The world that we live in

In the overseas markets, the concept of large retail stores that specialize in a narrow range of products is quite common. These type of stores are called category killers or big box retailers, for the power that comes with their size. In India, the concept is yet to catch on, although the first few steps have already been taken. Reliance Retail’s consumer electronics venture Reliance Digital and Tata Group’s Croma are both perfectly poised to convert themselves to category killers at a later time. It just waits to be seen how and when they do.

The major difference in how retail functions here and in more developed markets like the US is the non-availability of space. In the metro cities, where the main spending population lives, there is a severe shortage of large retail space along with space for parking. So, even if category killers do come to India, they will have to adapt slightly to the local market conditions.