Reliance Retail's next stop: 700 towns

AHMEDABAD: Having rolled out about 240 Reliance Fresh stores, Reliance Retail (RRL) is now ready to go places. The Mukesh Ambani-controlled RRL aims to launch 700 Reliance Town Centre (RTC) in the country to cater to population below 3 lakh.

Talking to ET on the sidelines of the Reliance Mart launch in Ahmedabad, chief executive, Hypermarkets, K Radhakrishnan said: “These centres will house everything that a town needs. We are aiming to launch the first Centre by December.”

More such centres will come up next year across the country and the company aims to introduce first RTC in north India. From health centre to vocational training to multiplexes and retail, RTC is poised to become a centrepoint for various segments dwelling in town.

It will also house an auto-centre, he added. The RTCs will be spread in a range of 60,000 to 2 lakh sq ft depending on the size of the town, said Raghu Pillai, president and chief executive, operations & strategy, Reliance Retail Ltd.

Reliance Retail has also chalked out plans to introduce rural business hubs (RBH) for the rural population and it aims to add 1,600 RBHs in the next few years. Besides, it is also aiming to foray into speciality apparel, health & wellness and footwear section. The company recently launched the Reliance Digital speciality store in Noida.

RRL has already finalised 1,024 properties for Reliance Fresh that it aims to open this year. Asked how RRL aims to meet the massive expansion plans, Radhakrishnan said, “We had made the bet two years ago and have been working on it for long.”