Reliance Retail rolls out wellness chain from Hyd

Hyderabad has once again become the launch pad for Reliance Retail's newest foray - Reliance Wellness.

The chain of 1,200 stores, to be set up in 51 cities over the next three years, will offer a range of health and lifestyle products.

The company's first Reliance Wellness store, spread over 2,500 sq ft and featuring 8,000 products including pharmaceutical drugs, was formally launched here on Thursday.

The first Reliance Fresh (the company's food and grocery retail chain) was also launched from Hyderabad on a pilot basis, before expanding to other states in the country.

"We are targeting the country's Rs 38,400-crore health and medical products market and the Rs 16,000-crore personal care and beauty care products market through this new retail venture," Ninu Khanna, president and chief executive officer (FMCG and wellness division), Reliance Retail, said.

The health and medicinal products offered at the store cover all systems of medicine, while the optical section also offers free eye testing facilities.

The store retails both domestic and international brands in the health and personal care section as also books on health issues.

According to Khanna, the company would independently evaluate products and manufacturing facilities, especially with regard to drugs and medical products, before allowing them to be sold.

Products that come under the Drugs Control Act will only comprise a small portion of the total assortment at the stores, he said.

Though the company would offer products at MRP, except in cases of special discounts, Reliance Wellness has other things to attract and retain customers such as providing health insurance (depending on their level of purchase), free medical compliance programme and a reminder service to customers about their medicines and other requirements based on the standalone data of customer purchases through an electronic card, amongst others.

While refusing to divulge the investment plans for the proposed 1,200 stores, Khanna, however, said it was going to be a huge investment since the company was offering a world-class shopping experience besides the products under one roof.

While the company proposes to open two more stores in Hyderabad by the end of this calender year, it is planning to open its second store in Bangalore soon.

Reliance Wellness is the fifth retail format from the Reliance stable, the other four being Reliance Digital, Reliance Mart, Reliance Trends and Reliance Fresh.