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9, December 2006 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
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After creating a buzz in Hyderabad and Jaipur, Reliance Retail has now extended its reach to Chennai. It opened 12 pilot Reliance Fresh stores in various parts of Chennai. Reliance Fresh chain of stores are being promoted under the 'neighbourhood store' concept. Each Reliance Fresh store will stock fresh fruits and vegetables, staples, top-up grocery and dairy products. `We are developing the Reliance Fresh chain as a neighbourhood food store, with each store coming up between 2,000 sq ft to 4,000 sq ft of space. We will be relevant for all income groups in a neighbourhood,` Gunendar Kapur, Head of Reliance Retail was quoted saying in a leading financial daily. According to him, each store will stock about 150 products and will target 3,000 households in a 1-2 km radius around the store. `We are also introducing products under our own private label called 'Reliance Select'. It has started off with staples and other product categories too will be added soon,` he said. Within three months of launching the first set of Reliance Fresh stores in Hyderabad and subsequently in Jaipur, Reliance now has 40 stores across three cities including Chennai. `We will also be entering Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam this week,` he said. As for Chennai, the company has drawn elaborate plans to launch stores in different formats including hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and speciality stores. However, Reliance officials declined to indicate the actual number of stores being planned in the city. `Chennai is ever expanding and our neighbourhood concept too will expand in this city,` they said. While Reliance has taken the retail space on lease, the role of managing it on a day-to-day basis with relevant employees has been handed over to franchisees. Each store is expected to have 20 trained sales associates to attend to customers. The company has established procurement centres at Thiruvallur, Maduranthakam, Oddanchathram and Kodaikanal among others in the state for procuring agricultural produce, especially vegetables. These are then processed and packaged at the company's large processing centre at Puzhal, north of Chennai.
Date: 24-Jan-2007
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