Brands
Weekend Unwind with: Pulp Strategy’s Ambika Sharma
Mumbai: With another weekend upon us, it is time to unwind with the latest Q&A edition of Indiantelevision.com’s Weekend Unwind—a series of informal chats that peek into the minds of business executives through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.
In this week’s session, we have Pulp Strategy founder & MD Ambika Sharma.
With over 19 years in new marketing and product strategy, Ambika brings extensive experience in driving transformative growth through digital and technology with a focus on intelligent business solutions. Prior to founding Pulp Strategy, she held leadership roles in renowned international organisations. Pulp Strategy, under her leadership, is recognised as India’s youngest and most awarded independent agency, boasting 124 global and national accolades.
Without further ado here it goes…
Your mantra for life
Take life head on! Embrace change; it’s the only constant.
A book you are currently reading or plan to read
Currently into “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu
Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
Swimming & Boxing.
Your comfort food
A warm bowl of homemade dal chawal (lentils and rice).
A quote or philosophy that keeps you going when the chips are down
“Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
Your guilty pleasure
Indulging in a binge-worthy OTT series.
The last time you tried something new
Picked up shooting, after a long time.
A life lesson you learned the hard way
Trust your instincts; they rarely lead you wrong.
What gets you excited about life?
The thrill of exploring new cultures and places.
What’s on top of your bucket list?
To be a certified dive master.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
When people say, you cannot do something, empathize, they are coming from a place of self-doubt. Trust your gut. Go for it.
One thing you would most like to change about the world
Deeper awareness about our culture.
An activity that keeps you motivated and charged during tough times
Adventure sports are my therapy.
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Motorcycles.
Your go-to stress buster
Motorcycles.
What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Time with family and motorcycle rides (preferably together).
Brands
Reliance Retail FY26 revenue rises 11.8 Per Cent to Rs 3.7 lakh crore
Q4 revenue up 11.1 Per Cent, hyperlocal orders surge 4x, PAT steady
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail isn’t just ringing up sales, it’s ringing doorbells faster than ever. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) reported a steady FY26 performance, with growth powered by store expansion, a sharp surge in hyperlocal commerce, and consistent traction across grocery, fashion and jewellery. For the full year, revenue rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,70,026 crore. In the January–March quarter, revenue from operations climbed 11.1 per cent to Rs 87,344 crore, up from Rs 78,622 crore a year earlier.
Operating performance remained stable, with Q4 EBITDA inching up 3.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,921 crore from Rs 6,711 crore. However, quarterly profit after tax held steady at Rs 3,563 crore. For the full fiscal, PAT grew 11.7 per cent to Rs 13,842 crore.
Expansion remained a key lever. RRVL added 1,564 new stores during FY26, while simultaneously scaling its digital and hyperlocal commerce play. The latter emerged as a standout, with daily orders surging more than fourfold year-on-year in Q4, underlining a clear shift towards faster, localised fulfilment.
In grocery, large-format stores maintained momentum, aided by festive demand and the expansion of Smart Bazaar, which crossed 1,000 stores. Promotional campaigns such as ‘Full Paisa Vasool’ delivered record results, with sales rising 26 per cent YoY.
Digital commerce also picked up pace. JioMart added 5.8 million new users in Q4, nearly doubling its registered base year-on-year. Hyperlocal orders grew 29 per cent sequentially and over 300 per cent annually during the quarter.
Fashion and lifestyle saw steady traction. Ajio recorded a 23 per cent YoY rise in average bill value, while fast-fashion platform Shein crossed 11 million app installs, scaling rapidly with expanding product lines.
The jewellery business added further shine, with average bill value jumping 53 per cent YoY, largely driven by rising gold prices and sustained consumer demand.
Commenting on the shift, RRVL executive director Isha Ambani said hyperlocal commerce has become a structural growth driver, with orders rising more than fourfold over the year.
Looking ahead to FY27, the company is betting on technology to deepen engagement. The focus, Ambani noted, will be on AI-led merchandising, sharper pricing strategies and disciplined execution turning scale into sustained customer value.
In short, the carts are fuller, the clicks are quicker, and the next phase looks less about reach and more about precision.
