MAM
Bharti announces roadmap for retail venture
MUMBAI: Bharti Retail (Pvt.) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises announced the strategic roadmap for its retail operations.
The Company has planned an investment of $ US 2 to 2.5 billion by 2015. Bharti Retail has pan-India operational plans and is looking at approximately 10 million square feet of retail experience across cities.
The company also plans to employ 60,000 including ex-servicemen, women and youth.
Bharti Retail plans to launch its retail outlets in two formats- hypermarkets and supermarkets. It is also looking at partnering with existing local store owners across India through a franchise model for the small store format.
Bharti Retail will store all food and grocery categories, fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy products, staples, FMCG and processed foods, electronics and appliances, clothing and footwear, furniture and furnishing, and other household articles.
Bharti Enterprises joint managing director Rajan Bharti Mittal said, “After revolutionizing the Indian telecom sector, retail will be the next big focus area for Bharti. Organised retail, which currently accounts for only 3% of the total market, has tremendous growth potential in the fast expanding Indian economy. The sector will also offer enormous direct and indirect employment opportunities while attracting huge investments.”
Bharti’s retail chain also promises to provide ready outlets to the relatively ‘unknown’ brands of small manufacturers, which are sold as private labels. A significant percentage of the overall volumes are expected to be sourced from the small-scale sector.
The company is currently looking at approximately 10 million square feet of retail experience.
Bharti Enterprises has interests in telecom, agri business, insurance and retail. Its recent foray into retail business is under a company called Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd formed in an MoU with Wal-Mart for the cash & carry business.
MAM
Time brings TIME100 Next franchise to India with Reliance
List to spotlight 100 emerging leaders, gala set for December 2026 in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: It’s about time India’s next wave got a global spotlight and now, it’s on the list. New York-headquartered Time is expanding its TIME100 Next franchise to India, partnering with Reliance Industries Limited to launch TIME100 Next India, its first international extension of the rising leaders platform. The announcement was made at the Time100 Gala in New York by Jessica Sibley and Nita Mukesh Ambani, signalling a strategic push to tap into India’s growing influence across sectors.
The India edition will recognise 100 emerging leaders from the country and the global Indian diaspora, spanning business, science, sports, arts and social impact. The list will be curated by Time’s editorial team and published online, continuing the franchise’s focus on identifying individuals shaping the future.
The initiative will culminate in a gala event scheduled for December 2026 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, anchoring the platform within India’s cultural and business ecosystem.
TIME’s broader Time100 franchise has steadily expanded its global footprint since 2021 through events and impact-led initiatives. Executives noted that India’s growing pool of influential voices and innovators made it a natural next step for the platform’s international ambitions.
For Reliance, the partnership aligns with its broader push to support emerging talent and ideas on a global stage. For Time, it marks a timely bet on India not just as a market, but as a talent engine shaping the next chapter of global leadership.
