Reliance Retail call for shift from store-based licensing to unified framework to boost ease of doing business
President Ravi Gandhi on Wednesday said India's retail sector needs regulatory reforms to keep pace with the growth of organised players, calling for a move away from
store-based licensing
towards a unified, entity-based framework.
Speaking at the
MASSMERIZE 2025
event organised by industry body Ficci, Gandhi stressed that the current system of licensing each store individually creates unnecessary hurdles for businesses.
"Today, all the laws (related to the retail sector) in the country are designed for individual stores. All licenses are individual store-based," he said.
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He argued that an entity-wide license would simplify compliance and improve the
ease of doing business
as large retail chains expand across the country.
Gandhi also pointed to the need for streamlining inspection requirements. At present, retailers face extensive documentation and pre-license inspections before opening a store.
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Stating that such pre-approvals slow down expansion, Gandhi said shifting towards
post-license inspections
would help speed up store launches while still ensuring compliance.
With inputs from PTI
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