India has enjoyed a three-year reign as the leading market for retail in the world. The Indian retail industry is expected to close at a second high year on year growth rate of 30-35% in 2008.

The great retail opportunity has been hit by the economic downturn, with the Retail Association of India, predicting a growth rate of just half of the previous year. The global crisis has resulted in decreased FDI and a fall in consumer spending. So retailers are putting on hold their expansion plans. Major firms are closing down unprofitable stores and are down sizing and consolidating. In this scenario, the kirana stores are flourishing again due to the convenience and credit facilities that they extend to customers.

In analyzing the retail industry, problems, threats, opportunities and potential of the retail industry have been discussed. The current market size and estimated market sizes, brands to watch out and the implications of various retail categories like luxury goods, kids retail, rural retail have been provided. The influence of the supply chain industry on retail and the benefits that would accrue to the retail industry in India have also been elaborated. The report covers the retail spread across India and the emergence of new region wise markets in India, with the potential in each market. Retail formats like discount stores, cash & carry, department stores, hyper malls, etc which have the greatest potential and the share of each vertical in the Retail space like food & groceries, apparel, consumer durables, etc. have also been enumerated. The potential and growth of newer formats like e-tailing, franchising have been briefly touched upon. Finally the initiatives and support given by the Government to the sector that employs the largest number of people have also been highlighted. There is also an useful table of the leading retail players in India, key information about them and their expansion plans.

Click here to read our Quick Facts on the Retail Industry in India

Read our other Reports on the Retail Industry in India

Retail Scene in India
Discount Retailing
Pharma Retailing
Food & Grocery Retail
Growth of Malls
Growth of Single Brand Stores