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Shyam Kumar

Startup as a dream • 3m

From ₹30 crore in a day to bankruptcy – the rise and fall of Big Bazaar 2001 – the year India witnessed a retail revolution. Big Bazaar’s first store opened and made ₹30 crore on the first day itself. The tagline? “Sabse Sasta, Sabse Best.” The reality? It became the pride of Indian middle class shopping. But in 2025, Big Bazaar will be just a memory. So, what went wrong? Kishore Biyani had the vision, guts and execution power. From selling jeans in the 80s to launching Pantaloons and then Big Bazaar – he was building the Walmart of India before we even knew we needed it. But then came the debt. Rapid expansion funded by debt. Acquisitions without consolidation. Trying to enter insurance, e-commerce and more – without any preparation. And finally, Covid proved to be the nail in the coffin. Big Bazaar went from being retail king to history. What is the lesson? It's great to dream big. But without strong fundamentals and adaptability - even giants collapse.

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