Every Tier-I/II/III store that opens, every new format pilot, every multi-store rollout.
Physical retail is still the growth lever across categories. Dholakia Lab Grown Diamond banked Rs 800 crore from Abakkus and ICICI Ventures to build a pan-India network, Titan is scaling toward 2,000 stores on watches, CaratLane and Damas, and Oben Electric is more than doubling to 350 outlets to triple EV sales.
Today's signals · in this brief
The Hari Krishna Group arm raised over Rs 800 crore led by Abakkus PE, with ICICI Ventures IAF5 and Amal Parikh participating; UBS advised. Proceeds will scale LGD production, fund working capital, and bankroll a physical store rollout, alongside precision single-crystal diamond work for optical and quantum uses.
MD Ajoy Chawla told CNBC TV18 that Titan will lean on international expansion, CaratLane and Dubai-based Damas alongside its core watches business to hold 15-20 percent growth. The group plans to scale up to 2,000 stores and enter new categories.
The Bengaluru-based EV maker sold roughly 4,000 units last fiscal and is betting on its new Rorr EVO, priced at Rs 99,999, plus one more launch this year to triple volumes. It plans to grow from 150 to 350 outlets across 18 states by FY-end.
Narrative arcs in this brief
Three very different players — Dholakia's lab-grown diamonds with Rs 800 Cr backing, Titan chasing 2,000 stores, Oben Electric doubling to 350 — are all betting physical retail expansion still wins trust in jewellery, watches and EVs.
Pre-synthesised briefings on this brief
What PE deals landed this scan?
Dholakia Lab Grown Diamond banked over Rs 800 crore led by Abakkus PE, with ICICI Ventures IAF5 and Amal Parikh participating, UBS advised. Separately Wow! Momo cleared Rs 110 crore NCDs with Anicut, having already drawn Rs 60 crore of the three-tranche raise.
What's the store-expansion story right now?
Three very different players are in a physical land grab: Dholakia's LGD chain backed by Rs 800 crore, Titan targeting 2,000 outlets across watches, CaratLane and Damas, and Oben Electric doubling from 150 to 350 stores across 18 states. Jewellery, watches and EVs still trust bricks.
What's Titan's growth plan?
MD Ajoy Chawla told CNBC TV18 Titan will sustain 15-20% growth by leaning on watches, CaratLane and Dubai-based Damas alongside international expansion. The group plans to scale to roughly 2,000 stores and enter new categories, diversifying beyond its jewellery-heavy core.
Any Tier-II or smaller-city activity?
Oben Electric is the clearest Tier-II bet, expanding from 150 to 350 outlets across 18 states on the back of its Rs 99,999 Rorr EVO launch. Blinkit's own narrative hinges on harder smaller-city economics, with 80-90% of top-eight-city pincodes already covered.
What's Bengaluru contributing?
Bengaluru-based Oben Electric is the city's headline, selling roughly 4,000 units last fiscal and now betting on tripling volumes via its Rs 99,999 Rorr EVO plus another launch. It will more than double retail presence from 150 to 350 stores across 18 states.
Which brands are expanding fastest by store count?
Oben Electric's 150-to-350 plan is the sharpest multiplier at 2.3X. Titan's 2,000-store target is the biggest absolute footprint play. Dholakia Lab Grown Diamond, flush with Rs 800 crore, is the new entrant to watch. Blinkit already operates 2,243 dark stores across 17 million sq ft.
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