Future Group to expand with Big Bazaar Direct

The Future Group is all set to expand its presence through the franchisee model under the brand name Big Bazaar Direct (BBD). Under

this, franchisees can sell Big Bazaar products to their customers over 3G Internet enabled tablets. This is an effort to sell in small towns where Big Bazaar stores have not reached yet. This initiative was started in August 2013, in Nagpur and Vidarbha. The company is planning to take this across India and targets appointing over 50,000 franchisees in the next three years. Other than Maharashtra, this model is also launched in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Currently, over 350 franchisees are associated with this initiative. In BBD, a 3G-enabled tablet is given to every franchise, which is integrated with the back-end of Big Bazaar. The initial investment for a BBD set-up is Rs 3 lakh. Goods will be delivered to customers directly from a central warehouse in Nagpur within a specified period of time by courier.

Commission to the franchisees ranges from 3 percent to 15 percent, depending upon the product category. Some franchisees are reported to have made business ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 8 lakh per month with Big Bazaar Direct. Big Bazaar stores stock around 50,000 SKUs. At first only 10 percent will be available through BBD.