Reliance Retail set to invest Rs 40,000 crore in food parks

Mumbai: Isha Ambani, executive director at Reliance Retail Ventures, said it will invest Rs 40,000 crore over 3 years to build integrated food parks across India, part of its wider ambition to become India's largest consumer goods company and reach ₹1 lakh crore in annual revenue in five years.

"These integrated food parks, Asia's largest, will have Al-driven automation, robotics, and sustainable technologies, securing lasting cost leadership," she said at the RIL annual general meeting, adding that the company is consolidating all its consumer brands under Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) for sharper focus.

Over the past three years, RCPL has grown to reach an annual revenue of Rs 11,500 crore with distribution reach of 1.5 million retail outlets-five times faster than any competitor in Indian FMCG history. So far, the consumer arm has invested Rs 3,000 crore in 12 manufacturing units and established a 150,000 sq ft research hub with over 100 scientists and 15 patents filed. The company claims its Campa Cola beverage brand has achieved double-digit market share in several Indian states, breaking a long-standing duopoly held by PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Its daily essentials brand, Independence, has also surpassed Rs 1,000 crore in revenue.

Reliance's approach mimics that of market leader Hindustan Unilever, which has deployed AI and data analytics to halve time-to-market across sourcing, production, and distribution. Unilever dominates key FMCG categories in India, including soaps, shampoos, tea and malted drinks.

Reliance aims to tap India's $2-trillion consumer market that is growing at over 8% annually. With 350 million middle-class households and 900 million rural consumers shifting to branded consumer products, Ambani called it an "unmissable" consumption opportunity.