Retail Stores

India has 74 'ghost malls' as vacancies rise across 32 cities: Knight Frank

There are 74 ghost shopping centres -- those with vacancy of more than 40 per cent -- out of 365 such retail properties across the top 32 cities, according to Knight Frank. Real estate consultant Knight Frank India on Tuesday released a report, 'Think India Think Retail - Value Capture: Unlocking Potential', which has mapped the country's retail real estate across 32 cities. "A significant finding of the report is that nearly one-fifth of India's operational shopping centres fall into the category of 'Ghost Malls' - assets marked by high vacancies, weak tenant curation, ageing infrastructure, and declining relevance," the consultant said. Across 365 shopping centres surveyed, as many as 74 have been classified as ghost assets, representing 15.5 million square feet (mn sq ft) of area. Within this pool, the consultant said that 15 centres with a combined area of 4.8 million sq ft could be retrofitted and earn Rs 357 crore as annual rental. The consultant has defined ghost shopping .

Value fashion outperforms as analysts highlight V-Mart as top retail pick

Brokerages have identified V-Mart Retail as a preferred pick on the back of superior same-store momentum, strengthened unit economics, and accelerating store expansion.

Biyani sisters' Foodstories sees triple-digit growth in 1st year of launch

Since the first store at Ambience Mall in New Delhi's Vasant Kunj, the chain has expanded to Bengaluru's Lavelle Road and Hyderabad's Banjara Hills

IPO-bound Wakefit in expansion mode; plans to open 117 new stores by FY28

Home and sleep solutions brand Wakefit Innovations, which is expected to launch its initial public offering (IPO) this calendar year, has opened 32 stores in the first 10 months of 2025, taking its total count to over 130 as part of its retail expansion strategy. Going ahead, Wakefit plans to open 117 additional company-owned, company-operated (COCO) regular stores, which comprises 67 in FY27 and 50 in FY28 across cities including Mumbai, Noida, Bengaluru, Ghaziabad, Bhubaneshwar, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Tumkur, Vizag, Kozhikode, Thanjavur, Ambala and Sonipat. The Bengaluru-based company launched its first store in March 2022 in Lucknow and expanded to 98 stores by December 31, 2024. As part of its strategy to strengthen presence in smaller towns and underserved pockets of metros, the company plans to open COCO regular stores of varied sizes, tailored to specific catchment areas across product categories such as mattresses, furniture and furnishings. "We believe that there is an opportun

Eyewear retailer Lenskart accelerates store expansion ahead of $10 bn IPO

The eyewear retailer plans its biggest store expansion in three years as it prepares for a $900 million IPO, one of India's largest public issues in 2025

Retail leasing up 45% in Q3 2025 led by fashion, F&B and entertainment

India's retail real estate leasing rose 45% YoY to 2.41 msf in Q3 2025, driven by strong occupier demand from fashion, food and beverage, and entertainment categories

Top 3 reasons why Emkay is upbeat on Vishal Mega Mart; initiates with 'Buy'

Vishal Mega Mart's growth is less capital-intensive, with a sizable portion coming from SSG, Emkay analysts noted.

CityMall raises $47 mn funding to build value e-commerce for Bharat

Currently serving over 60 cities across Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, CityMall has been on a 2x year-over-year growth trajectory over the past few years

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 tak

Retailers, online firms may score big over Independence Day weekend

Raksha Bandhan cheer rolls into the holiday break, with fashion and consumer durables eyeing a near double-digit sales lift

Retail's tug of war: India needs smart policies for ecommerce, local retail

The retailer in India traditionally provides a low-margin service, frequently provides credit, and may source merchandise for specific needs

US retail giant Costco to set up global capability centre in India: Report

The centre will initially employ 1,000 people and scale up eventually

Shoppers Stop shares drop 5% post Q1 results; Here's what analysts say

Shoppers Stop's sales figure for the quarter ending June 30, 2025, stood at ₹1,094 crore (GAAP basis), marking a slight increase of 6 per cent from ₹1,034 crore recorded in Q1FY25.

Trent rallies 9% in 2 days to five-month high; brokerages see more upside

Strong sourcing ability and a large focus on gaining share through expanding reach will help Trent to stay ahead of the industry, analysts said

Cait to hold conclave to take on ecommerce, quick commerce giants

The three-day conclave from 16-18 May will focus on strategies to counter the alleged unethical practices of Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, Zepto and others

Nearly 20 premium malls to open in top 8 cities by 2026 on demand: C&W

Nearly 20 premium shopping malls, comprising 123 lakh square feet of retail spaces, will become operational by 2026-end across eight major cities in the country to tap rising demand of retailers looking to expand business, according to Cushman & Wakefield. On Tuesday, real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield released its report 'Premiumisation of India's Retail Sector - Upscaling, Upgrading and Evolving', at MAPIC India Summit here. The consultant noted that as many as 19 Grade A shopping malls covering 12.3 million (123 lakh) square feet of new retail space will become operational in 2025 and 2026 calendar years. These eight cities are-- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad. Out of the 12.3 million square feet of new Grade A mall supply projected across 2025 and 2026, 8.6 million (86 lakh) square feet will be superior Grade (Grade A-plus), underscoring the sector's shift from scale to quality. The superior-grade malls typically ...

Japan's Seven & i names Stephen Dacus new CEO, announces restructuring

Dacus, who previously held executive roles with Walmart and Fast Retailing, has also led a special committee vetting the takeover bids

Cantabil Retail eyes Rs 55 cr capex by FY26, to expand production capacity

Nigam shared details about the company's major project, set for completion by mid-September

Japan's Seven & i finalising plan for president Isaka to step down

President Ryuichi Isaka will resign and his replacement is almost certain to be director Stephen Dacus

Analysts cut targets for Trent amid slowing growth, weak consumer sentiment

While Trent reported strong profit and revenue growth, several brokerages have slashed their target prices, citing slowing growth momentum and weak consumer sentiment