The union government and the state governments have continuously maintained that the flow of necessary items will continue even in the lockdown.
Big Bazaar is the flagship chain while small store neighbourhood retail chains, EasyDay and Heritage Fresh, operate closer home to customers. (Photo: Getty)
As the e-commerce market shrunk with major etailers halting their operations in the wake of 21-day countrywide lockdown, supermarket chain Big Bazaar has entered the fray, with launching doorstep delivery service in major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurugram.
However, within no time, even the supermarket chain was also flooded with unlimited orders, forcing the company to issue a statement on Wednesday, saying that “In light of the recent announcement, we are receiving an unprecedented number of request for doorstep delivery. There could be delay due to the restrictions on movements”.
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Similar services were available in other cities including Ranchi, Uttarakhand, Noida, Ghaziabad, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Faridabad, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
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The union government and the state governments have continuously maintained that the flow of necessary items will continue even in the lockdown. The central government in a statement said, “Shops including ration shops (under PDS), dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder can remain open.”
“My fellow citizens, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PANIC. Essential commodities, medicines etc. would be available. Centre and various state governments will work in close coordination to ensure this. Together, we will fight COVID-19 and create a healthier India. Jai Hind!,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet.
My fellow citizens,
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED TO PANIC.
Essential commodities, medicines etc. would be available. Centre and various state governments will work in close coordination to ensure this.
Together, we will fight COVID-19 and create a healthier India.
Jai Hind!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020
Owned by Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd (FRL), part of the Future Group, Big Bazaar attracts over 35 crore footfalls across its retail network like Big Bazaar and Foodhall, is present in more than 400 cities with over 1,500 stores that cover over 16 million square feet of retail space.
Big Bazaar is the flagship chain while small store neighbourhood retail chains, EasyDay and Heritage Fresh, operate closer home to customers.
Amazon India and Future Retail Ltd in January this year announced long-term agreements to expand the reach of Future Retail stores and consumer brands through the Amazon India marketplace.
Last year, Amazon agreed to acquire a 49 per cent stake in Biyani’s Future Coupons, which owns 7.3 per cent of Future Retail.
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