Pantaloon Retail wins award at World Retail Congress, Barcelona

April 02, 2007: Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, a Future Group venture, was named the 'Emerging Market Retailer of the Year 2007', at the inaugural World Retail Congress held at the Palau Nacional, Barcelona, Spain. Held between March 28-30, the World Retail Congress attracted more than 1,000 leading retail figures from over 60 nations.

The 'Emerging Market Retailer of the Year' award recognizes entrepreneurship, originality and adaptability in individual retailers from emerging markets. Among the finalists for the award were B&Q Asia (Hong Kong), Edgars Consolidated Stores (South Africa), Matahari (Indonesia) and Shufersal (Israel). The award, sponsored by SAS, was voted for by a Grand Jury that included many of the world's top retailers and senior industry experts.

Receiving the award Mr. Kishore Biyani, Managing Director, Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd., said, "This award is a reflection of the huge potential that the Indian consumption market offers. It is a moment of pride not just for Pantaloon Retail, but for India. It would have been more appropriate if we had got the award after global retailers made their foray into India. We are in a no-competition scenario currently but we excel in what we do to delight our Indian consumers."

The World Retail Awards, in association with KSA, marks the first time the industry has come together to recognize excellence across formats, sectors and borders. Other awards included Retailer of the Year to Inditex, the owners of the Zara brand; Retail Destination of the Year to Mall of the Emirates, Dubai; Multi Market Retailer of the Year to IKEA; and Responsible Retailer of the Year to Marks & Spencer.

This award is yet another international recognition Pantaloon Retail has received in the past twelve months. Earlier this year, Pantaloon Retail was awarded International Retailer of the Year 2007 by the US-based National Retail Federation. The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association with over 1.4 million members in the US and across the world. Some of the past winners of the award include Metro AG (Germany), Carrefour (France), Zara (Spain), Boticario (Brazil) and Ito Yokado (Japan). The award was presented in New York in January 2007.

Pantaloon Retail has also received the Best of the Best Retailer at the Retail Asia Pacific Top 500 Awards held in Singapore in October, 2006. Asiamoney recognised Pantaloon Retail as the Best Managed Mid-Cap Company in India 2006.

About Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited: Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited is a leading retailer with a turnover of over Rs. 2,018.76 crore for the financial year 2005-06. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company operates through primarily the 'Lifestyle' and 'Value' formats through multiple delivery mechanisms and lines of business "" some of them being, fashion, food, general merchandise, home, leisure and entertainment, financial services, communications and wellness. The company has stores in 32 cities across the country, constituting over 4 million square feet of retail space. The company caters to the 'Lifestyle' segment through its 30 Pantaloons Stores and 4 Central Malls, as well as its other concepts. In 'Value' retailing it is present through 50 Big Bazaar hypermarkets, 72 Food Bazaars and 5 Fashion Stations, and other delivery formats.