Retail Sector in India: Present Scenario, Emerging Opportunities and Challenges

The Government’s initiative to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail has been a subject for debate for quite some time now. Indian retail sector has therefore attracted the attention of people from various fields including academia, industry, research organisations. The present study is undertaken to gain an insight about the present structure of Indian Retail Sector, the major sub-sectors in organized and traditional retail and changes in the relative share of various sub-sectors over last few years and penetration of organized retail in various segments. The analysis also covers the opportunities and emerging challenges before Indian retail sector in view of recent policy changes by Government of India. With India's large ‘young’ population and high domestic consumption, the macro trends for the sector look favorable. The Indian retail sector is highly fragmented with more tha n n ine ty per cent of its business being run by the unorganized retailers like the traditional family run stores and corner stores. During 2005-07 and 2007-10, the share of organized retail increased by 13.9 percent and 21.9 percent respectively. However thereafter organized retail is penetrating the market at a more rapid pace. During the period 2010-12 share of organized retail rose by 60 percent and is expected to increase by 2.6 times during 2012-15. Clothing/Apparel segment is the biggest contributor in organised retailing in India in both the years of study. In 2012 it alone accounted for 33 percent of organized retail followed by Food & Grocery and Mobile and telecom with each having 11 percent share in organized retail. Organized retail had highest penetration in Apparel both in 2007 and 2012. Food and Grocery segment is dominated by traditional retail but in 2012, organized retail penetration in this sector had more than doubled. In view of the recent policy changes, both the existing traditional retailers and modern organised domestic and foreign retailers would have opportunities and face challenges. On one hand, the policy exposes the domestic retailers to competition from foreign retailers; while on the other hand, it seeks to safeguard them through a slew of protective measures. The future prospects of Indian retail market are likely to have some macro-economic impact too. Prospective reduction in supply chain impediments may help in reducing supply side inflationary pressures. Future growth of India’s retail sector is also expected to increase employment. The nuances of FDI in retail are still to be worked out.