Need to move from store-based to unified entity licensing: Reliance Retail

With modern organised retail growing at a fast pace, there is a need for regulatory reforms in the sector, moving from store-based licensing to entity-based unified licensing, Reliance Retail President Ravi Gandhi said on Wednesday.

There is also a need for moving towards post-license inspections from pre-license inspections in order to speed up store openings, he said, while speaking at the 'MASSMERIZE 2025' event organised by industry chamber Ficci.

"Today, all the laws (related to the retail sector) in the country are designed for individual stores. All licenses are individual store-based," he said.

With a lot of organised retailers coming up, instead of store-based licenses, a shift to a unified entity-based license will enhance ease of doing business, Gandhi added.

He also noted that there is a need to re-examine the inspection requirements.

There are numerous documentation and inspection requirements when applying for a license, he noted.

Stating that the pre-inspection takes a lot of time, Gandhi said, if the inspection can be moved from pre-license to post-license, it will speed up the opening of stores.