South India is largely recognised as the birthplace of modern retail. Th e glorious south side of India has given the nation – and the world at large – innovational visionaries, entrepreneurs extraordinaire and exceptional business leaders. Th e region is a vibrant marketplace which has initiated the genesis of modern retailing in India and businesses based out of South India have always been well-ahead of the curve in as far as retailing invention goes. It is a documented fact that almost 70 percent of India’s rich live in its eight southern states, including in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Th is has greatly contributed to the rising consumerism in the region. Interestingly however, despite the increased demand, retail in South Indian is dominated by local players. So, while the region has evolved by adapting to global trends, yet, a homely retail experience, comfort of the native language, along with familiarity with local culture and purchase preferences have been the driving forces for retail growth here. Th e February issue of IMAGES Retail is dedicated to the analysis of the greatly evolved South Indian retail industry. Th e edition does a deep dive into why southern states have the highest retail growth rate in India including listing cities which are seeing an exceptional rate of growth – Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai – and how they are doing it. Th e issue also includes an expert research report on how the emerging cities of Coimbatore, Kochi, Vizag, Vijayawada, Trivandrum, and Madurai are contributing more than US 7000 million worth of retail activity to India today. Finally, the issue brings the readers a round-up of IMAGES Group’s fl agship food retail event, India Food Forum 2019, the 12th edition of which was held on February 5 and 6 in Mumbai. Th e triumphant event was another feather in IMAGES Group’s cap. We thank those who attended the event, but for those who couldn’t make it, we bring you notable insights – theme, session highlights and awards – from the thinkers and futurists of the Indian Food Retail industry who attended it. As always, we hope you fi nd this issue informed and benefi cial