Why Future Group is breaking the age-old rules of the retail game

By taking its labels into general trade, the retailer has upended the system it has been a part of, but also plugged into the future of shopping

In the last few months, Future group, which began the modern trade revolution in India, has been silently taking some of its private and joint-venture brands into general trade. For many, this may seem counter-intuitive, given that modern and general trade are competing distribution channels. But look closely at the shopper, who wants everything everywhere, and Future’s actions do not seem as outrageous.

Traditionally, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have separate distribution strategies for the two channels. And modern and general traders have stayed off each other’s turf, to prevent cannibalisation of sales. So what drives Future to blow up age-old