The Hindu Business Line : Aditya Birla Retail opens `More' store in Pune

Pune June 1 Aditya Birla Retail Ltd will stock and sell groceries, processed foods, bakery products and even personal care items branded as `More' in its `More' chain of supermarkets.

Launching the first supermarket in the country under the brand name `More' here, Mr Sumant Sinha, CEO of the company, said, "The core part of our strategic plan is to have (our) branded products." Of the 4,000 items currently stocked in the store, 140, comprising mainly of grocery items such as pulses, rice, and atta, are `More' products, and the brand, that was an exercise in quality assurance, would be extended in time to a range of other items, he said.

Mr Andrew Denby, CEO, Supermarkets, said that 14 more supermarkets will be opened in Pune over the next two weeks. While this brand will be 5,000-10,000 sq ft in area and cater to consumers' daily needs, the hypermarket will be more than 15,000 sq ft and will take care of monthly and event-based shopping.

`More' stores stock items under four main heads - fruits, staple foods, processed foods (including frozen food) and non-food items that include hair care, apparel, personal care products and general merchandise.

The company has a tie-up with 200 local farmers to provide green groceries, while it has tied up with Apollo Hospitals to set up a pharmacy within all the supermarkets.

Aditya Birla Retail has a national roll out plan for supermarkets and hypermarkets that envisages an expenditure of Rs 7,000-9,000 crore over the next three years. Mr Sinha said the company intended to lease space for the supermarkets.