Module-4 ( 9 Hours)

Retail Management: Introduction and Perspectives on Retailing, World of Retailing, Retail

management, introduction, meaning, characteristics, emergence of organizations of retailing - Types of
Retailers (Retail Formats) - Multichannel Retailing - role of retailing, trends in retailing, FDI in Retail -
Problems of Indian Retailing- Ethics in retailing- Current Scenario.
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Module-4
Introduction and Perspectives on Retailing
World of Retailing:
Retailing is a global, high-tech industry that plays a major role in the global economy. About one
in five U.S. workers is employed by retailers. Increasingly, retailers are selling their products and
services through more than one channel—such as stores, Internet, and catalogs. Firms selling
services to consumers, such as dry cleaning and automobile repairs, are also retailers.

Retail management:
The various processes which help the customers to procure the desired merchandise from the
retail stores for their end use refer to retail management. Retail management includes all the
steps required to bring the customers into the store and fulfil their buying needs.
Retail management makes shopping a pleasurable experience and ensures the customers leave
the store with a smile. In simpler words, retail management helps customers shop without any
difficulty.

What is Retailing?
 Most common form of doing business
 It consists of selling merchandise from a permanent location (a retail store) in small
quantities directly to the consumers. These consumers may be individual buyers or
corporate.
 Retailer purchases goods or merchandise in bulk from manufacturers directly and then
sells in small quantities
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Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

  Shops may be located in residential areas, colony streets, community centers or in
modern shopping arcades/ malls.

Meaning of Retailing:
According to Kotler: ´Retailing includes all the activities involved in selling goods or services to
the final consumers for personal, non business uses.
A process of promoting greater sales and customer satisfaction by gaining a better understanding
of the consumers of goods and services produced by a company.

Characteristics of Retailing:
1. Direct interaction with customers/end customers.
2. Sale volume large in quantities but less in monetary value
3. Customer service plays a vital role
4. Sales promotions are offered at this point only
5. Retail outlets are more than any other form of business
6. Location and layout are critical factors in retail business.
7. It offers employment opportunity to all age

Emergence of organizations of Retailing

( Major factors responsible for the growth of organized retailing in India)
1. Growth of middle class consumers
2. Increase in the number of working women
3. Value for money
4. Emerging rural market
5. Entry of corporate sector
6. Entry of foreign retailers
7. Technological impact
8. Rise in income
9. Media explosion
10. Rise of consumerism
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Types of Retailers:
Store Retailing by Store based Strategy Food Retailers
1. Departmental stores.
2. Convenience Store.
3. Full Line Discount.
4. Conventional Supermarket.
5. Specialty Stores
6. Food Based Superstore
7. Off Price Retailer.
8. Combination Store.
9. Variety Store.
10. Super Centres
11. Flea Market.
12. Hypermarket.
13. Factory Outlet.
14. Limited Line Stores.
15. Membership Club.

1. Department Store
Department stores are large retailers that carry wide breadth and depth of products. They offer
more customer service than their general merchandise competitors. Department stores are named
because they are organized by departments such as juniors, men’s wear, female wear etc. Each
department is act as “ministore”. Means the each department is allocated the sales space,
manager and sales personnel that they pay an attention to the department. IMC programme for
each department is different and particular. Department store utilizes various sources for
marketing communication. Due to overstoring most of the budget are spending on advertising,
couponing and discounts. Unfortunately the use of coupons diminishes profits and creates a
situation where consumer does not buy unless they receive some type of discount.

2. Convenience stores:
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Convenience stores are located in areas that are easily accessible to customers. Convenience
store carry limited assortment of products and are housed in small facilities. The major seller in
convenience stores is convenience goods and non alcoholic beverages. The strategy of
convenience stores employ is fast shopping, consumer can go into a convenience stores pick out
what they want, and check out relatively short time. Due to the high sales, convenience store
receives products almost daily. Because convenience store don’t have the luxury of high volume
purchase.
3. Full line Discount Stores
It conveys the image of a high volume, low cost, fast turnover outlet selling a broad
merchandise assortment for less than conventional prices. It is more to carry the range of
products line expected at department stores, including consumer electronics, furniture and
appliances. There is also greater emphasis on such items as auto accessories, gardening
equipment, and house wares. Customer services are not provided within stores but at centralized
area. Products are sold via self service. Less fashion sensitive merchandise is carried.
4. Specialty Store:
Specialty store carry a limited number of product within one or few lines of goods and services.
They are named because they specialize in one type of product. Such as apparel and
complementary merchandise. Specialty store utilizes a market segmentation strategy rather than
typical mass marketing strategy when trying to attract customers. Specialty retailers tend to
specialize in apparel, shoes, toys, books, auto supplies, jewellery and sporting goods. In recent
years, specialty stores have seen the emergence of the category killer. Category killers
(sometimes called power retailer or category specialty) are generally discount specialty stores
that offer a deep assortment of merchandise in a particular category.
5. Off-price Retailers
Off price retailers resemble discount retailers in that they sell brand name merchandise at
everyday low prices. Off price retailers rarely offer many services to customers. The key strategy
of off price retailers is to carry the same type of merchandise as traditional department stores but
offer prices that can be 40 to 60 percent lower. To able to offer the low prices, off price retailers
develop special relationship with their suppliers for large quantity of merchandise. Inventory
turnover is the key factor of successful off price retailing business. In addition to purchasing
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close outs and cancel orders, off price retailers negotiate with manufacturer to discount order off

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merchandise that is out of seasons or to prepay for items to be manufactured thus reducing the
price of buying items. E.g. there are many types of off price retailers, including outlet store,
Manufacturers department store or even specialty store chains can be an off-price retailer.
6. Variety Store
Variety store offer deep assortment of inexpensive and popular goods like stationary, gift items,
women’s accessories, house wares etc.They are also called 5 to 10 percent store because the
merchandise in such stores, used to cost much.
7. Flea Market
Flea market is a literal transaction of the French aux puces, in outdoor bazaars in Paris. A flea
market is the outdoor or indoor facility that rent out space to vendors who offer merchandise,
services and other goods that satisfy the legitimate needs of customers. Flea market provides
opportunity for entrepreneur to start business at low price. A flea market consist of many retail
vendors offering a variety of products at discount price at places where there is high
concentration of people. On specific market days they assemble for exchange of goods and
services.
8. Factory Outlets Factory outlets are manufacturer owned stores selling manufacturers
closeouts, discontinued merchandise, irregulars, cancelled orders, and sometimes in seasons, first
quality merchandise.
9.Membership Clubs
A membership club appeals to price conscious consumers, who must be a member of shop there.
It breaks the line between wholesale ling and retailing. Some members of typical club are small
business owners and employee who pay a nominal annual fee and buy merchandise at wholesale
prices; these customers make purchase for use in operating their firm or for personal use. They
yield 60% of total club sale. The bulk members are final consumers who buy exclusively for
their own use; they represent 40 %of overall sales.
10. Conventional supermarket.
Conventional supermarket is essentially large departmental stores that specialize in food.
According to the food marketing institute, a conventional supermarket is a self service food store
that generates an annual sales volume of $2 million or more. These stores generally carry
groceries, meat and produce products. A conventional food store carries very little general
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merchandise.

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

 11. Food Based Superstore
One of the biggest trends over the past twenty years in food retailing has been the development
of superstore. Superstores are food based retaliates that are larger than the traditional
supermarket and carry expanded service daily, bakery, seafood and non food sections.
Supermarket varies in size but can be as large as 150000 sq ft. Like combination stores food
based superstore are efficient, offer people a degree of one stop shopping stimulate impulse
purchase and feature high profit general merchandise.
`12. Combination Store
Because shoppers have been demanding more convenience in their shopping experience, a new
type of food retailers has been emerging. This type of retailer combines food items and non food
items to create one stop experience for the customer. Combination stores are popular for the
following reasons. They are very large from the 30000 to 100000 or more sq ft. this leads to
operating efficiencies and cost savings. Consumer like one stop shopping and will travel further
to get to the store. Impulse sales are high.
13. Super Centres and Hypermarkets
Super centre is a combination of a superstore and discount store. Supercenter developed based
on the European Hypermarkets, an extremely large retailing facility that offers many types of
product in addition to foods. In supercentre more than 40 percent of sales come from non food
items. Super Centre is fastest growing retail category and encompasses as much as sales. Wal-
Mart is category leader with 74 percent share of super centre retail share.
14. Warehouse Clubs and Stores.
Warehouse clubs and stores were developed to satisfy customers who want to low prices
every day and are willing to give up services needs. These retailers offer a limited assortment of
goods and services, both food and general merchandise, to both end users and midsize
businesses. The stores are very large and are located in the lower rent areas of cities to keep their
overhead low cost low. Generally, warehouse clubs offer varying types of merchandise because
they purchase product that manufactures have discounted for variety of reasons. Warehouse
clubs rely on fast moving, high turnover merchandise. One benefits of this arrangement is that
the stores purchase the merchandise from the manufacture and sell it prior to actually having to
pay the manufacturer.
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15. Limited Line Stores

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

 Limited line store also known as box stores or limited assortment stores, represent a relatively
small number of food retail stores in the United States. Limited line store are food discounters
that offer a small selections of products at lows prices. They are no frills stores that sell products
out of boxes or shippers. Limited line stores rarely carry any refrigerated items and are often
cash and carry, accepting no checks or purchase bags from the retailers. In limited line store, the
strategy is to price products at least 20 percent below similar products at conventional
supermarkets.

Non Store Retailing

1. Direct Marketing.
2. Electronic/Internet/E- Direct Selling.
3. Vending Machines
4. Catalog Marketing
5. Franchising

Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is defined as an interactive system of marketing, which uses non personal
media of communication to make a sale at any location or to secure measurable response. Direct
marketing is a method wherein the manufacturer or producer sells directly to retailer, user or
ultimate consumers without intervening intermediaries. This offers flexibility with maximum
controls of sales efforts and marketing information feedback. Various forms of Direct
Marketing-telemarketing, Direct mail marketing, television, marketing.

E- Direct Selling.
In contrast to direct marketing, which involves no personal contact with consumers, direct
selling entails some type of personal contact. This contact can be at the consumer home or at an
out of home location such as the consumer office.

Vending Machines.
Vending machines represents an additional class of retail institutions. Essentially, vending is non
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store retailing in which the consumer purchase a product through a machine. The machine itself

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takes care of the entire transaction, from taking the money to providing the product. Vending
machine offerings range from typical products such as soft drinks and candy to insurance,
cameras, phone calls, phone cards, books, paper and pens.

Catalog Marketing.
Mail Orders marketing/Catalog Marketing, also called as mail order business, is one of the
established methods of direct marketing. Since mail orders marketers use catalogues for
communication with the consumer, this form of marketing is often referred to as catalogue
marketing. In these methods the consumer become aware of product through information
furnished to them by the marketer through catalogues dispatched by mail.
Franchising
Franchise in French means privilege or freedom. Franchising refers to the methods of practicing
and using another person’s philosophy of business. The franchisor grants the independent
operators the right to distribute its products, techniques and trademarks for a percentage of gross
monthly sales and royalty fee. Various tangibles and intangibles such as national or international
advertising, training and other support services are commonly made available by the franchisor.
Agreements typically last five to twenty years, with premature cancelation or termination of
most contracts bearing serious consequences for franchisees.

Advantage of Franchising.
1. Advantage to the Franchiser.
2. Low Capital & Low Risk.
3. Speeder Expansion.
4. Extended Market Penetration.
Disadvantages of Franchising
1. Business Control.
2. Expenses Involved
3. Lower profit Potential.

Multichannel Retailing:
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Multi channel retailers are defined as those who browse or purchase through more than one
channel (retail store, catalog, Internet)
The emergence of multiple channels, especially the internet as a strong channel for shopping,
has been a real empowerment for the customer today. The customer is option rich, time and
attention poor and fully aware of the choices that he or she has access to in the market.
Multichannel retailing helps deliver a superior shopping experience by synchronizing customer
touch points and leveraging channel capabilities. The broad trends that we have been seeing in
the industry that will have a positive impact on Multi channel retail are:
• Customers that use the online channel in addition to traditional store based retailing has grown
by 20-30% year over year
• Internet influenced offline spending has grown significantly over the past few years
• Cross-channel customers are younger and wealthier
• Customers spend more at the store (about $150) when buying a product after performing their
research online; increasing the retailer’s share of the customer wallet

a) Store channel: Store-Based Sellers – By far the predominant method consumers use to
obtain products is to acquire these by physically visiting retail outlets (a.k.a. brick-and-
mortar). Store outlets can be further divided into several categories. One key characteristic
that distinguishes categories is whether retail outlets are physically connected to one or more
others stores:
� Stand-Alone – These are retail outlets that do not have other retail outlets connected.
� Strip-Shopping Centre – A retail arrangement with two or more outlets physically connected
or that share physical resources (e.g., share parking lot)
� Shopping Area – A local centre of retail operations containing many retail outlets that may or
may not be physically connected but are in close proximity to each other such as a city shopping
district. Regional Shopping Mall – Consists of a large self-contained shopping area With many
connected outlets

b) Catalog channel: The consumer selects the goods he/she wants to purchase from an online
catalog. This catalog may be hosted either on the SAP Marketplace or on the retailer's Web site.
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Once the order is complete, the customer confirms it and notes the order number. The order is

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

then transferred to the retailer's SAP System, the necessary materials are reserved, the internal
order is triggered, and the goods are sent off and delivered by a service partner. Using the
confirmed order number, the customer can check the status of the shipment at any time on the
Internet. Once the goods have been shipped and the customer has received them, the goods
receipt is confirmed and based on this, billing then takes place.
c) Internet channel When a firm uses its website to offer products for sale and then individuals
or organisations use their computers to make purchases from this company, the parties have
engaged in electronic transactions (also called on line selling or internet marketing). Many
electronic transactions involve two businesses which focus on sales by firms to ultimate
consumers. Thus online retailing is one which consists of electronic transactions in which the
purchasers’ an ultimate consumer.

Customer buying behaviour: The buying Process:

1. Need recognition / Problem recognition:
The need recognition is the first and most important step in the buying process. If there is no
need, there is no purchase. This recognition happens when there is a lag between the
consumer’s actual situation and the ideal and desired one However, not all the needs end up as a
buying behaviour. It requires that the lag between the two situations is quite important. But the
“way” (product price, ease of acquisition, etc.) to obtain this ideal situation has to be perceived
as “acceptable” by the consumer based on the level of importance he attributes to the need.
2. Information search
Once the need is identified, it’s time for the consumer to seek information about possible
solutions to the problem. He will search more or less information depending on the complexity
of the choices to be made but also his level of involvement. (Buying pasta requires little
information and involves fewer consumers than buying a car.)
Then the consumer will seek to make his opinion to guide his choice and his decision-making
process with:
Internal information: this information is already present in the consumer’s memory. It comes
from previous experiences he had with a product or brand and the opinion he may have of the
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brand.
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Internal information is sufficient for the purchasing of everyday products that the consumer
knows – including Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Consumer Packaged Goods
(CPG). But when it comes to a major purchase with a level of uncertainty or stronger
involvement and the consumer does not have enough information, he must turns to another
source:
External information: This is information on a product or brand received from and obtained
by friends or family, by reviews from other consumers or from the press. Not to mention, of
course, official business sources such as an advertising or a seller’s speech.
3. Alternative evaluation
Once the information collected, the consumer will be able to evaluate the different alternatives
that offer to him, evaluate the most suitable to his needs and choose the one he think it’s best for
him.
In order to do so, he will evaluate their attributes on two aspects. The objective characteristics
(such as the features and functionality of the product) but also subjective (perception and
perceived value of the brand by the consumer or its reputation).
Each consumer does not attribute the same importance to each attribute for his decision and his
Consumer Buying Decision Process. And it varies from one shopper to another. Mr. Smith may
prefer a product for the reputation of the brand X rather than a little more powerful but less
known product. While Mrs. Johnson has a very bad perception of that same brand. The
consumer will then use the information previously collected and his perception or image of a
brand to establish a set of evaluation criteria, desirable or wanted features, classify the different
products available and evaluate which alternative has the most chance to satisfy him.
4. Purchase decision
Now that the consumer has evaluated the different solutions and products available for respond
to his need, he will be able to choose the product or brand that seems most appropriate to his
needs. Then proceed to the actual purchase itself.
His decision will depend on the information and the selection made in the previous step based
on the perceived value, product’s features and capabilities that are important to him.
5. Post-purchase behaviour
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Once the product is purchased and used, the consumer will evaluate the adequacy with his
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original needs (those who caused the buying behaviour). And whether he has made the right

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choice in buying this product or not. He will feel either a sense of satisfaction for the product
(and the choice). Or, on the contrary, a disappointment if the product has fallen far short of
expectations.
An opinion that will influence his future decisions and buying behaviour. If the product has
brought satisfaction to the consumer, he will then minimize stages of information search and
alternative evaluation for his next purchases in order to buy the same brand. This will produce
customer loyalty.

Types of buying decisions:

1. Extended problem solving:
Is a purchase decision process in which customers devote considerable time and efforts to
analyse the alternatives. Customers typically engage in extended problem solving when purchase
decision involves a lot of risk and uncertainty. Financial risk arises when a customer purchases
an expensive product or service. Physical risks are important when customers feel that a product
or service may affect their health or safety. Social risks arise when customers believe a product
will affect how others view them. Consumers engage in extended problem solving when they are
making buying decision to satisfy an important need or when they have little knowledge about
the product or service.
2. Limited problem solving:
Is a purchase decision process involving a moderate amount of time and effort. Customers
engage in this type of buying process when they have had some prior experience with the
product or service and their risk is moderate. In these situations, customers tend to rely more on
personal knowledge than on external information. They usually choose a retailer they have
shopped at before and select merchandise they bought in the past. The majority of decisions
involve limited problem solving.
One common type of limited problem solving is impulse buying, which is a buying decision
made by customers on the spot after seeing the merchandise.
3. Habitual decision making:
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Is a purchase decision process involving little or no conscious effort. Today’s customers have
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many demands on their time. One way they cope with these time pressures is by simplifying

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

 their decision making process. When a need arises, customers may automatically respond with,
“I’ll buy the same thing i bought last time from the same store.” typically, this habitual decision
–making process is used when decisions aren’t very important to customers and involve
familiar merchandise they have bought in the past. When customers are loyal to a brand or a
store, they are involved in habitual decision making.

Factors influencing the buying process:

1. Cultural factors
Cultural factors are coming from the different components related to culture or cultural
environment from which the consumer belongs.
Culture and societal environment: Culture is crucial when it comes to understanding the needs
and behaviours of an individual.
Throughout his existence, an individual will be influenced by his family, his friends, his cultural
environment or society that will “teach” him values, preferences as well as common behaviours
to their own culture. For a brand, it is important to understand and take into account the cultural
factors inherent to each market or to each situation in order to adapt its product and its marketing
strategy. As these will play a role in the perception, habits, behavior or expectations of
consumers.
2. Social factors
Social factors are among the factors influencing consumer behavior significantly. They fall into
three categories: reference groups, family and social roles and status.
Reference groups and membership groups:
The membership groups of an individual are social groups to which he belongs and which will
influence him. The membership groups are usually related to its social origin, age, place of
residence, work, hobbies, leisure, etc..
The influence level may vary depending on individuals and groups. But is generally observed
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common consumption trends among the members of a same group.

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The understanding of the specific features (mindset, values, lifestyle, etc..) of each group allows
brands to better target their advertising message.
More generally, reference groups are defined as those that provide to the individual some points
of comparison more or less direct about his behavior, lifestyle, desires or consumer habits. They
influence the image that the individual has of himself as well as his behavior. Whether it is a
membership group or a non-membership group.
Because the individual can also be influenced by a group to which he doesn’t belong yet but
wishes to be part of. This is called an aspirational group. This group will have a direct influence
on the consumer who, wishing to belong to this group and look like its members, will try to buy
the same products.
Family:
The family is maybe the most influencing factor for an individual. It forms an environment of
socialization in which an individual will evolve, shape his personality, and acquire values. But
also develop attitudes and opinions on various subjects such as politics, society, social relations
or himself and his desires.
But also on his consumer habits, his perception of brands and the products he buys.
We all kept, for many of us and for some products and brands, the same buying habits and
consumption patterns that the ones we had known in our family.
Perceptions and family habits generally have a strong influence on the consumer buying
behavior. People will tend to keep the same as those acquired with their families.
Historical perspective
The retail industry emerged in the US in the eighteenth century, restricted to general stores.
Specialty stores were developed only in those areas that had a population of above 5,000.
Supermarkets flourished in the US and Canada with the growth of suburbs after World War II.
The modern retail industry is booming across the world. Revenues from retail sales in the US
alone stood at $4.48 trillion in 2007, according to a report by the US Census Bureau.
Role of retailing:
1. Destination
The retailer uses the destination category to take a leadership role in the market. The destination
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category communicates the retailer’s commitment to meet the specific needs of consumers. It
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delivers consistent superior value to target shoppers and is used to define the target consumer

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image of the retailer for the market. For example, a store might want to be known as the
preferred destination for ready-to-eat meal solutions. Their deli would then be well stocked with
a wide variety of prepared meals and side dishes. The destination category draws shoppers to the
store where they can do the rest of their shopping when they come in for dinner.
2. Routine
The routine category is designed to assist in building the target consumers' image of the retailer.
A routine category serves as a link between the retailer and the consumer. This would include
most of the "routine" items consumers typically put on their shopping list.

3. Preferred routine
The preferred routine role for a category is used to help define the retailer as the preferred choice
by delivering consistent superior value to the target consumer. This is the trusted retailer that
consumers go to when they try to fill specific needs—for instance, one that's committed to
having best-quality produce in the market. Produce is a routine purchase for consumers, but
produce selection can vary greatly by retailer. Natural stores can differentiate themselves by
offering the best local and regional produce in the market.
4. Seasonal/occasional
A seasonal/occasional role for a category is focused on specific events—the floral department
for Mother’s Day. Retailers typically place a great deal of emphasis on the floral department on
Mother's Day by increasing their selection, inventory and gift ideas.
5. Convenience
The convenience role is geared toward filling impulse needs. This category strategy typically
plays an important role delivering profit and margin enhancement through items like the ready-
to-eat meals in the deli and the chilled single serve beverages at the checkout lines.

Trends in Retailing: The Retail Industry is changing rapidly due to various reasons

1. Spatial convenience: Number of working women has fuelled an intense demand for
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convenience. The quest for convenience on the part of consumers is shown by

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  frantic growth of convenience store fuelled by the entry of Petroleum marketers
AM/PM store
 Exploding Popularity of online shopping operators
 Diversification of vending machine into food /clothing and videotapes.
2. Increased power of retailer: At one time, Colgate dominated retailers. Now the retailers tend
to dominate them. The reasons for this reversal are many. Retailers have many new products
from which to choose when deciding what to stock on their shelves. Further the IT has diffused
throughout retailing to such an extent that virtually all major retailer can capture item-by-item
data via scanning devices at that electronic point of sale terminal. This knowledge of information
has permitted retailers to calculate the (DPP) Direct Portfolio of Individual Items, track what
moves and what does not move well in their stores. So the Manufacturers struggled to get space
in the shelves of retailers. They offer Pricing concession, slotting allowance etc., to promote
products.
3. Growing Diversity of Retail formats: Consumers can now purchase same merchandise from
wide variety of retailers. They are Dept. store, speciality store, convenience store, category killer,
Mass merchandiser, Hypermarket.
 Mom and Pop Stores and Traditional Kirana stores: A small independent store across
product categories is very common retail format in India. Particularly in small townships
 E- commerce: The amount of retail business conducted on the Internet is growing every
year. Companies like Amazon. Com and First and second.com which helped pioneer the
retail e-commerce. Fabmart.com
 Department store with varied merchandising operations.
 Franchise: Territory rights are also sold to franchisees. Various distribution and other
services are provided by contract to franchisees for fee. Ex. McDonalds, Blockbuster
Video
 Warehouse club- wholesale club: Appeal is to price conscious shopper. Size is 60000 sq.
ft. or more. Product selection is limited and products are usually sold in bulk size.
 Mail order catalog: Non-store selling through the use of literature sent to potential
customer. Usually has a central distribution centre for receiving and shipping direct to
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the customer.
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 Speciality Discounter –Category killer:

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Offers merchandise in one line ( e.g. sporting goods, office supplies; children merchandise ) with
great depth of product selection at discounted prices. Stores usually range in size from 50,000 to
75000 square feet.
Emergence of region specific formats: In deptl store format, while most A class cites and
metros have larger stores of 50000 sq ft sizes, stores in B Class towns have stabilized in the
25000- 35,000 sq. feet range. Most players have started operating these 2 formats across various
cities, which has helped them to standardise the merchandise offering across the chain.
Entry of International Players: A large no. of international players has evinced interest in India
despite the absence of favourable government policies.
Mall Development: Modern malls made their entry into India in the late 1990s with the
establishment of cross roads in Mumbai and Ansal Plaza in Delhi. According to a market
estimates, close to 10mn sq. feet of mall space is being developed across several cities in the
country.

FDI in Retail:
FDI in retail industry means that foreign companies in certain categories can sell products
through their own retail shop in the country. At present, foreign direct investment (FDI) in pure
retailing is not permitted under Indian law.
Government of India has allowed FDI in retail of specific brand of products. Following this,
foreign companies in certain categories can sell products through their own retail shops in the
country. India’s retail industry is estimated to be worth approximately US$411.28 billion and is
still growing, expected to reach US$804.06 billion in 2015.
As part of the economic liberalization process set in place by the Industrial Policy of 1991, the
Indian government has opened the retail sector to FDI slowly through a series of steps:
1995: World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services, which includes
both wholesale and retailing services, came into effect.
1997: FDI in cash and carry (wholesale) with 100% rights allowed under the government
approval route. 2006: FDI in cash and carry (wholesale) brought under the automatic route. Up
to 51 percent investment in a single-brand retail outlet permitted.
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2011: 100% FDI in single brand retail permitted. The Indian government removed the 51 percent
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cap on FDI into single-brand retail outlets in December 2011,and opened the market fully to

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foreign investors by permitting 100 percent foreign investment in this area. Government has also
made some, albeit limited, progress in allowing multi-brand retailing, which has so far been
prohibited in India. At present, this is restricted to 49 percent foreign equity participation. The
spectre of large supermarket brands displacing traditional Indian mom-and-pop stores is a hot
political issue in India, and the progress and development of the newly liberalized single-brand
retail industry will be watched with some keen eyes as concerns further possible liberalization in
the multi-brand sector.

FDI IN SINGLE-BRAND RETAIL

While the precise meaning of single-brand retail has not been clearly defined in any Indian
government circular or notification, single-brand retail generally refers to the selling of goods
under a single brand name.
Up to 100 percent FDI is permissible in single-brand retail, subject to the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB) sanctions and conditions mentioned in press Note. These conditions
stipulate that: Only single-brand products are sold (i.e. sale of multi-brand goods is not allowed,
even if produced by the same manufacturer).Products are sold under the same brand
internationally.
Single-brand products include only those identified during manufacturing. Any additional
product categories to be sold under single-brand retail must first receive additional government
approval FDI in single-brand retail implies that a retail store with foreign investment can only
sell one brand.
For example, if Adidas were to obtain permission to retail its flagship brand in India, those retail
outlets could only sell products under the Adidas brand. For Adidas to sell products under the
Reebok brand, which it owns, separate government permission is required and (if permission is
granted) Reebok products must then be sold in separate retail outlet.
FDI IN “MULTI-BRAND” RETAIL While the government of India has also not clearly
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defined the term “multi-brand retail,” FDI in multi-brand retail generally refers to selling
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multiple brands under one roof. Currently, this sector is limited to a maximum of 49 percent

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

foreign equity participation. These are positive steps and it will encourage international brands to
set up shop in India. On the other hand, this will also lead to competition among Indian players.
It will be the consumers who stand to gain,'' This would not change the market dynamics
immediately as it will take some time for these plans to fructify.

Problems of Indian retailing:

1. Global economic slowdown impacting consumer demand
The current contraction in overall growth has not been so severe ever since the one witnessed
during World War II. The sub prime-triggered crisis in the US during end of 2007 gradually
spread across other parts of the world; as a the fallout of this crisis, credit availability dropped
sharply in advanced economies and their GDP growth contracted incessantly during the last
quarter of 2008. the financial crisis continued to trouble advanced and developing economies in
spite of policymakers’ attempts to replenish liquidity in these markets. Many financial
institutions collapsed and filed for bankruptcy, as the situation got from bad to worse. Many
banks/institutions made massive write-downs following this turn of events. During 2007-10, the
write-downs on global exposures are expected to be worth US$ 4 trillion while the write downs
on the US-originated assets alone are likely to be worth US$ 2.7 trillion11. Such massive write-
down will affect the financial system to a grave extent, as it is likely to further strain banks’
funding capabilities. Already these write-downs are turning into a major challenge for
banks/financial institutions because of solvency issues, and deepening risk of failure of banks/
financial institutions. Failure of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers, for instance, has had
an enormous impact on the overall global financial system, and has consequently shaken the
confidence of banks, investors, households etc.
2. Consumption declines in the advanced economies
Private consumption expenditure is an important indicator of overall economic growth. In the
last couple of quarters, the decline in consumption has further affected the global economic
downturn. Moreover, widespread financial crisis severely hit credit availability and household
disposable income. For instance, US households lost 20% (US$ 13 trillion)14 of their net worth
as a percentage of disposable income from the second quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of
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2008. The stock prices across the world started falling during the second quarter of 2007 and
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continued its losses throughout 2008; the global stock market lost between 40-60% in dollar

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

terms that translated to a huge loss of global wealth in 2008. The personal disposable income (at
current prices) in the US registered negative growth (3.9% and 2.1%) during the last two quarters
of 2008, respectively. The consumer demand situation was aggravated further by reduced capital
availability and consequent fall in investments.
3. Competition from the unorganised sector
Organised retailers face immense competition from the unorganised retailers or kirana stores
(mom-and-pop stores) that generally cater to the customers within their neighbourhood. The
unorganised retail sector constitutes over 94% of India’s total retail sector and thus, poses a
serious hurdle for organised retailers. If put numerically, the organised retailers are facing stiff
competition from over 13 million kirana stores that offer personalised services such as direct
credit to customers, free home delivery services, APART from the loyalty benefits. During the
current economic slowdown, the traditional kirana stores adopted various measures to retain their
customers, which directly affected organised retailers. Generally, it has been observed that
customers shop impulsively and end up spending more than what they need at organised retail
outlets; however, in kirana stores, they stick to their needs because of the limited variety. During
a downturn, many customers may not like to spend more as is evident from the past few months’
trend that shoppers are increasingly switching from organised retail stores to kiranas.
4. Retail sector yet to be recognised as an industry
The retail sector is not recognised as an industry by the government even though it is the second-
largest employer after agriculture. Lack of recognition as an industry affects the retail sector in
the following ways:
 Due to the lack of established lending norms and consequent delay in financing activity,
the existing and new players have lesser access to credit, which affects their growth and
expansion plans
 The absence of a single nodal agency leads to chaos, as retailers have to oblige to
multiple authorities to get clearances and for regular operations
5. High real-estate costs
Even though the real estate prices have subsided recently due to the slowdown in economies and
the financial crises, these prices are expected to go up again in the near future. Presently the
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sector faces high stamp duties, pro-tenancy acts, the rigid Urban Land Ceiling Act and the Rent
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Control Act and time-consuming legal processes, which causes delays in opening stores.

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

Earlier on the lease or rents on properties were very high (among the highest in the world) at
some prominent locations in major cities. The profitability of retail companies were affected
severely because real costs constituted a major part of their operating expenses. Now companies
are moving out from prominent malls of tier I cities and are re-negotiating the rental agreements
with landlords to reduce costs. Some are even focussing on setting up shops in tier II and tier III
cities.
6. Lack of basic infrastructure
Poor roads and lack of cold chain infrastructure hampers the development of food retail in India.
The existing players have to invest substantial amounts of money and time in building a cold-
chain network.
7. Supply-chain inefficiencies
Supply chain needs to be efficiently-managed because it has a direct impact on the company’s
bottom lines. Presently the Indian organised retail has an efficient supply chain but it appears
efficient only when compared with the unorganised sector. On an international level the Indian
organised retailers fall short of international retailers like Wal-Mart and Carrefour in terms of
efficiencies in supply chain. In the following paragraphs some key challenges that the retailers
face during procuring goods from suppliers to delivering the same to end-customers are
discussed.
8. Challenges with respect to human resources
The Indian organised retail players shell out more than 7% of sales towards personnel costs. The
high HR costs are essentially the costs incurred on training employees as there is a severe
scarcity for skilled labour in India. The retail industry faces attrition rates as high as 50%, which
is high when compared to other sectors also. Changes in career path, employee benefits offered
by competitors of similar industries, flexible and better working hours and conditions contribute
to the high attrition.
9. Shrinkage
Retail shrinkage is the difference between the book value of stock and the actual stock or the
unaccounted loss of retail goods. These losses include theft by employees, administrative errors,
shoplifting by customers or vendor fraud. According to industry estimates, nearly 3- 4% of the
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Indian chain’s turnover is lost on account of shrinkage. The organised industry players have
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invested IT, CCTV and antennas to overcome the problem of shrinkage.

Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.

Current Scenaio
 Indian retail sector, which is currently established at US$ 500 billion, is expected to about
US $900 billion by 2014.
 India has also ranked as 4th most attractive nation for retail investment among 30
emerging markets.
 Retail amount for 22% GDP.
 8% total Employment from retail sector.
 The organized and unorganized sector co exist. Share of unorganized sector is more.
 India is a 7th largest Retail market in the world.

Drivers of growth
1. Strongly underlying economic growth.
2. Higher income level
3. High consumer spending
4. Dual income.

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Prof. Manjunatha S Department of Management Studies, SVIT.