Future Group’s brick-and-mortar superstore chain Big Bazaar, which is ramping up its two-hour home delivery across India during the pandemic, is set to launch a marketing blitzkrieg that will allegedly take potshots at US etailer Amazon.
While Amazon, which is locked in a fierce legal battle with the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, has been running an advertising campaign since 2016 with the tagline ‘India ki Apni Dukaan’ (India’s own shop), Big Bazaar’s tagline will now read ‘India ki Asli Dukan’ (India’s original shop), said people familiar with the development.
“Employees at our stores are doubling as delivery executives. We have also tied up with hyperlocal delivery companies. Our average ticket size for essentials is around Rs 1,500 for this service, which is far higher than that of onlineonly players in the space,” said a senior executive at Future Group. “No other player currently delivers in two hours.”
Big Bazaar’s move comes at a time, when the debt-laden Future Group is looking at ways to put its assets to better use, while its Rs 24,700-crore proposed deal with Reliance (RIL) hangs in the balance. RIL had announced in August last year that it was buying out the retail and wholesale business of Future Group, but Amazon — with a minority stake in an unlisted Future Group company — subsequently dragged the Mumbai-headquartered retailer to court, alleging that the proposed deal violated contractual agreements.
A Future Group spokesperson refused to comment, while a questionnaire emailed to Amazon remained unanswered till the time of going to the press.
“Apart from the ‘Asli Dukan’ moniker, we have played on the word ‘Amazing’ by using terms such as Amazing Service, Amazing Prices, Amazing Products and Amazing Deals,” said the executive.
While Amazon, which is locked in a fierce legal battle with the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, has been running an advertising campaign since 2016 with the tagline ‘India ki Apni Dukaan’ (India’s own shop), Big Bazaar’s tagline will now read ‘India ki Asli Dukan’ (India’s original shop), said people familiar with the development.
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“Employees at our stores are doubling as delivery executives. We have also tied up with hyperlocal delivery companies. Our average ticket size for essentials is around Rs 1,500 for this service, which is far higher than that of onlineonly players in the space,” said a senior executive at Future Group. “No other player currently delivers in two hours.”
Big Bazaar’s move comes at a time, when the debt-laden Future Group is looking at ways to put its assets to better use, while its Rs 24,700-crore proposed deal with Reliance (RIL) hangs in the balance. RIL had announced in August last year that it was buying out the retail and wholesale business of Future Group, but Amazon — with a minority stake in an unlisted Future Group company — subsequently dragged the Mumbai-headquartered retailer to court, alleging that the proposed deal violated contractual agreements.
A Future Group spokesperson refused to comment, while a questionnaire emailed to Amazon remained unanswered till the time of going to the press.
“Apart from the ‘Asli Dukan’ moniker, we have played on the word ‘Amazing’ by using terms such as Amazing Service, Amazing Prices, Amazing Products and Amazing Deals,” said the executive.