Big Bazaar introduces instant delivery service, aims 1 lakh orders per day

Big Bazaar's 2-hour delivery promise is on products across fashion, food, FMCG and home segments for orders placed online through its mobile app and portal and will be served through its nearest physical store.

Big Bazaar is the flagship retail format of Future Retail and operates over 280 stores in 150 cities across the country. (REUTERS)

Kishore Biyani-led Future group's retail chain Big Bazaar on Thursday announced its entry into the instant home delivery service, wherein the company will deliver products ordered online in around two hours' time.

Big Bazaar's 2-hour delivery promise is on products across fashion, food, FMCG and home segments for orders placed online through its mobile app and portal and will be served through its nearest physical store.

The company has started the 2-hour delivery service at Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru and plans to add more cities in this network, said Future Group President – Food and FMCG Kamaldeep Singh.

When asked about the business to be generated from the new initiative, Singh said "we are looking to serve around one lakh orders per day in next 2-3 months."

Big Bazaar, would soon extend this 2-hour delivery service in 21 cities in the next 45 days in the second phase and in next 5-6 months all Big Bazaar stores would be offering this service.

Under this service, Big Bazaar would charge a delivery fee of ₹49 for up to ₹1,000 and above that it would be free. The minimum order amount for this service is ₹500.

Big Bazaar is the flagship retail format of Future Retail and operates over 280 stores in 150 cities across the country.

According to Singh, this service is a "game changer" and first in the physical retail industry. It is also working with partners for last-mile delivery.

"In any market, just to deliver in 2 hours is not possible. We are making a very objective promise, based on our network of 285 stores," Singh said adding "we are going to see a new kind of scale with this new initiative."

Debt-ridden Future Retail, the parent firm of Big Bazaar, also owns other retail formats such as HyperCity, Foodhall, fbb, Food Bazaar, Easyday Club and Heritage Fresh.

On August 29, 2020, Future Group had announced that its retail and wholesale business would be sold to Reliance Retail, owned by oil-to-chemical conglomerate RIL in a ₹24,713 crore deal.

The deal was contested by e-commerce major Amazon.

As per the scheme of the arrangement, which is pending before NCLT for approval, all future group retail entities would merge into Future Enterprises and then would be transferred to RIL's retail arm by way of sale.