The Kolkata Retail Summit 2025 highlighted Eastern India's shift from a value-led market to a dynamic, experience-driven and omnichannel retail ecosystem, with regional brands, evolving consumer behaviour, and collaboration emerging as key drivers of growth.

Eastern India's retail sector is entering a phase of accelerated transformation, marked by rising consumer confidence, expanding organised retail formats, and increasing convergence between physical and digital channels. These themes took centre stage at the Kolkata Retail Summit (KRS) 2025, organised by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) on December 2 at the Hyatt Regency, Kolkata.

Also referred to as the Retail Convention of Eastern India, the summit brought together retailers, mall developers, brand founders, and service providers to examine how the region's retail ecosystem is evolving in response to changing consumer expectations and structural shifts across supply chains, logistics, and technology adoption. Discussions throughout the day reflected a growing consensus that Eastern India is no longer a peripheral or "catch-up" market, but an increasingly influential growth corridor within India's broader retail landscape.

The agenda at KRS 2025 focused on omnichannel strategies, consumer insights, experience-led retail, and collaborative models between brands, retailers, and technology providers. Participants highlighted that while value remains important, shoppers across the region are now demanding greater choice, relevance, convenience, and authenticity—forcing retailers to rethink both formats and engagement strategies.

Addressing the broader retail outlook in Eastern India, Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer of the Retailers Association of India, noted that the region is witnessing strong momentum across multiple fronts. According to him, increased main street and mall leasing activity, rapid improvements in logistics infrastructure, and sustained demand across categories such as fashion, food, and lifestyle are reshaping the market. He observed that cities like Kolkata are emerging as key centres of retail growth, where heritage-led consumption patterns are increasingly blending with innovation and experience-driven models, positioning Eastern India as a future-ready retail hub.

Industry leaders from the region echoed this assessment, pointing to distinctive consumer behaviour that combines cultural rootedness with openness to experimentation. Sagar Daryani, Co-Founder and CEO of Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd. and Chairman of the Kolkata Chapter of RAI, said that consumers in the East are willing to try new formats and brands, provided they resonate emotionally and feel authentic. He emphasised that brands succeeding in the region are those that go beyond product scale to build identity, pride, and emotional connection, particularly in categories such as food and fashion.

The evolution of neighbourhood retail and organised supermarkets also featured prominently in the discussions. Iffat Jahan, Director at Metto Supermarket Pvt. Ltd., observed that the East is increasingly becoming a "learning market," where convenience, trust, and relevance are outweighing scale alone. She pointed out that digital payments and home delivery, once considered urban or metro-centric trends, are now becoming foundational elements of everyday retail behaviour across the region.

Affordability combined with aspiration emerged as another key theme, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. Rohit Kedia, Co-Founder and Director at Style Baazar, Baazar Style Retail Ltd., noted that consumers are seeking variety alongside value, creating opportunities for regional retailers who understand local tastes, festivals, and family-driven purchasing decisions. He added that this deep cultural familiarity has enabled several homegrown brands from Eastern India to scale beyond the region and compete nationally.

Special Address — Sagar Daryani, Co-Founder & CEO, Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd., Chairman, Kolkata Chapter, RAI

The role of physical retail spaces is also undergoing a redefinition. Ravee Shanker, Chief Marketing Officer at Krishna Bhumi Arcade, highlighted that malls in Eastern India are evolving from transactional venues into community-centric destinations. According to him, shoppers are increasingly drawn to immersive environments that integrate food, entertainment, culture, and commerce, positioning malls as long-term engagement platforms rather than purely real estate assets.

Presentation — Ravee Shanker, CMO, Krishna Bhumi Arcade

KRS 2025 featured a series of panel discussions that examined these shifts in greater depth. Sessions included The New Consumer Playbook: What Shoppers in the East Really Want, which explored emerging expectations and buying behaviours, and Experience is Everything: From Storefront to Storytelling, which focused on the role of immersive environments and brand narratives in driving engagement. Another panel, The Power of Partnership: Retailers, Brands, and Technology Working Together, underscored the importance of collaboration and integrated solutions in enabling scalable growth. The summit concluded with Retail 2025 and Beyond: Building for the Next Generation, which emphasised innovation, adaptability, and customer-centricity as essential pillars for long-term success.

Retail leaders participating in the summit included Aninda Das, Vice President – Marketing at Infinity Group; Sagar Daryani of Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd.; Ankur Agarwal, Founder of Medkart Pharmacy; Deepak Kumar, Founder and CEO of Wah! Puchka (Unifood Delights Pvt. Ltd.); Dipraj Das, Founder and Director of Craft Coffee; Rohit Kedia and Shreyans Surana of Style Baazar; Suman Mukherjee, Vice President – East Region at Barbeque Nation; and Surbhit Lihala, Senior Vice President and Head – Banana at Keventer Agro Ltd., among others.

Positioned as a key platform for dialogue and collaboration, the Kolkata Retail Summit continues to serve as a meeting ground for retailers and service providers seeking to navigate the region's evolving retail dynamics. With its mix of panel discussions, fireside chats, and networking sessions, KRS 2025 reinforced Eastern India's growing relevance in India's retail growth story and highlighted the strategic shifts shaping the sector's next phase.

FIRESIDE CHAT

L-R: Rohit Kedia, Co-Founder & Director, Style Baazar, Baazar Style Retail Ltd.; Shreyans Surana, Co-Founder & Director, Style Baazar, Baazar Style Retail Ltd. and Dr. Hitesh Bhatt, Director - Marketing & Communications, Retailers Association of India; Editorial Director – STOrai Magazine

PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE NEW CONSUMER PLAYBOOK: WHAT SHOPPERS IN THE EAST REALLY WANT

L-R: Bijou Kurien, Chairman, Retailers Association of India; Apurva Salarpuria, Executive Director, Salarpuria Group; Sunil Chandra Saha, Co-Founder, Blue Tea; Vikram Bothra, MD & CEO, Chandan Retail Pvt. Ltd. (Askaran Binjraj); Chairman, Guwahati Chapter, RAI; Darshan Dudhoria, CEO, Indian Silk House Agencies & Vcut and Sagar Daryani, Co-Founder & CEO, Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd., Chairman, Kolkata Chapter, RAI

PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP: RETAILERS, BRANDS, AND TECHNOLOGY WORKING TOGETHER

L-R: Aninda Das, VP - Marketing, Infinity Group; Ashim Ashok Patil, MD & CEO, i-TEK RFID; Deepak Kumar, Founder & CEO, Wah! Puchka (Unifood Delights Pvt. Ltd.); Dipraj Das, Founder & Director, Craft Coffee; Dr. Prithviraj Roy, Managing Director, Trailblazing Marketing & Advertising Pvt. Ltd.; Vineet Agarwala, Founder & CEO, BlueHorse Software Jolly Chanda, Founder & Celebrity Hairstylist and makeup artist, Satin Rose Beauty Salon; Prateek Panjwani, Founder, Mystery Room; Ravindra Khandelwal, CEO, Dhanwantary Pharmacy and Surbhit Lihala, Sr. Vice President & Head - Banana, Keventer Agro Ltd

PANEL DISCUSSION ON EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING: FROM STOREFRONT TO STORYTELLING

L-R: Anirban Gupta, Managing Director | Office Services, Colliers; Piyush Kankaria, Co-Founder, The Yellow Straw; Arnab Das, Director, Kusum LED Lights; Rajiv C Menon, CEO, Khimji Jewellers; Saurabh Baid, Partner, Alcove Realty; Sumit Sharma, Head - Sales & Leasing, Shriram Ozone and Sushovan Majumder, Director, Cha Culture India Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON RETAIL 2025 AND BEYOND: BUILDING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

L-R: Ankur Agarwal, Founder, Medkart Pharmacy; Ravee Shanker, CMO, Krishna Bhumi Arcade; Gautam Deka, Proprietor, GN Electronics & Furniture (India's 1st Rural LG Best Shop); Dipak H Agarwal, Founder, Onex Solutions; Gautam Deka, Proprietor, GN Electronics & Furniture (India's 1st Rural LG Best Shop); Subhashis Dutt, 5th Generation, Mohendra Dutt & Sons, Founder and General Secretary - Bengal Business Council; Anurag Poddar, Director, Mohan Impressions Pvt. Ltd. (Presto); Subhamoy Dutta, Director, Cookme and Dhiman Das, President - Mishti Udyog, Executive Director - KC Das Pvt. Ltd.

FIRESIDE CHAT

Joita Sen, Director-Marketing & Designs, Senco Gold Ltd. and Dr. Hitesh Bhatt, Director - Marketing & Communications, Retailers Association of India; Editorial Director – STOrai Magazine