The recent backlash in UP and Orissa has not dampened the spirits of retail giants in the southern part of the country, barring Left-ruled Kerala. Pantaloon Retail (India) is planning six to ten Big Bazaar stores over the next quarter. Among the new locations will be Mysore, Salem, Dindigul and Karnool. ?There is significant potential in these Tier-II towns,? explains Rohit Malhotra, head, south zone, Pantaloon Retail. The company is also looking to open grocery stores in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in six months.
Spencer?s plans to add 75 stores by end-December. ?We are going ahead with our plans and will end the third quarter with 200 stores in the four southern states,? says Samar Singh Sheikhawat, vice-president, marketing, Spencer?s Retail Ltd. The group is also planning to set up Books & Beyond stores in major southern cities within a few months.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu-promoted Heritage Foods (India) is planning to end the year with 100 stores in Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. ?We have also drawn up a blueprint for convenience formats and fruit & vegetable formats,? says Santhosh Unni, head, marketing & operations, Heritage Foods.
Discount retail chain Subhiksha plans to add 50 stores in south India by the year-end, taking its tally to 360. ?We do not feel there is any need to re-look our expansion. There may be resentment against specific retailers. But there is no consumer backlash against organised retail per se,? says R Subramanian, MD, Subhiksha.