has bought minor- ty stakes in Arvind Brands, Aditya Birla Fashion Retail and Ninjacart, be- sides buying Flipkart in 2018. Each one of them also has their eyes set on onboarding as many kiranas as they can.
-
This is just the beginning. The trio - plus the Tatas — are setting this up to be a thrilling contest. Read Ajita Shashidhar's account of their sharp moves and calculated risks in our cover story this issue.