Snapdeal to go omni-channel, launch offline stores ahead of IPO

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 8, 2021

Snapdeal plans to open partner stores in numerous small Indian cities and expand its offline retail presence ahead of its planned $250 million (Rs 1,663 crore) initial public offering. 

Snapdeal, which is expected to launch its draft prospectus for its upcoming IPO in the coming few weeks, will open its first partner store in January 2022, sources told Moneycontrol. The business aims to open brick-and-mortar stores across India to reach a store total of 25 by the end of next year. 
 
The multi-brand e-commerce business plans to partner with pre-existing or aspiring retailers to open the offline stores. Snapdeal will supply the retailers with products from its ‘power brands’ using its own sellers. 

Snapdeal’s 11 power brands are owned by Snapdeal and then licensed to third-party sellers. These brands were created to adhere to Indian online regulations which do not permit marketplaces to hold inventory themselves and retail products such as apparel, footwear, and accessories among others. 
 
The business is also increasing its focus on non-metro shoppers and currently reports over 80% of its business as coming from smaller cities. Snapdeal plans to open its stores in smaller cities to enable shoppers to get a feel for merchandise offline and increase brand awareness in areas with less internet use. The business has appointed Priyaranjan Kumar, former CEO at Iconic Fashion, to lead this initiative.