Easyday

Easyday
Private company's subsidiary's retail chain
Industry Retailing
Founded 2008 (2008)
Headquarters New Delhi, India
Number of locations
 about 220 (as of May 2015)
Area served
 India
Owner Bharti Enterprises Limited's subsidiary Bharti Retail Limited
Website Easyday.in

Easyday is an Indian retail brand that runs chains of consumer retail department stores.[1] The brand is wholly owned by Bharti Enterprises Limited and is operated by its subsidiary, Bharti Retail Limited,[1] which is headquartered in New Delhi. The technical and management support for the brand is provided by Arkansas, United States based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, which is the largest retailer in the world.[1] Bharti Enterprises announced its foray into retail in February 2007[2] and the first store was opened in Punjab in April 2008.[3] Easyday presently has 220 stores across 13 states[4] The real estate, design and construction services to Easyday are provided by Cedar Support Services, an Indian retail company majority-owned by Bharti Enterprises, which also provides similar services to Bharti Walmart Private Limited.[5]

Future Group, that owns and operate Big Bazaar, combined retail operations with Easyday in May 2015. The merger has created one of India's biggest retail chains with more than 570 stores in 243 cities in India.[6]


History

In 2006, Walmart initiated talks with India-based Bharti Enterprises to enter the Indian market[7] as India's restrictive commercial laws prohibited most foreign companies from setting up stores to compete with domestic retailers.[8] Subsequently, they set up an equal joint venture to float a company called Bharti Walmart Private Limited in 2007, with the intention of doing wholesale business, through Best Price Modern Wholesale stores.[9] It was decided that while Walmart would work towards back-end cash & carry supply chain for the wholesale operations of Bharti Walmart; it would also provide expertise including technology, supply chain, logistics and management support to the retail stores, Easyday, which will be run a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises named Bharti Retail Private Limited.[3][10] Bharti Retail was set up in April 2007 with the target an annual turnover of about $3.65 billion by 2015.[11] The major challenge for Easyday stores was the competition from small scale retailers who controlled about 97% of the Indian retail business. They organized protests against Easyday, which was supported by a section of politicians.[12] Amid a stiff resistance from the opposition political parties, the Indian government allowed 51% Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail in September 2012, which could enable Walmart to do direct retail business in India.[13]

Brand name

While deciding on naming the stores, Bharti Enterprises chose not to use the name Walmart in the brand name, even though the operations of the store largely depended on Walmart's collaboration. It was done to avoid any repercussions by the usage of a foreign brand name, keeping in view the stiff opposition against potential job and business losses caused by a foreign brand.[14] Also, Asipac Projects, a retail consultancy commented, "Walmart prefers to be not known by its brand name until it's not in 100% control in a country. In India, till the Easyday stores do not look and feel exactly like a Walmart store in the US, they would not give it the brand name."[15]

First store

On April 25, 2008, Bharti Retail made their first official entry in the retail business with the inauguration of three Easyday stores in Ludhiana, Punjab, which is the hometown of Sunil Bharti Mittal, the chairman of Bharti Enterprises.[3][16] Those stores measured 2,500 to 4,500 sq. ft.[17] The first batch of the employees at the stores were local residents, who were given training at Bharti Retail's training facility.[18][19] Bharti Retail stressed that it would employ local residents at their stores, and would also generate new employment options to vendors of fruits, vegetables and meat, as well as to housewives and retired people. "These initiatives will help facilitate inclusive growth in communities in which its stores operate," it said.[17]

Expansion

The company made plans to expand zone-wise, starting with the northern part of India.[20] By November 2008, the company had 12 stores operational and in the next month, Easyday opened its first medium-sized retail store, labelled Easyday Market, in Ludhiana, Punjab.[21]

In May 2009, Easyday opened its first store in Delhi NCR.[22] Easyday had its retail operations running in 70 stores by May 2010 in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, among others.[2]

Presence

Easyday currently operates in 13 states - Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in over 110 towns and cities. The number of stores functional is 228 across three different formats[23][24] catering to about 76,000 customers every day.[24] Easyday has aggressive plans for expansion and is aiming to have 332 stores by December 2013 and later 638 stores by December 2018.[23]

Format

There are three kinds of format stores operated by Bharti Retail, all of those have the word Easyday in their tag name. The standard neighborhood stores are called Easyday and have their presence in over 190 locations;[24] the compact hypermarkets are termed Easyday Market, which are mid-sized stores and function in 22 marts; and large hypermarket style stores are named Easyday Hyper,[25] with just one store so far. The general term used for all these stores, irrespective of the store format, is Easyday.

In addition to the merchandise sold at the regular Easyday stores, the Easyday Market stores stock a wider range of brand and product selection. The Easyday Hyper stores follow a format of a very large store spread over 60,000 sq. ft. and offer a further advanced, extensive range of merchandise and goods in a capacious setup.[24] The first and the only Easyday Hyper was launched in Mumbai in September 2011[26]

Merchandise

Easyday sells items and products of various brands keeping in mind the requirements of the local and regional needs. A typical Easyday store sells groceries including fresh produce inclusive of fruits, vegetables & milk; cereals, meat, poultry, dairy and baked products, canned goods, soups, grains, snacks, cookies, chips, condiments, beverages, sauces, spices, and candy; beauty products like toiletries, fragrances, makeup, shaving and skincare items; health care items; apparel, hosiery, shoes & accessories; books and stationary; toys; gifts; kitchen ware; home improvement products including tools, lighting, & electronic accessories; and items related to religion. Easyday has also partnered with Moneygram International that provides customers the facility of money transfer at their stores. This facility was initially launched at 121 stores in May 2011.[27]

Private Brands

Though Easyday sells merchandise manufactured by several different companies, it also strategically sells Bharti Walmart's own private brands. Bharti Walmart said in an interview, "Customers have begun to like private labels due to better quality, high food safety standards, international look and feel of products, customized packaging created after customer feedback and the credibility of the retailer."[28]

Corruption allegations

Controversies

In January 2013, a fifteen-year-old girl was forced to strip naked at an Easyday store location at Mallhar Mega Mall, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, as she was accused of shop-lifting and the security team wanted to search her.[37][38] The girl, who is a junior national level table tennis player, was found innocent, though the store staff allegedly misbehaved with her[37] and she had to undergo mental torture.[38] Her mother, Chapla Kumar Bhargawa,[38] who got extremely outraged at this incident, filed a complaint with the police. The authorities registered a case against three store employees, including the woman who strip-searched her in a private room. Her mother said, "How can you force someone to undress? The act cannot be justified."[37] The victim's mother later also registered a complaint against the uncooperative behavior of Indore Police officer - Inspector-general of police, Anuradha Shankar,[38] who reportedly asked inappropriate questions like "Are your intentions of blackmailing the store owner?"[38] Easyday, meanwhile, expressed its concern and said, "We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our customer at our Indore store. We are investigating the case for appropriate action."[37] The Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association condemned the incident and called it "very unfortunate.",[39] the particular store is closed now.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kazmin, Amy. "Walmart suspends India employees". CNN/Financial Times. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 Kamath, Raghavendra. "Bharti Retail to enter south soon; looks at west too". afaqs!/ Business Standard. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Bailay, Rasul (Apr 16, 2008). "Bharti makes low-key retail entry with Easy Day stores in Ludhiana". Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "About Us > Overview". Bharti Retail. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Bahree, Megha (2013-02-05). "Executive Resigns at India's Cedar Support Services". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Future Group, Bharti Retail combine retail business to create one of India's biggest chains -ToI 05.05.2015
  7. ↑ "Wal-Mart to open retail stores in India in partnership with local company". USA Today/AP. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  8. ↑ Lakshman, Nandini (May 15, 2009). "Why Wal-Mart's First India Store Isn't a Wal-Mart". Time Inc. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  9. ↑ Damodaran, Harish (Jan 27, 2011). "Multi-brand retail FDI won't hit small shops: Wal-Mart". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  10. ↑ The Indian Express. Jan 4, 2007 http://www.financialexpress.com/news/new-beginning/188747/0. Retrieved 26 November 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ "Bharti to ink deal with WalMart for retail ops by April-end". Moneycontrol.com/ e-Eighteen.com Ltd. Apr 11, 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  12. ↑ David, Ruth (08.07.07). "Wal-Mart Inks Deal To Enter India". 2012 Forbes.com LLC™. Retrieved 26 November 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ↑ "51% FDI in multi-brand retail approved as govt pushes major reforms agenda". The Indian Express. Agencies. Sep 14, 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Raj, Rishi (Feb 21, 2008). "Bharti Retail could drop Wal-Mart tag". The Financial Express/© 2012: The Indian Express Limited.
  15. ↑ Sharma, Samidha (Nov 26, 2011). "Walmart may not operate under its brand name". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  16. ↑ "Bharti launches 'EasyDay'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Apr 17, 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  17. 1 2 "India's Bharti Retail opens convenience stores". Reuters. Apr 16, 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  18. ↑ Jacobs, Kevin (17 April 2008). "INDIA: Bharti opens first convenience store". Just-food. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  19. ↑ "Shops, markets close nationwide to oppose FDI in multi-brand retail". The Economic Times. ET Bureau. Dec 2, 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  20. ↑ Roy, Kumar Shankar (Dec 11, 2009). "Bharti Retail aims to add 130 shops in next 12 months". Financial Chronicle. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  21. ↑ "Bharti to launch medium-sized retail store next month". NEWS TRACK India/IANS. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  22. ↑ Joshi, Sandeep (May 30, 2009). "Bharti Retail enters Delhi". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  23. 1 2 Puri, Pranav (29 May 2013). "Walmart To Buy 49% Stake In Cedar Support". Deal Curry/EagleEye Research & Media Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Easyday pamphlet on Feb 4, 13 lists cities as 110 instead of 100. "Our Stores > easyday". Bharti Retail © 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  25. ↑ "The Easy Day offer deserves a 10/10 !". Bhaskar. Oct 31, 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  26. ↑ "easyday Hyper: Bharti Retail Launches New Store Format(2)". Bharti Retail © 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  27. ↑ "Bharti Walmart, Bharti Retail tie up with MoneyGram Intl". Financial Chronicle/PTI. May 24, 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  28. ↑ Malviya, Sagar (Feb 6, 2012). "Private labels owned by retailers such as Bharti Retail, Future Group outsell national brands in own stores". The Economic Times. ET. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  29. ↑ "Bharti Walmart launches Great Value range of beverages". Company Brief. afaqs!. April 26, 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Walmart to source locally in India to keep front-end retail prices low by 10%-15%". Blog at WordPress.com. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 Choudhary, Sanjeev (Sep 9, 2009). "Wal-Mart pvt labels in Bharti stores". The Economic Times. ET. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 "Suppliers > Our Private Brands". Bharti Walmart. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  33. ↑ Sarma, Shukti (25 Nov 2012). "Wal-Mart suspends India officials". RetailDigital/WDM Group. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  34. ↑ Bajaj, Vikas (November 23, 2012). "India Unit of Wal-Mart Suspends Employees". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  35. ↑ McCarthy, Julie. "Wal-Mart's Lobbying In U.S. To Be Probed By Indian Government". 88.9 KETR. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  36. ↑ Pasricha, Anjana (December 14, 2012). "Walmart Caught In Lobbying Controversy in India". VOAnews. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  37. 1 2 3 4 "Girl asked to strip at Easyday, complaint filed". The Times of India. TNN. Jan 30, 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 "Strip search row: TT player's mother lodges complaint against lady IGP". Dailybhaskar.com. Feb 3, 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  39. ↑ "Three persons arrested for frisking teen at mall". NDTV Convergence Limited 2013/PTI. January 30, 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.

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