Reliance Retail

Reliance Retail

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	2006 (2006)
Founder	Reliance Industries
Headquarters	Mumbai , India
Area served	India
Key people	Mukesh Ambani (Chairman of Reliance Industries)
Products	Food items, groceries, clothing, footwear, toys, home improvement goods, consumer electronics, agricultural equipment
Owner	Reliance Industries
Number of employees	245000+ (2024)
Parent	Reliance Industries
Website	www.relianceretail.com

Reliance Retail operates as an Indian retail enterprise and functions as a subsidiary under the umbrella of Reliance Industries. Established in 2006, it stands as the foremost retailer in India based on revenue. Its extensive network of stores provides a wide array of products including food items, groceries, clothing, footwear, toys, home enhancement goods, consumer electronics, and agricultural equipment. As of , the company’s workforce exceeds 245,000 employees, serving customers through approximately 18,000 outlets located across 7,000 towns.

History

The inception of Reliance Retail dates back to 2006 when it was launched as a fully owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries. At Reliance’s 32nd Annual General Meeting, chairman Mukesh Ambani revealed plans for an investment reaching . The initial rollout involved the opening of Reliance Fresh convenience stores in Hyderabad during November 2006. By the following year, the company had broadened its portfolio to include consumer electronics (Reliance Digital), hypermarket formats (Reliance Mart), apparel (Reliance Trends), jewellery (Reliance Jewels), and footwear (Reliance Footprint).

In 2008, Reliance Retail entered into a joint venture with Marks & Spencer, holding a 51% stake to establish stores within India. The launch of its wholesale cash-and-carry chain, Reliance Market, occurred in 2011. In 2013, due to resistance from stakeholders, the company stopped selling non-vegetarian products and shut down over 100 Reliance Delight outlets specializing in meat and seafood. By 2014, it withdrew from segments such as books, music (under Reliance TimeOut), and furniture retail (Reliance Living) to concentrate on value-focused retailing and digital commerce.

The year 2016 saw the rebranding of its hypermarket stores to Reliance Smart along with the debut of AJIO, an online fashion platform. Until 2019, growth was predominantly organic; however, that year marked the acquisition of the global toy retailer Hamleys. December 2019 brought the soft launch of JioMart’s online grocery service, which expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period.

In August 2020, Reliance announced plans to acquire Future Group’s retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehousing divisions for , although this transaction was ultimately terminated in April 2022 following legal challenges involving Amazon. Subsequently, Reliance assumed control over more than 200 Future Group outlets—including Big Bazaar, Central, and Brand Factory—and rebranded them as Smart Bazaar, Centro, and Fashion Factory respectively.

October 2021 marked a strategic partnership with 7-Eleven to franchise convenience stores across India, inaugurating the first store in Mumbai. By July 2022, a similar franchise agreement was established with Gap for launching its brand within India. In January 2022, Reliance invested $200 million to acquire a 25.8% equity stake in delivery startup Dunzo.

In 2022, Reliance Industries purchased the soft drink label Campa Cola for ₹22 crore; its subsidiary Reliance Consumer Products reintroduced Campa Cola in March 2023 at selected retail locations. In May 2024, Jio Leasing Services Ltd disclosed plans to lease telecom infrastructure valued at $4.32 billion from Reliance Retail.

February 2025 witnessed the re-entry of Shein into the Indian market after a five-year prohibition period—following a collaboration initiated in 2023 aimed at sourcing products domestically from India.

Subsidiaries and divisions

Reliance Retail encompasses more than 45 subsidiaries and operational divisions.

Major divisions

No.	Name	Description
1	Reliance Fresh	Stores focused on retailing fruits, vegetables, and everyday grocery items.
2	Reliance Smart/Smart Point	Retail outlets providing fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery goods, dairy products, personal and home care items, along with general merchandise.
3	Reliance Digital	Chain specializing in consumer electronics, operating 689 locations as of 2014.
4	Jio Stores	Retail outlets offering Jio SIM cards, mobile phones, and related accessories; expanded to more than 7,900 stores by 2022.
5	Reliance Jewels	Jewelry retail chain with 77 showrooms recorded in 2018.
6	Reliance Trends	Clothing and fashion brand with over 2,300 outlets as of 2023.
7	Reliance Trends Footwear	Footwear retail format previously named Reliance Footprint; operates more than 800 stores as of 2024.
8	Reliance Market	Wholesale cash-and-carry format comprising 40 stores in 2022.
9	Reliance Brands	License holder for international premium fashion labels; managed 595 standalone stores and 744 shop-in-shop counters in 2021.
10	AJIO	Fashion e-commerce platform launched during Lakme Fashion Week SS16.
11	JioMart	Grocery delivery e-commerce service active in 200 cities across India; a joint enterprise between Reliance Retail and Jio Platforms.
12	Azorte	Fashion retail chain inaugurated in 2022 offering footwear, accessories, home décor, and beauty products.
13	Tira	Omnichannel beauty retail brand introduced in April 2023.

Acquisitions

No.	Name	Details
1	Hamleys	Global toy retailer acquired by Reliance Retail in 2019 for £67.96 million.
2	Shri Kannan Departmental Store	Retail network with 29 outlets in Coimbatore, selling fruits, vegetables, dairy products, staples, and general merchandise; acquired in 2020 for ₹152.5 crore.
3	Netmeds	Chennai-based licensed online pharmacy; Reliance Retail purchased a 60% stake in its parent company Vitalic in 2020 for roughly ₹620 crore.
4	Urban Ladder	Bangalore-headquartered omnichannel furniture and home décor retailer; Reliance Retail acquired a controlling interest of 96% in 2020 for ₹182 crore.
5	Addverb	Robotics company based in Noida; Reliance Retail secured a 55% ownership share for $132 million in 2021.
6	Amante	Lingerie wholesaler and retailer operating across India and Sri Lanka; acquired by Reliance Retail in 2021.
7	Zivame	Online lingerie and activewear retailer headquartered in Bangalore; Reliance Retail obtained an 85% stake for ₹1,200 crore in 2021.
8	Justdial	Local search services platform; a majority stake of 66% was acquired by Reliance Retail in 2021 for ₹5,710 crore (historical value).
9	Milkbasket	'Micro-delivery' daily subscription service; Reliance Retail Ventures took control of a 96.49% stake in October 2021.
10	Clovia	Indian brand specializing in innerwear and loungewear; Reliance Retail bought an 89% shareholding for $125 million in 2022.

No.	Name	Details
11	Metro AG#Metro Cash & Carry India	Acquisition completed December 2022 for ₹2,850 crore (historical value), incorporating control over 31 stores serving more than three million B2B clients.
12	V-Retail	Footwear and apparel chain with presence across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka through its network of 32 outlets; acquired by Reliance Retail in 2023.
13	Bismi	Retailer specializing in electronics and groceries operating approximately 30 stores throughout Kerala; purchased by Reliance Retail Ventures during fiscal year 2023.
14	Kelvinator	Strategic acquisition announced on July 18, 2025, aimed at broadening Reliance Retail’s footprint within India's consumer durable segment.

Private label products

Within the grocery division, Reliance Retail predominantly distributes third-party FMCG items but also features several proprietary brands such as Best Farms, Good Life, Enzo, Mopz, Expelz, and Home One.

Fashion labels

Reliance Brands, a fully owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail, maintains substantial ownership in fashion houses including Satya Paul (72%), Manish Malhotra (40%), and Ritu Kumar (52%).

Funding

In September 2020, the American investment firm Silver Lake acquired a 1.75% equity share in Reliance Retail for ₹7,500 crore, while KKR purchased a 1.28% stake for ₹5,500 crore, valuing the company at $58 billion.

By October 2020, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC invested $752 million to obtain a 1.22% stake, and TPG secured a 0.41% share for $250 million, establishing a pre-money valuation of $58.5 billion.

In August 2023, the Qatar Investment Authority contributed $1 billion for a 0.99% ownership at a valuation of $100 billion. Subsequently, in October 2023, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority invested nearly $600 million to acquire a 0.59% stake.