“To stay ahead, it’s imperative for retailers to offer not just the best quality but also unique experiences to consumers,” say Avni Biyani and Ashni Biyani, daughters of retail veteran Kishore Biyani, who launched the gourmet food retail platform Foodstories last year.
“Today, customers are more aware of what they’re putting into their bodies, even if they decide at the last minute what they want. They want an experience when they step out of their homes, and with Foodstories, we’re giving them exactly that,” said Ashni.
This is the second foray into gourmet retail for the Biyani sisters. Avni first entered the segment in 2011 with Foodhall. In 2023, amid Future Retail’s insolvency proceedings, all its stores — including Foodhall outlets — shut down.
Since opening the first Foodstories store at Ambience Mall in New Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, the chain has expanded to Bengaluru’s Lavelle Road and Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills.
“We have seen triple-digit growth over the past year and expect that momentum to continue. We understand the number of customers and households we can cater to, and we are far from reaching that limit. Our goal is to capture heart share, mind share, and market share,” she said, adding that the revenue target is five years away, without disclosing specific figures.
Plans are underway for at least four more stores in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram in the fourth quarter of the current financial year (2025–26).
“These four cities will remain important for us, alongside expanding our digital presence,” said Avni. She added that the platform is also preparing to launch an app in the coming quarter, along with dark stores, though she declined to comment on tieups with qcom apps.
Rising discretionary incomes, the sisters observe, are making consumers more selective about what they put in their baskets. “Today, customers are far more aware of what they are buying. The health spans and lifespans of our customers are improving. Every product we put on the shelves is created with a lot of awareness about its origin and how it’s produced,” said Ashni.
A growing GenZ consumer base is also prompting the sisters to take note. The brand hosted its first grocery rave at the Bengaluru outpost earlier this year.
“Increasingly, wealth is getting younger. What GenZ consumers buy is fundamentally different. Food is an expression for them and a way to define themselves. They are curious and understand that different spaces can create different connections,” said Ashni.
 "Biyani sisters")