Now Big Bazaar to launch mobile app to take on the rivals

Taking the ecommerce battle seriously, Kishore Biyani-led Future Group is launching mobile app of Big Bazaar, which will go live next month. The company recently joined hands with Bharti Retail to launch India’s biggest organised retailer.

Future Group will also experiment with an omni-channel pilot program in which its Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar stores will deliver goods to customers in Mumbai an hour after they place their orders. The price comparison app is currently being test-marketed by the group employees at the Food Bazaar store in Vikhroli, Mumbai.

After selling majority stake in Pantaloons to Aditya Birla Nuvo, Biyani has been busy streamlining his retail empire by dividing them into three separate listed entities: Future Retail, Future Consumer Enterprises and Future Lifestyle Fashion, an apparel retailing company. The hyper and supermarkets food and grocery retail chains Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar and Food Hall are included in listed flagship Future Retail. The convenience stores Nilgiris, KB's Conveniently Yours, Big Apple and Aadhaar are listed under Future Consumer.

The company recently announced investment of over Rs 500 crores in 2015-16 to grow it retail network. The company aims to open 20 stores of Big Bazaar, six to seven stores of Central and 10 Brand Factory stores, while increasing the store count of its convenience format chains such as Big Apple, KB’s and Nilgiris from 350 to 750. At the end of this fiscal year, the group increased number of Big Bazaar stores to 184 from 164.