Supermarket & hypermarket expansion leads to competitive retail environment

15 May 2009

Indian modern trade scene is getting increasingly complex and competitive by the day, according to the latest Nielsen ShopperTrends India report. The report found the number of customers frequenting supermarkets and hypermarkets has grown by 11 per cent in India’s eight key metros compared to the last round of ShopperTrends conducted in November ‘07.

The report also found that one-fifth of Indian shoppers are now spending most of their grocery rupees at supermarkets and hypermarkets. However, while the Indian shopper continues to embrace the modern trade format, the rate of adoption has slowed in 2008 compared to 2007. Traditional grocery stores continue to dominate the Indian retail scene and are frequented more often by Indian shoppers. While 39 per cent of grocery buyers visited a supermarket and hypermarket at least once in four weeks, 97 per cent of them visited a traditional store over the same period.

“The exponential growth in the Modern Trade Format’s customer base that we have observed in recent years now appears to be stabilising. Given this scenario, awareness and presence will continue to drive the equity a retail banner enjoys in shoppers’ minds,” said Asitava Sen, director, retail consulting, The Nielsen Company, India.

-- IndiaRetailing Bureau