Reliance Retail lifestyle chief Bijou Kurien quits

Was part of original team that built the company

Bijou Kurien, part of the orginal team which built Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail, has resigned after seven years in the company.  He was chief executive and president, lifestyle.

Kurien, 54, also plans to step down from the boards of the joint ventures with UK’s Marks & Spencer’s and Vision Express, among others. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, he spent 19 years at lifestyle company Titan Industries, where he was chief operating officer, before moving to Reliance Retail. He had started at Hindustan Unilver as a management trainee.

When asked, Kurien said: “I am taking a break for personal reasons and will pursue other options after my break.”

Kurien denied having any issues with the restructuring in Reliance Retail. A senior executive at the latter said: “Reliance is very dynamic in its business strategy. Different people come with different skill sets. The company believes in deploying different people in different leadership positions.”

TURMOIL AT THE TOP AT RELIANCE RETAIL

Reliance Retail, which rolled out stores in 2006, had the late Raghu Pillai, Gunender Kapoor, Sanjeev Asthana and Bijou Kurien at the helm. While Pillai rejoined Kishore Biyani’s Future group, Gunender Kapoor joined PE firm TPG. Asthana left to do his own venture
In late 2009, Reliance Retail did a major restructuring, when it hired top executives from Tesco Lotus, a hypermarket chain in Thailand, including Gwyn Sundhagul, chief marketing officer and director at Tesco Lotus, who joined as CEO of the value format
Again in mid-2011, Reliance hired Rob Cissel, former chief operating officer (COO) of Walmart China, as CEO of value formats, replacing Sundhagul. Shawn Gray, vice-president of Walmart China, also joined Reliance Retail as COO
2013 Bijou Kurien quits

The group shifted the Reliance Jewels headquarters to Mumbai from Bangalore and brought in Sunil Nayak from Landmark in Dubai. According to retail consultants, Reliance Retail saw hits and misses in the lifestyle segment. Though Reliance Jewels and Digital are the first to break even among its many formats, the company had to shut categories such as Reliance Kitchen, which sold modular kitchen furniture, and Reliance Wellness, a beauty and lifestyle chain. The company also exited a joint venture with Office Depot.

Reliance Retail began its stores in 2006. It had the late Raghu Pillai, Gunender Kapoor, Sanjeev Asthana and Kurien at the helm. Kurien was among the last ones from the original top team still with the company. Pillai, chief executive officer of the company’s value formats rejoined Kishore Biyani’s Future; he died of a heart attack last year. Gunender Kapoor joined private equity firm TPG.

In late 2009, Reliance Retail did a major restructuring, wherein it hired  executives from Tesco Lotus, including Gwyn Sundhagul, chief marketing officer and director at the latter, who joined as CEO of the value format. In mid-2011, it hired Rob Cissel, former chief operating officer at Walmart China, as CEO of the value formats, replacing Sundhagul. Shawn Gray, vice-president at Walmart China, joined as chief operations officer.

Though there are CEOs of every format, Mukesh Ambani’s trusted deputy Manoj Modi calls the shots at the top, executives in Reliance Retail said.