Nilgiris is a supermarket chain in South India, which is very popular among the locals for

its good quality products and self-service shopping experience. It is also one of the oldest
supermarket chains in India with origins dating back to 1905 and hence its products are
sold under the brand name of "Nilgiris 1905". Also, unlike almost all other supermarkets
and grocery shops in India, Nilgiris sells its own products among other brands.

The origin of this supermarket chain can be traced back to Muthusamy Mudaliar, who
was a mail runner for the British in colonial India. Muthusamy carried letters and cheques
for the British from Mettupalayam to the hill stations of Ooty and Coonoor. As he was
flooded with requests to carry dairy products and other items, he opened a small shop in
1905, after buying the butter business of an Englishman in Vannarpet and soon, "The
Nilgiri Dairy Farm Ltd." was established. In 1936, he moved his shop to Brigade Road,
Bangalore. The Nilgiri Dairy Farm Ltd. specialized in dairy, dairy products, bakery and
chocolates. Muthusamy's son Chenniappan expanded the company by setting up a modest
store in Bangalore to sell Nilgiris' own products. However, after Chenniappan's visit to
the U.S. and Europe, this modest store was expanded into a supermarket. Though
Chenniappan was influenced by the supermarket concept in the U.S. and Europe, he
developed the Nilgiris supermarket to fit in with the local culture and set guidelines for
its growth. Soon, the Nilgiris supermarket chain spread to Chennai, Erode and
Coimbatore.

In September–October 2006, Actis, a UK-based private equity investor, invested US$65

million in the Nilgiris Group in order to strengthen the group's manufacturing and
franchising operations in South India. This investment has given Actis a controlling
interest (more than 51% stake) in the Nilgiris group.
Nilgiris Supermarket

Information about Nilgiris supermarket

Nilgiris is the oldest and leaders in the series of supermarkets, since its inception. The chain of
hypermarket was established in 1905 for the promotion of the products, the company deals
with and gave “Nilgiris 1905” name to the brand. In all the grocery shops and supermarkets, it
sells various privately owned brands and products. Nilgiris, located in the South part of India is
well-known to the locals for its high-quality services and products. The company comprises a
vague grip over the customers in the most persistently growing supermarket series bouncing
up in all the places such as Spencer who has taken over the “Food world”.

History

Nilgiris, a supermarket chain was founded by “Muthusamy Mudaliar”, who used to work for the
British in colonial India as a mail runner. He used to carry cheques and letters from
Mettupalayam to diverse hill stations such as Coonoor and Ooty for the British. In 1905, he
opened his first shop after the business of butter retailing in Vannarpet. Then he opened a
dairy with the name of Nilgiris Dairy Farm Ltd, which got established in 1936, and then he
shifted this store to Brigade in Bangalore. The specialization of the store was to offer a dairy,,
chocolate and bakery products for the locals.

Growth of Nilgiris Supermarket

The business was further expanded by Chennaiappam, son of Muthusamy into the
supermarket format. The ambience of the supermarket mainly focuses the culture of India and
has stores in various cities and states like Chennai, Coimbatore and Erode, to name a few.

What Nilgiri Supermarket offers? The products offered by Nilgiris supermarket solely aims to
cater to the needs of household goods, which are very important for our everyday life. The
products include dairy products, food grains, toiletries, pickles, beverages, edible oils, pet
food, gift articles, cosmetics, greeting cards, ready to eat products, educational CD’s, junk
jewellery, toys and bakery items.

The supermarket also provides dairy products, which include milk, cheese and butter. The
company also offers marketing and packaging of its own products such as rice, flours and
spices.

Major locations

The supermarkets of Nilgiris are basically based on a retail sector of the south and are leaders
in bakery products. The outlets of Nilgiris supermarket are located in almost every area of the
South, which comprises Bangalore, Erode, Chennai, Salem, Combaitore, Pondicherry, Mysore
and Visahakapatnam.