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