India’s retail and FMCG ecosystem continues to signal long-term expansion, even as companies recalibrate how growth is delivered. Reliance Retail is piloting a new search-and-discovery platform to blur the lines between physical and digital shopping, while broader industry projections suggest India’s retail market could more than double by 2035 on the back of AI adoption and rising consumption. New store openings, from global tech brand Nothing to aggressive domestic retail expansion, reflect confidence in urban demand recovery, though a significant share of networks still struggle with profitability.
At the same time, Indian consumer brands are thinking globally and digitally. Reliance Consumer Products’ Nigeria joint venture marks a strategic overseas push, while FMCG advertising has decisively shifted online, with digital now overtaking television. Manufacturing investments such as Dabur’s new Tamil Nadu facility underline long-term capacity bets, and leadership moves, including Mars strengthening its pet nutrition business, highlight confidence in emerging categories. The direction is clear: scale, technology, and cross-border ambition are defining the next phase of India’s retail story.
Click on the headings below for insights on how these trends are shaping India’s retail landscape...
1. India's Reliance Retail to pilot search and discoveryplatform in multi-channel push
India's Reliance Industries retail unit is piloting a search-and-discovery platform in abid to more closely integrate its store and online shopping experiences. The company is piloting the platform at its apparel stores such as Trends and Yousta, and plans to roll it out at its retail chain Smart Bazaar later this year, said Damodar Mall, chief executive officer of Grocery Retail at Reliance Retail.
India's retail market is on a trajectory to more than double in size, reaching between Rs 210 trillion and Rs 215 trillion by 2035, up from Rs 90-95 trillion in 2025. This growth is being driven by a resilient economy and a sharp rise in digital adoption, according to a new joint report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) andthe Retailers Association of India (RAI).
3. Nothing opens its first retail store in India
Nothing, the hardware company backed by Tiger Global, is opening its first retail store in India, its biggest market. The store is located in Bengaluru, where the company says a large chunk of its user base is concentrated. The new, two-story location will showcase Nothing’s products and other projects. Customers will also be able to buy hardware products and other merchandise from the store and have select items customized.
4. Unprofitable stores growing as retailers push expansionplans
Someof the country’s top retailers from Reliance Retail to Aditya Birla Fashion, Shoppers Stop and Arvind Fashions have pressed the storeexpansion button in FY26. Many have also guided for more stores in FY27 afterstaying largely muted in FY24 and FY25. The resurgence comes as demandconditions improve in urban areas, following a spate of policy measures in 2025 including income tax and GST cuts and easing of interest rates to boost consumption. Yet, a new study by Vector Consulting, released atthe Retail Leadership Summit in Mumbai on Monday, notes that despite theenthusiasm to set up new stores, at least 28-40% of a retailer’s store networkremains unprofitable.
5. Reliance Consumer Products partners with Nigeria’sleading conglomerate TGI Group
Reliance ConsumerProducts Ltd. (RCPL), the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) arm of Reliance Industries Ltd., has signed a definitive agreement to form a majority-owned joint venture with Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, a leading Nigeria-based conglomerate. The partnership, subject to customary legal and regulatory approvals, marks a significant step in RCPL’s global expansion strategy.
6. Decoding FMCG’s digital shift: Why India’s top brands aregoing online
According to the dentsu-em Digital Advertising Report, FMCG advertisers accelerated their digital push during 2024 and 2025, turning a gradual transition into a structural transformation. Digital allocation grew from 53% in 2024 to 64% in 2025, surpassing television. The scale of this pivot is significant given FMCG’s dominant role in India’s advertising economy.
7. Dabur India inaugurates its Rs 400 crore FMCGmanufacturing facility in Tindivanam
Dabur India Ltd. recently held the groundbreaking ceremony of its new fast-moving consumer goods manufacturing facility at Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu. The Rs 400 crore facility will be established in two phases. In the first phase, the factory will produce toothpaste, honey, rosewater, and air fresheners with an installed capacity of around 11,000 MT, and in the second phase, it will focus on the food and beverage portfolio, the company said in a statement.
8. Mars appoints Manish Syag as managing director for petnutrition in India
Mars Incorporated has elevated Manish Syag to managing director of its pet nutrition business in India, betting on two decades of FMCG expertise to capture a market poised for explosive growth. Syag, who brings senior leadership experience from Hindustan Unilever and GSK Consumer Healthcare, joined Mars in 2024 as chief sales officer. He succeeds Salil Murthy, who has been promoted to global vice-president of enterprise transformation at Mars Pet Nutrition and will be based at the company’s London headquarters.