Images Retail - February 2019

South India is largely recognized as the birthplace of modern retail. The glorious south side of India has given the nation – and the world at large – innovational visionaries, entrepreneurs extraordinaire and exceptional business leaders. The region is a vibrant marketplace which has initiated the genesis of modern retailing in India and businesses based out of South India have always been well ahead of the curve in as far as retailing invention goes.
It is a documented fact that almost 70 percent of India’s rich live in its eight southern states, including in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Th is has greatly contributed to the rising consumerism in the region.
Interestingly, however, despite the increased demand, retail in South Indian is dominated by local players. So, while the region has evolved by adapting to global trends, yet, a homely retail experience, comfort of the native language, along with familiarity with local culture and purchase preferences have been the driving forces for retail growth here.
The February issue of IMAGES Retail is dedicated to the analysis of the greatly evolved South Indian retail industry. The edition does a deep dive into why southern states have the highest retail growth rate in India including listing cities which are seeing an exceptional rate of growth – Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai – and how they are doing it. The issue also includes an expert research report on how the emerging cities of Coimbatore, Kochi, Vizag, Vijayawada, Trivandrum, and Madurai are contributing more than US$ 7000 million worth of retail activity to India.