[edit source | editbeta] Big Bazaar was introduced by the Future Group in September 2001 with the opening of its first four stores in Kolkata, Indore, Bengaluru and Hyderabad within a period of 22 days. Started by Kishore Biyani, Big Bazaar was launched mainly as a fashion format selling apparel, cosmetics, accessories and general merchandise. Over the years, the retail chain has included in its portfolio a wide range of products and services, ranging from grocery to electronics. The current retail formats of the Future Group include Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Electronic Bazaar and Furniture Bazaar. According to Kishore Biyani, the inspiration behind this entire retail format was from Saravana Stores, a local store in T. Nagar, Chennai. Big Bazaar is popularly known as the 'Indian Walmart' today. In the second year of operations, Big Bazaar tied up with Indian banking giant ICICI Bank and launched the Big Bazaar ICICI Bank Card. In the same year, the first Food Bazaar store was also launched at High Street Phoenix mall in Mumbai, marking the retailer's entry into dedicated food retail. In 2003, Big Bazaar made its foray into small towns and cities. The first store in this category was launched that year in Nagpur. The franchise also welcomed its 10 millionth customer at its new store in Gurgaon in the same year. Over the next two years, Big Bazaar consolidated its position in the Indian retail landscape. This phase of growth included the setting up of the Mumbai store in Lower Parel, which registered a record Rs 10 million turnover in a single day on Diwali-eve in 2004. In 2005, the first Big Bazaar Exchange Offer was launched, which has quickly gained popularity among customers. In 2006, further changes in loyalty marketing took place with the launch of the housewife-centric credit card, Shakti. Jewellery store 'Navaras' was also launched that year within Big Bazaar stores which became the first store-in-store concept to be launched by the brand. Another dedicated retail format launched in 2006 is Furniture Bazaar. In 2007, Big Bazaar partnered with a shopping portal Futurebazaar.com and expanded its retail footprint to 50 stores. The following year, 2008, witnessed by far the fastest growth in terms of retail expansion for Big Bazaar, with the launch of the 101st store. Joining the league of India's Superbrands and voted among the top ten service brands in the country by the Pitch-IMRB international survey, Big Bazaar became much more than a household name. The year also saw the launch of the Monthly Bachat Bazaar (Monthly Budget Market) campaign, which provided significantly low prices and gave discounts on bulk purchases in the first week of the month. Over the next two years, Big Bazaar carved its own niche in modern retail and became the largest brand in the hypermarket format. Capturing one-third of the food and grocery market in modern retail, celebrity endorsements and tie-ups with other brands allowed it to enhance its retail footprint. In 2009, Big Bazaar won the CNBC Awaaz Consumer Awards for the third consecutive year. It was adjudged the Most Preferred Multi Brand Food & Beverage Chain, Most Preferred Multi Brand Retail Outlet and Most Preferred Multi Brand One Stop Shop via-wikipedia

• published: 28 Aug 2013
• views: 0