Heritage Foods forays into retail

Launches pilot retail store under the brand name Fresh@.

In order to have a share in the rapidly emerging retail market in the country, Hyderabad-based Heritage Foods India Limited, engaged in dairy business, has launched a pilot retail store here under the brand name Fresh@.

"The objective of the pilot store is to validate the consumer offering and test the business processes before the formal launch of Fresh@ stores at Hyderabad in a month's time," S Jagdish, vice-president (retail) of the Rs 270-crore company, told Business Standard.

"We have a very aggressive roll out plan. However, I cannot comment on the geographies and the locations at this stage," Jagdish said, adding that the company envisaged a potential for 30 stores in Hyderabad.

With regard to brand Fresh@, he said freshness was reflected not only in "our merchandise, but also in our distinct store ambience and our way of delivering convenience and value to the consumer."

The pilot store at Vikrampuri, spread over 3,000 sft, is positioned as a complete daily need store with a distinct focus on fresh fruits, vegetables and grocery. The store also offers to consumers the convenience of home delivery and a dedicated call centre has been set up to facilitate consumer ordering.

The company intends to source food and grocery products directly from farmers.

"We have direct access to the farm level where we provide specialised inputs for cultivation and monitor quality closely. Our direct linkage to the source of the products in food and grocery eliminates non-value adding elements in the value chain, thus enabling competitive pricing at superior quality," Jagdish said.