MAM
Reliance Retail cashes in: revenues, stores, and smiles on the rise
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) is showing no signs of slowing down, posting a robust quarterly revenue of Rs 88,620 crore, up 15.7 per cent year-on-year, while EBITDA climbed 14.3 per cent to Rs 6,711 crore. Profit after tax soared 30.4 per cent to Rs 3,519 crore, fuelled by operating muscle and clever brand plays.
The retail titan opened a staggering 1,085 new stores in 4Q FY25, nudging its total footprint to 19,340 stores across 77.4 million square feet. The registered customer base swelled to 349 million — almost the population of the United States — with transactions hitting a record 361 million for the quarter.
EBITDA margins remained healthy at 8.5 per cent despite a slight dip, while depreciation eased 3.4 per cent, and finance costs stayed flat. Digital and new commerce channels kept humming, contributing 18 per cent of total revenues.
Quick commerce via JioMart recorded a jaw-dropping 2.4x quarter-on-quarter growth in gross daily orders, with 4,000+ pin codes now covered. Meanwhile, the consumer brands unit clocked Rs 11,450 crore in revenue, staking its claim as the fastest-growing FMCG outfit in India.
Consumer electronics stayed hot, thanks to an early summer and cooling deals, while JioMart Digital expanded its merchant partner base and racked up a 76 per cent year-on-year revenue spike.
Fashion and lifestyle flexed with the launch of Trends 3.0 and the splashy arrival of Shein on AJIO, offering “global fashion at affordable prices” to Indian shoppers. Premium brands got an omni-channel boost, with ‘out-of-store’ sales now contributing 8 per cent to luxury turnover.
Grocery stores continued to punch above their weight, boosted by FreshPik, GoFresh, and a strong showing from Metro’s wholesale business, which posted a 37 per cent jump in HoReCa sales.
JioMart pushed the pedal on quick deliveries, scaling to 2,100+ stores and introducing slick “Quick” and “Scheduled” tabs. Subscription services also boomed, with app visits up 37 per cent.
For the full financial year ended 31 March 2025, gross revenue rose 7.9 per cent year-on-year to Rs 330,870 crore, while EBITDA nudged up 8.6 per cent to Rs 25,053 crore — a steady climb powered by store expansion, customer growth, and bold new bets in e-commerce and brands.
Despite the noise around rising costs elsewhere in the economy, RRVL tightened its margins, improving EBITDA margin by 20 basis points to 8.6 per cent on revenue from operations — a small but significant win in a cut-throat retail landscape.
Profit after tax stood at Rs 12,392 crore, up a healthy 11.6 per cent from last year, even as finance costs dipped 4.1 per cent, and depreciation rose modestly by 7.7 per cent, reflecting investments into expanding and upgrading its footprint.
* Store expansion: RRVL opened 2,659 new stores in FY25. After accounting for rationalisation and consolidation, total stores stood at 19,340 across 77.4 million sq ft.
* Customer base: Registered customer base expanded 14.8 per cent to 349 million — practically one in every four Indians.
* Transactions: Total transactions hit 1.39 billion, up 10.6 per cent year-on-year — a clear sign of rising basket sizes and growing loyalty.
* Digital Commerce and New Commerce: Now contributing a strong 18 per cent of total revenues, signalling that Reliance’s “phygital” strategy — physical plus digital — is working.
* Consumer Brands: Emerging as India’s fastest-growing FMCG arm, notching up revenues of ~Rs 11,450 crore in just its second full year. New launches like Spinner (sports drink) and the acquisition of Velvette (personal care) added fresh fizz.
* JioMart: Quick commerce went into hyperdrive, with daily order volumes climbing 2.4x quarter-on-quarter by the end of the year.
* Fashion and Lifestyle: AJIO kept its cool, onboarding trendy brands, launching Shein, and expanding its same-day delivery service across 26 cities. Own brands like Netplay and Avaasa saw strong growth.
* Consumer Electronics: Helped by heatwaves and heavy promotions — AC and cooler sales soared, while service brand resQ expanded into 300 cities.
* Grocery: Metro acquisition turbocharged staples and beverage sales, while FreshPik and GoFresh catered to the rise of premium tastes.
A few headwinds to watch:
* Area shrinkage: Operated area fell slightly by 2.1 per cent year-on-year, suggesting a tightening of low-performing outlets.
* Margin pressures: Though margins are healthy, the retail battlefield (especially online quick commerce) is brutal and will test profitability resilience.
* Luxury sales: Omni-channel initiatives helped bridge-to-luxury and luxury sales, but “distance selling” models will need constant tweaking to match evolving customer behaviours.
RRVL executive director Isha M. Ambani said: “Reliance Retail delivered strong growth in revenue and profits, powered by improved efficiencies, innovative formats, a sharper product mix, and continued investments in technology and customer experience. We remain focused on shaping the future of retail with agility and purpose.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
