Oswal Group is a premier textile group of northern India having its corporate office at Ludhiana,Punjab. The organisation has been for the last 40 years with spinning as its core competency. Earlier, they were part of the Vardhman Group but, after family settlement between two brothers in 2003, they named themselves as Oswal Group. The group is mainly into spinning and dyeing of all types of yarn in different blends and manufacturing of garments. In 2004, Oswal group forayed into innerwear business under the brand of ‘Sensa’ with a view to cater to the growing ready-to-wear fashion apparel market. Thereafter, the company renamed its retail innerwear business as ‘Straps’, offering lingerie, nightwear and maternity wear in 2006. And finally in 2008; Oswal Retail decided to wind up its innerwear business and close down its 22 exclusive outlets of ‘Straps’.

Market still in nascent stage

As per reports of study conducted by leading retail consultants, Oswal group had pegged the intimate wear retail market in India at a whopping Rs 2,200 crore and it was expected that it would touch Rs 4,000 crore mark by 2009. The company had planned to capture five per cent share of this market by 2010. Commenting on the market scenario, Pradeep Seth, CMD, Stadia Group, says, "The main reason for suddenly deciding to shut down all stores could be the financial losses in the business and not seeing the growth potential as was envisioned. The markets chosen for Indian Lingerie were probably right but there could be a reason that the more elite class still prefers to wear foreign brands which they purchase from abroad. The other population may still be having cheaper options. However, the reasons for closure could also be mismanagement."

Too many stores too fast

Oswal group had ambitious plans to open ‘Straps’ stores across the country. They opened 22 stores across Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana and had committed investment of Rs 60 crore in this venture and planned to open 120 exclusive stores by 2009. It even tied up with several premium foreign intimate wear brands including Italian ‘Parah’, Rene Rofe, Wonder Bra and Women Secret of USA, Body Line and Moon Dance, which were sold through Oswal retail outlets.

Re-branding did not work

Re-branding is an exercise requiring meticulous plans and execution in order to retain its brand identity in the market. A company generally goes into re-branding after 10 years or more, when they feel that, with changing times, their brand too needs to be upgraded and consumer too needs the fresh look. Commenting on re-branding as a solution, Devangshu Dutta, Chief Executive, Third Eyesight, says, "The particular reasons behind Oswal’s decision to close down the chain will be best given by the company itself. Normally, if a company wishes to sustain the retail business, specific store-related decisions (changing the design, closing some stores, re-branding etc.) can certainly help. On the other hand, if the management wishes to exit the entire business for some strategic, operational or personal reasons, then there are essentially two options: either to sell the business or to close it down and book the losses."”

Lack of consumer interest

With everything being right in order, one very important thing the company skipped on was tile customer behavior commenting on consumer preferences, Mr Seth says “one reason is that more elite classes still prefer to wear foreign brands, which they purchase from abroad. Another reason lies in the possibility that people are still having cheaper options. However, reasons for closure could also be mismanagement. "

Possible solution

Is there a possibility that the company can be saved from such sudden closures of outlets? Can closing down of non- performing outlets or re-branding the brand be an option for survival? Or, is shutting down all the stores the only possible option? Talking about feasible solutions to this problem, Shubranshu Pani, President Retail Advisory Services, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, says, "Normally the solution for such cases is a merger possibility with a known chain that is either into similar business in India or merger/acquisition by a foreign brand that may be looking for a foothold in India. Re-branding and shutting down of non-performing stores are solutions sometimes exercised by retailers to boost performance and cut losses. But many a time, retailers resort to sales and discounting. Some retailers abroad also resort to rationalization of format-size.and merchandising. For example, many ‘mom & pop stores’ and medical stores have started keeping other products like CDs, stationery and FMCG products. Getting a store chain out of trouble needs introspection and’ innovation. While reworking on space strategy is definitely required, it also calls for an overhaul in operations and client interaction." Giving his opinion, Mr. Seth says, "Normally, the solution to such cases is a merger possibility with a known chain that is either into similar business in India or merger-acquisition by a foreign brand that may be looking for a foothold in India."

By Rasul Bailay

MINT (Exclusive Partner The Wall Street Journal)

NEW DELHI, 11 August 2008

As costs rise and economic growth slows, Indian retailers are looking at ways to trim expenses and protect their profits.
Pantaloon India Ltd, the country’s largest listed retailer, has begun integrating the management, marketing, human resources, or HR, and information technology, or IT, departments of its units into one. The company says this one step will help it save around Rs. 165 crore (Rs. 1.65 billion) a year.

“It is only cost and efficiency that we are focusing on now,” said Kishore Biyani, managing director of Pantaloon. “Instead of having separate management, administration, HR and IT teams for different business units, we are merging them. So all the smaller businesses are getting managerially integrated into the larger ones.”

This essentially means the company will have a common HR team, one IT team and one management for all its business units. Pantaloon is also planning to prune its advertising budget, reduce electricity bills and cut packaging costs.

The company recorded a revenue of Rs. 3,236 crore (Rs. 32.36 billion) and net profit of Rs. 120 crore (Rs. 1.2 billion) in the business year ended June 2007.

Inflation, which has jumped to a more than a 13-year high of 12.01%, on the back of a surge in food and fuel prices, increasing interest rates and concerns of a slowdown in consumer spending, are for the first time casting a shadow on the ambitious expansion plans of organized retail companies.

Rapid economic growth in the past three years had prompted retailers to step up spending on opening new outlets, hike marketing and advertising budgets and spurred a frenzied hiring spree.

“Unlike mom-and-pop stores, large retail formats have much higher cost obligations,” said Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of retail consultancy firm Third Eyesight, based in Gurgaon. “Organizations with larger cost heads will be first to get hit in case of a slowdown.”

Shoppers Stop Ltd, the country’s No. 2 listed retailer, said it was studying options for cost rationalization and will take steps to prune overheads. “If the company fails to achieve its sales target, then there is a possibility of reducing costs to that the company’s revenue target is protected,” said C.B. Navalkar, chief financial officer at Shoppers Stop.

A recent study by Mumbai-based Edelweiss Securities Ltd said Pantaloon’s “same store”—stores that have existed for more than a year—grew between 11% and 12% during July 2007 and May 2008, compared with 16-17% a year ago.

Though Shoppers Stop maintained the same stores growth was 20% in fiscal year ended March 2008, Edelweiss says it came mainly from price increases rather than growth in volumes.

Subhiksha Trading Services Ltd, which operates the country’s largest chain of discount stores, said it had no special plans to prune costs. “We are a low-cost (retailer) and cost- cutting is a perpetual part of our life,” said R. Subramanian, its managing director.

Reliance Retail Ltd said the company is still in investment mode and has no plans to launch any cost-cutting drive. “For us, it’s business as usual,” said a top Reliance official, asking not to be identified.

Some retailers are even seeing a silver lining in the economic slowdown. Sky-rocketing real estate rentals, which had doubled in the last three years, have stabilized. “There is a perception among the retailers that there might be a slowdown and (rental) prices might cool off,” says Shubhranshu Pani, president for retail services at real estate consultancy TrammellCrow Megharaj. “Some of them are optimistic and feel that in some pockets the prices will fall.”

By Rajshree Kukreti

May 2, 2008

In Chennai, Vinay G Nagpal juggles cookies, hot dogs and steamed corn and comes up with a delicious profit. In Vadodara, Shamini Patel provides personalised matchmaking services at Shaadi Point, the real-world version of matrimonial website www.shaadi.com. In Delhi, Pragati Rao of BrainOBrain teaches kids mathematics using the abacus. In Mumbai, Shabbir Poonawala sells Monginis cakes to tired commuters. Not one of the people mentioned are entrepreneurs in the strict sense of the word. Nor are they really businessmen. Rather, they are members of the country’s growing tribe of franchisees.

“India has literally millions of individuals who would prefer to be their own boss and run a business, rather than being an employee. There are joint families, where resources may be available in the form of some real estate and family members who can be part of the business. Personal loans are available from family and friends, in the close social fabric of our communities. This is ideal ground for franchising“, says Devangshu Dutta, chief executive, Third Eyesight, a consulting firm focused on the retail and consumer products sector.

People like Nagpal, Rao and many other franchisees are proving Dutta right. As the case studies profiled through this story proves, people running franchises come from varied backgrounds – former employees, homemakers, shop or showroom owners and even retired professionals and employees. Nagpal was an executive with Rediffusion before he dabbled into franchising, Rao was a homemaker who liked mathematics, Shamini Patel of Vadodara was a graphic designer-turned-wedding card maker who found her calling in franchising for Shaadi Point.

An interesting feature of the franchising market in India is that while a large chunk of it is taken by franchises of foreign, mainly American, brands, small investors and small enterprises are happier to take franchises of home-grown companies. The McDonald’s, KFC, Nike and Pizza Hut franchisees are those who can afford to pay the huge franchisee fee and start-up costs that these companies demand. Smaller franchisees look at domestic companies or relatively unknown foreign brands in areas such as computer education, restaurants, health care, courier logistics, beauty parlours and apparel.

It doesn’t matter what your educational or professional background is; chances are that you’ll find a franchise to suit you. “Since I am no businessperson, I thought a franchise would help me do what I love best—teach in an ambience and system that was to my liking,” says Jamshedpur’s Nandita Sinha, once a franchisee of Erudite, a pre-MBA coaching institute.

A report released by Franchising Association of India (FAI) says that while franchising as a business model has been known in India for decades, there is clearly an unprecedented interest in adopting this model in recent times as is evident from the growth rate of 30-40% per year as witnessed in the last four to five years. There are already more than 600 franchising systems operating in the country. Adds Dutta: “The Indian market is at a stage where franchising is a great model that allows both franchiser and franchisee tremendous potential for growth.

According to the FAI, the global franchise industry grew by over 18% between 2001 and 2005. In a report, the president of the FAI, CY Pal, says: “In spite of the rapid growth of franchising in the recent years, it constitutes as of now about 2% of the total retail sale of about $405 billion, while in developed markets, such as the US, franchising accounts for more than 50% of total retail sales. This is indicative of the enormous potential that lies ahead for the growth of franchising in India.”

Why Franchising

Given that the survival rate of a franchised business is more than twice the survival rate of independent small businesses, it makes sense to start your own business riding on the back of an established and proven model. The franchise model is a great way for a franchiser to expand operations rapidly, with relatively low overheads and expenses, coupled with the local expertise that franchisees provide. Says marketing and brand consultant, Harish Bijoor: “The ship works primarily in three formats: where both players are small, when the franchiser is big and the franchisee is small, and when the franchisee is big and franchiser is small.”

For the franchisee, this business model makes sense, since he will have to spend less on infrastructure and processes than he would have in an independent business. The franchiser helps the franchisee establish and get over teething troubles and franchisees are free to grow their operation. Expanding business and revenues is what matters the most. Chennai’s Nagpal, for instance, started with one Cookie Man franchise. Today, in addition to Cookie Man he has added HogDog and sweet corn Hot & Juicy franchises to his kitty.A franchisee is in an ideal position to make profits, since the business he is entering has already been proven to be successful. The success or failure of the franchise will then largely depend upon the franchisee. Of course, if a franchisee takes on a franchise without conducting adequate due diligence, he might find himself a far sight poorer.

Investments Required

Says Dhawal Shah, executive officer, FAI: “This is one business opportunity that you can start with Rs 50,000 onwards.” However, a good franchise costs a bit more—at least Rs 3 lakh, going up to over Rs 25 lakh, and sometimes running into crores of rupees (see tables: Franchising Options for All).

The good news is that the seed capital is shared between the franchisee and franchiser. You will ideally bring in the premises and some working capital, but the intellectual property (in case of educational/software businesses) and stocks are provided by the brand owner on soft credit. Even better, franchisees can benefit from the cost savings associated with bulk purchasing power that the mother company has access to. They can also benefit from the pooling of resources into effective local, regional or national marketing programmes.

Depending on the franchise, stock and equipment is likely to be supplied to you, along with decor and help with accounting and any other training that you may need to get started. Says Pragati Rao, a BrainOBrain franchisee in Delhi: “The franchiser provided me with intensive training to set up the business. Initial investments included the franchise fee of Rs 65,000.” By doing this, the franchiser ensures that the franchisee has few commitments, leaving him free to run the business. Shabeer Poonawala, a Monginis franchisee in Mumbai, says: “Monginis assisted me in the entire set-up, right from identifying a location, buying a suitable property and arranging a contractor for interior designing. They made sure everything was as per their standards.”

Compared to starting your own business, this kind of financial burden is light. You are paying for a part of an established company’s brand—effectively ensuring a head start on someone starting from scratch. Says Pavan Gadia, vicepresident, Ferns ’n’ Petals: “We provide products worth Rs 2 lakh when a person opts for our franchisee model. We also help and facilitate loans for those who looking at borrowing money and not dipping into their reserves.”

Some companies use the initial sum to help the franchisee in building the business. Those taking up the franchise of Lakme Salons get the benefit of start-up fee being invested back into the business in the form of support.

The drawback is that the franchiser will demand a percentage of the profits you achieve, as well as fees to retain the franchise licence (see box: Who Gets What). Vivek Seigell, country head, retail, e-tail and consumer finance, HCL Infosystems, explains this: “The vision for the business is set by the promoter. It is like paying a royalty for using someone else’s intellectual property.” (see box: The Fundamentals) Surviving the gestation period is the biggest test.

Payment to the franchiser starts before one can record the first profit. Some companies defer fee till the turnover is substantial. This initial handholding makes certain franchising options quite attractive

Franchiser Support

When you set up shop, would you rather get on with running the business, or spend hours every day dealing with suppliers, accounts, inventory, sales and the like? The former, obviously. That’s why the franchise model succeeds. The franchiser gives the franchisee a proven and tested format, which can be customised to suit specific requirements.

Says Himanshu Jain, associate vice-president, Career Launcher: “We train the owner and the employees for about a week with our proprietary knowledge bank.” Says Meerut-based Shilpa Sarin, a Ferns ’n’ Petals franchisee: “The biggest question running through my mind was, what can the franchiser offer me as training, aid or support to run a flower shop? But, the kind of orientation, the flexibility to source flowers on my own, to be sure of certain quality checks, has helped me a lot. No wonder, even after other similar shops have opened in the vicinity, people are drawn to me for the quality and service that we offer.”

Sarin’s is not a one-off case. Says Surat-based Naresh J Patel, a Monginis franchisee: “A branded product definitely sells better.” Running a bakery shop of his own, Patel now sells under the Monginis brand and is also free to sell other products from his shop. Proven and successful franchise systems generally offer a greater chance of success compared to independent businesses. These systems have removed most of the trial-anderror inherent in start-up operations. This advantage only exists, however, where the system has a proven history of successful franchising.

New franchise systems, which guarantee returns and profits, and which claim to have opened 20 or so franchise outlets in a year or so, are neither proven nor successful. These systems are like the “penny stocks” of franchising. The people who promote them often share similar characteristics, and the people who buy them often share the same fate.

hat said, the growing popularity of franchising provides a golden opportunity for today’s successful start-ups to grow their business at a much faster pace and at much lower cost than was possible even 10 years ago. Mumbai-based Dheeraj Gupta started an eatery called Jumbo King in 2001. Thanks to franchising he has set up 45 outlets in seven years and his annual turnover has zoomed from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 12 crore during the same period. So successful has his franchising been that Gupta is looking at a 1,000-outlet chain in the next 3-4 year with a turnover of Rs 500 crore. Says Ashish Gupta, CEO of Delhi-based Invest Shoppe India: “When I looked at expanding, the biggest stumbling block was real estate cost, the additional responsibility of branches and running the show at each of the branches. The franchisee helps in growing the business— the front end is out sourced to him and the back-end headache is all ours. If today I have expanded from five outfits of my own to over 12 in all, it’s because of the franchising option.”

Most franchise companies often put newcomers in touch with more experienced franchisee owners for advice. Says, Career Launcher’s Jain: “We have refresher and reorientation courses for our franchisees, because ours is a dynamic business where trends and teaching modules keep changing and evolving.”

Help In Publicity

If you set up shop on your own, it’s part of your job to get your message to the right audience through carefully targeted newspaper, online or local cable advertising. There’s also the ongoing process of building and maintaining a reputation. Get this right and you will begin to thrive from positive recommendations from satisfied customers. But this can be a long, timeconsuming and expensive process—and it might not have the best impact anyway.

Here’s where the franchise model comes up trumps again. As a franchisee, you’ll have the clout of a large, often well-known, brand behind you. You’ll be given all the marketing tools you need and will benefit from advertising, sometimes on a national level.

A large franchise company will have dedicated marketing departments that will be able to provide you with all the advice and material required. Says Shaadi Point franchisee, Patel: “We pay a royalty for every customer to the franchiser and this reduces the profits considerably but the company takes care of the entire advertising, which I cannot afford.”

Rakshit Hargave, business head, Lakme Salon, says: “Our franchisees benefit most from Hindustan Unilever’s huge marketing scale. This is one of the biggest draws for them, apart from the brand pull.”

Your Job

Patel was a trained graphic designer, who decided to get into the business of designing and printing wedding cards in 1999. She banked on the contacts and experience she had built up in her career in advertising. Some research showed her that an alliance with shaadi.com could help her promote her cards. “I had approached them to place my cards on their site and expand my existing business,” she says. But the company was in the process of setting up Shaadi Point, and offered Patel a chance to get in early. “One trip to Mumbai to check on an existing similar format and I was ready,” she says. Over the past six years, Patel has added to her infrastructure and has now has eight computers and on an average gets 10 clients a week. Business has been so good that she no longer designs wedding invites.

Patel happened to be in the right place at the right time. She had also done her homework thoroughly. And that, say experts, is something not all franchisees do. Only a few conduct even the basic due diligence, and there are very few like Abhinav Garg. A Gwalior-based Career Launcher franchisee, Garg studied the market, gathered information from several sources, met innumerable franchisers, and only then decided upon Career Launcher. He hasn’t regretted this decision. In six years, he has grown from one centre to five centres.

It pays to do your homework before you meet a prospective franchiser (see What to Check Before you Sign). Sinha, who invested Rs 3 lakh in an Erudite franchise (a pre-MBA coaching institute) in Jamshedpur, did little research and had to shut shop in just about a year. “I found it very difficult to cope with the stress that I had not foreseen in the administration of a franchisee. There were hidden costs that no one talked about before the agreement. In retrospect, I feel I should have been more assertive while negotiating the deal,” she says. Your first step is to do some research on your own to see the demand for the product or service.

Take a close look at your competition and see how they are doing. Competition is good because it helps you to learn more about the market or industry. Moreover, franchising incorporates the features of both a start-up and an existing operation. Therefore, aspects of both will be evident in the running of your franchise company. If you are concerned about the risks involved in a new, independent business venture, then franchising may be the best business option for you. Remember, however, that hard work, dedication and sacrifice are key elements for success.

Getting a franchisee business of your liking is one thing and to keep it running successfully is another. Even though you are the boss, you will have to undertake tasks you may not be too keen on—book-keeping, managing staff and their rota, looking after local marketing, among others. Getting the company to renew your agreement when the term expires can be tough if the estimated targets have not been met. This puts a question mark on the future of your investment.

Finally, never forget that a franchise is not the same as your own business. Franchisers have their own set of criteria on how each of their outlets should look and operate. However much it feels like you’re the ultimate boss on a day-to-day basis, you will always be working to someone else’s vision, not your own.

“The amount of freedom afforded varies, but you have to check with the parent what a strict no-no is and where you can bring in your creative business pursuits,” says Sarin. For instance, you will almost certainly be briefed on how the company wants to be represented, from the uniforms of staff to what suppliers to use.

You will also need to check how you can expand the scope of your operations. For instance when Rao wanted to expand her BrainOBrain franchise from one outlet to another, the promoter was encouraging and helped her with her second outlet. It’s important that you are comfortable with these circumstances before you purchase the franchise, or you could become extremely frustrated.

Seek to understand, not negotiate

For the franchise model to succeed, certain rules must be followed. The franchise agreement signed by the franchiser and franchisee defines many of these rules.

But can the terms of the franchise agreement be negotiated? Yes and no. Seasoned franchisers generally do not as a rule negotiate. The only exception to this is the definition of protected territory offered to the franchisee and the franchise finance terms (if the franchiser has tie ups with banks for such assistance).

Franchisers do not negotiate the agreement because loopholes could not only damage the brand, but also harm other franchisees. Also, it’s a nightmare for a franchise system if every franchisee has a different contract form, terms and provisions. There’s a significant cost to doing business this way, because every question requires a contract review before an opinion can be given.

The key to a franchisee’s success is understanding why a provision is included in the agreement. Most franchisers are willing to spend time to explain any provision in their contracts, and many even issue letters of clarification. Be sure to ask for an explanation of any clause you don’t understand. And always seek legal counsel before accepting the franchise agreement.

Saumya Roy and Gouri Shah
MINT (Partner to the Wall Street Journal)
Wed, 23 Apr 2008, Mumbai

Shopper’s Stop Ltd, the 24-store retail chain, got a new look at a glitzy function featuring actor Shah Rukh Khan, nightclub lighting and hundreds of saplings that will be planted as part of the stores’ Rs20 crore (Rs. 200 million) rebranding exercise.

The chain, which started in a defunct suburban Mumbai movie theatre in 1991, got itself a new black-and-white logo, uniforms, print and television campaigns, carry bags and even an anthem and an in-store radio channel. It will also launch an Internet shopping platform along with a Think Green campaign.

"Our customers are getting younger, so the brand cannot get older," said Govind Shrikhande, chief executive of Shopper’s Stop. "We wanted to get trendier without losing the experience of 17 years."

The rebranding comes soon after Lifestyle, a department store chain from the Dubai-based Landmark Group, announced a new campaign to highlight its shoes, kidswear and home accessories categories along with fashion.

"In the Indian market, the issue is of increased competition," says Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of Third Eyesight, a retail consulting company.

A slew of global apparel brands such as Guess, Esprit and French Connection have entered the market over the past two years, after foreign retailers were allowed to own majority stakes in their Indian operations. These brands have brought store design and experience in line with global standards along with fashion, encouraging Shopper’s Stop to change as well, Dutta said.

Just the creation of a retail destination brand was an innovation in itself, says Anand Halve, co-founder of Chlorophyll Brand and Communications Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. "But as the category grows tangible, differentiators
such as store environment and experience have become hygiene factors, and that is when branding becomes important. It adds intangible value to tangible things."

For instance, Shopper’s Stop found that while younger shoppers came and bought the new brands the store has been introducing, they did not associate with the store itself, says B.S. Nagesh, managing director of Shopper’s
Stop.

To woo younger customers, Shopper’s Stop will tie up with Blue Frog Media Pvt. Ltd, a Mumbai-based company that runs a live music club, and will have its own record label for an in-store radio station.

Shopper’s Stop, which currently occupies 1.5 million sq. ft in total, will add 89 stores or 1 million sq. ft every year for the next three years. It will increase the average size of its stores to around 85,000 sq. ft from
the current 65,000 sq. ft, Shrikhande said.

With organised retail expected to grow at around 42% till 2011, according to a report by Mumbai-based brokerage Edelweiss Securities Ltd, department stores will start to focus on subcategories within their stores.

"You will see subbrands being promoted in a big way to create an appeal among special segments in different categories," says Chlorophyll’s Halve.

By Sachin Dave & Vikas Kumar
THE ECONOMIC TIMES
14 April 2008, BANGALORE

Indian retailers are a worried lot these days. There has been a decline in margins and it’s one of the lowest ever, avow some retailers. As inflation touched a 41-month high, chains across the country, especially the smaller players, have been trying every trick in the book to attract consumers, and keep them coming in, even as they struggle to grow profitably.

The first and most critical area has been margins, and retailers have been bargaining harder with their suppliers. Says Pushpamitra Das, CEO of Wadhawan Food Retail that owns the Spinach chain of food and grocery stores in Mumbai, "Margins of all retailers have been affected and that includes us as well.

So we are trying to negotiate hard with our suppliers so that we can get goods at cheaper rates and pass the benefits to consumers." There has of course been a hit on margins as well, and that’s bringing in greater focus on supply chain efficiencies and vendors, adds Das.

"In our business supply is an important issue and we are now going to vendors who offer us a combination of the best price and quality." Spinach, like other stores, has been keeping a close tab on its competitors’ pricing on a daily basis, and adjusting their rates accordingly, if required. However, lately most retailers have ended up charging almost identical prices for groceries.

Data released by the Department of Consumer Affairs shows that retail prices of grocery products has reached a 39-month high. While sugar and oil increased by 11%, gram rose by around 3%, and vegetables such as onion have become dearer for consumers by 11%.

In manufactured items, sunflower oil shot up by 9% and vanaspati ghee (butter) went up 4%, while butter, mustard oil, sugar and groundnut oil became expensive by 1% each. And while the government took some significant steps to counter rising food prices, such as scrapping of customs duty on crude edible oil, reduction of duties on refined edible oils, and banning exports of non-basmati rice, among others, retailers are having to do much more to survive this bearish phase in consumer spends. Unable to reduce fixed costs, retailers are trying to control variable costs and thereby bring the total operating costs down.

Says Andrew Levermore, CEO of the K-Raheja group owned Hypercity, "Many products have become costlier and some customers are either buying less or postponing their purchases, affecting our sales directly." And while smaller players are finding the going tough, large players like Future Group’s Pantaloon Retail seem less ruffled. Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group, says, "Demand for low end products has seen a dip while high end products, which are not price sensitive haven’t been affected that much. We have still managed to give the best deals to our consumers in all segments." That may have to do with the leverage that more established chains like Pantaloon have with suppliers and manufacturers.

However, protecting margins can work only up to a point, says Devangshu Dutta, CEO of Third Eyesight, a retail consultancy firm based in Gurgaon. Eventually, with the prospect of thinning bottom lines, retailers need to work on making their businesses more productive and efficient. "There is a need to shift focus from expansion to optimising store operations," he says.

Meanwhile retailers are working on sustaining business through innovative promotional offers. Cross category promotions are now catching up where discounts are being offered on grocery purchases, redeemable against purchase of apparel and household products. Says RC Agarwal, CMD, Vishal Retail, "Most of us are now depending on promotional schemes. Even consumers have become more conscious and they would only go for the retail outlet which offers the best deal, in terms of offers and price."

Many brands on the other hand have marginally reduced the weight of their SKUs than increase prices. When asked whether the retailers have followed the same path for their in-house products, retailers deny any such measure for their private label brands.

Explains R Subramanian, managing director, Subhiksha, "I think on an average there has been a decrease of around 10% in the sales of grocery but year-on-year we have grown."