Advertisement
At Ficci's MASSMERIZE 2025, Reliance Retail President Ravi Gandhi called for reforms to India's outdated licensing framework for organised retail. He said the current store-by-store licensing model creates repetitive paperwork, delays, and slows expansion. Instead, Gandhi proposed a shift to entity-based unified licensing, where one license could cover multiple outlets under a company, simplifying compliance and improving ease of business. He also suggested moving inspections to after license approval, enabling faster store openings without reducing oversight. With organised retail expanding rapidly to meet evolving consumer demand, Gandhi stressed that modernising regulations is essential to support growth and efficiency in the sector.
Reliance Retail President Ravi Gandhi addressed industry members at Ficci's MASSMERIZE 2025 event this week, where he highlighted the challenges retailers face under the existing licensing framework. He said that the present model, which requires every individual store to obtain its own licenses, was designed years ago and does not suit the scale of modern organised retail. According to him, this results in repetitive documentation and longer timelines, which directly slow down expansion. Advertisement
Gandhi explained that with organised retailers rapidly expanding, there is a need to move towards entity-based unified licensing. Such a framework would allow one license to cover multiple outlets under a company, removing the requirement of applying separately for each store. He added that this would make compliance easier while also improving the ease of doing business for large players.
He also underlined the issue of inspections tied to licenses. At present, inspections are carried out before approval, which he said consumes significant time and delays new store launches. He suggested shifting these checks to after license approval, which would allow outlets to open sooner while still maintaining regulatory oversight. Gandhi emphasised that the existing system creates avoidable bottlenecks, and reform is necessary to match the pace of organised retail growth in the country.
His comments came at a time when retail chains in India are expanding quickly, reflecting consumer demand and changing shopping patterns. With more organised players entering the market, he noted that updating the regulatory approach is critical to keep operations smooth and efficient.
Source PTI
5th Jun, 2025
25th May, 2023
11th May, 2023
27th Apr, 2023
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
