Supermarkets in Kerala

There are a number of supermarkets in Kerala. These include the Aditya Birla Retail Ltd., We Mart Hypermarket, Samrudhi, and Centreal Bazaar. While each of these offers different services, each one is a great place to shop for groceries.

Varkeys

Varkeys supermarkets in Kerala have a long tradition. Founded in 1926, the chain is run by the Alapatt family. Today, the chain has 59 stores in the state.

The company grew rapidly over the last two years. Its turnover was estimated at close to 175 crore last year. However, the company faced several challenges. These included rising liabilities and liquidity crunch. They also had to contend with the competition from the Future Group’s Big Bazaar and Reliance Retail. As a result, Varkeys had to close some of its shops in a bid to cut costs.

In addition to its retail business, Varkeys had a hypermarket chain. Known as V Mart, the company has several outlets in Kochi, Calicut and Trichur.

Several private equity firms approached Varkeys to buy the company. A deal is in the works and could be finalized in the next two weeks. But as with most mergers and acquisitions, some hurdles were expected.

Another confounding factor was the rapid expansion of the chain. This caused the store to run out of stock for a couple of weeks. Luckily, this was only a temporary problem.

Other issues include supplier credit and salary outstandings. And to top it off, Varkeys had to scale down operations as some of its employees were forced to leave for other MNCs. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one small shop.

In fact, the company was looking for an emergency fund infusion. According to industry sources, it’s now looking to sell its 35% stake to an investor for at least Rs 40 crore. So, the name of the game is to find a suitable partner for the task. Otherwise, you’ll end up on the shelves of one of the many other chains in the market.

Samrudhi

Samrudhi Supermarket is a chain of stores in Kerala. The supermarket sells groceries, household items and vegetables. It was founded in 2008 by a group of self-help groups (SHGs), which form part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) co-operative movement.

Akshayasree Mission is one of the SHG groups. Akshayasree Mission was launched six years ago with the aim of providing employment opportunities to unemployed people. There are currently more than 1,40,000 members of the network. They have plans to expand the supermarkets in Kerala. A total of 24 stores were opened by the group until January.

After the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in January, the group opted for a new strategy. Instead of going with a hub-and-spoke model, they decided to expand their store network. Now, they have a total of 38 stores in Kerala.

According to V Muraleedharan, the Union Minister for State for External Affairs, the Akshayasree Mission was able to expand the network in Kerala because of the support of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, an affiliate of the Sangh Parivar in southern Kerala. The union government has pledged to help promote co-operatives.

Sahakar Bharati, another Sangh Parivar affiliate, is also planning to expand the number of its supermarkets in Kerala. In five years, it will have more than 1,500 stores, four times the number of outlets of MarginFree. However, the stores have not been provided with much financial backing.

Samrudhi Supermarket, operated by the Akshayasree Mission, is now one of the best-known SHGs in the state. According to the company’s website, the store has a special app that can be installed on a mobile phone. This app enables customers to order groceries and household items through a digital platform.

Aditya Birla Retail Ltd.

Aditya Birla Retail Ltd (ABRL) is one of the three leading value retail players in India. It has been in the market for nearly seven years. It has been making significant efforts in the past two years to strengthen its position in the Indian market. The company has been expanding its footprint to more cities.

ABRL has a portfolio of leading brands. They include Pantaloons, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, and more. These brands have been fueled by expansion in new categories and product innovation. This year, these brands recorded like-to-like growth of 4.5%. For the full year, they reported revenue of Rs 4,626 crore.

ABRL is planning to invest more in its food business. In the coming fiscal, the company expects sales of around Rs 2,400 crore. Moreover, the company is considering a speciality retail segment. ABRL will also look at entering Orissa with a hypermarket format.

ABRL has a strong network of over 3000 multi-brand outlets across the country. With a turnover of over Rs 1,650 crore in the last fiscal, ABRL is a major player in the Indian supermarket industry.

ABFRL is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group. It was formed in May 2015 after the consolidation of the branded apparel businesses.

ABFRL is headquartered in Mumbai. It has over 11,000 employees and operates an expansive network of over 3031 stores in 900 cities of India.

Aditya Birla Group is a multinational company that is present in 34 countries. It has a presence in various sectors including agro, pharma, retail, travel, and finance. It is valued at US $24 billion.

The group has been recognized as the number one employer in Asia and has received several awards including the Golden Spoon Award for its efforts in the food business.

We Mart Hypermarket

We Mart Hypermarket is a hybrid retail platform that sells quality products at affordable prices. It offers the best of both worlds with the convenience of a grocery store and the luxury of shopping from home. They also boast of an impressive selection of food and beverage items, as well as other ancillary goods and services. Their customer service is also a cut above the rest. The company is headquartered in the Kochi suburb of Tripunithura, and is operated by a team of young and talented professionals.

In the past year the company has grown from a startup to a respectable enterprise, and has opened up several stores in and around Kerala. The company also has a robust online presence. In addition to the many retail outlets and food and beverage joints, the company runs an impressive blog akin to a plethora of articles, and a lively community page. Those wishing to take the plunge can visit the company’s online store to browse through a curated collection of top-notch merchandise, including fresh produce, household staples, beverages, and more. Besides being a convenient place to buy groceries and beverages, the company offers a range of discounts, coupons, and loyalty programs. The most popular discounts are the Buy One Get One (BOGO) deals, which are not too hard to find on the We Mart website.

Of course, if you haven’t heard of them, it may be worth your while to contact the company directly. If you don’t want to do so, you can also find the contact details for the company’s representatives in the handy directory.