BigBasket forays into brick and mortar store with launch of Fresho in Bengaluru

The Tata Group-backed online grocery unicorn, BigBasket, has forayed into physical retail by opening a new technology-driven, self-service store 'Fresho' at Basaveshwar Nagar in Bengaluru. The store was inaugurated by three farmers who are a part of BigBasket's 'Farmer Connect' programme.

The launch is part of the company's vision to open 200 physical outlets pan India by 2023 and 800 stores by 2026. BigBasket said that the stores will offer high-quality products at extremely competitive prices.

The announcement also puts the Tata Group close in competition with Reliance, which has a strong presence in the offline retail grocery through Reliance Fresh as well as a proposed acquisition of Big Bazaar outlets, currently owned by Future Retail.

BigBasket, which is a digital-first brand, has adopted a channel-agnostic approach to connect with customers. With Fresho stores, customers can now handpick fresh fruits and vegetables as well as daily essentials like bread and eggs which are stocked at the store. For accessing the company's entire range of 50,000+ products, they will have to place the order online and collect it from Fresho stores at their convenience.