“It Happened in India” is a Retail story which is intriguing and wonderfully (and frankly) narrated. Kishore Biyani has been the man behind the Future Group which has been at the Forte of the Indian Retail sector. It has brought amazing amount of innovation, variety and services to the consumers. But the success is not in the numbers of retail outlets it, but how it understood the need and behavior of “Indian customers” well and targeted them in the best manner. The intriguing nature lies in the ways the expectations were set in the company and the constant drive to experiment and improve. Small things like how Indian customers prefer to feel the food they buy rather than get it in packs were well captured.
Big Bazaar outlets
Pantaloons Stores
The book is a narration of the experiences in building the largest retail chain of India in a span of mere 8-10 years. Its success brought various international awards, but more than that it created a whole new culture in India. A reader would be tempted to keep reading about the various innovations, bad or good, that were undertaken and the thoughts behind them. Its the spontaneity that is reflected in the book which makes you finish in one go if not two days !
It was a delightful experience to read this story of success and failure. It was like living those times described by the author.
I would rate this book as 4/5 for the way it has covered the journey of the Future Group.
fromsonika 