Of late, active market forces are strongly influenced by the retail sector. Retail is an action-packed industry, which is at a nascent stage. The article attempts to understand this expanding `market phenomenon' and investigate the way relationship management policies are formulated in this industry. It also focuses on the changes and relevance of relation management in retail sector.

Today, relationship management is a necessity for the survival of any organization and it is usually practiced with the help of Public Relations (PR). PR is an art of building and sustaining relationship with different people. It comprises employees, stakeholders, customers and government. The PR, executed by any company, aims to achieve marketing and profit-centered objectives. For the fulfillment of these objectives, Public Relation Officers (PROs) rely on CRM techniques. As a part of the CRM technique, PROs use a variety of innovative tools comprising events, blogs, social responsibility campaigns, advertisements, publicity and propaganda campaigns, etc., to grab the attention of their target audience and manage the positive image of their companies. Today, food, retail and insurance are the booming sectors in the marketplace. These sectors have revolutionized the lives of internal and external public.

Presently, in retail sector, there's a set of players who are working hard to create space for themselves. They are everywhere and into every product and service category. At present, India has one of the largest number of retail outlets in the world. Of the 12 million retail outlets present in the country, nearly five million sell food and related products. And the government has certainly shown its generosity towards this sector by allowing an FDI of 51% to overseas retailers. This plan has motivated many international players like Wal-Mart, Arcadi, Lious Vitteon to enter into Indian market. Today, many Indian players too, from different segments, are experimenting with foreign brands, preferring collaborations, and mergers and acquisitions. They work hard on their corporate culture, drafting new product launch campaigns and expanding markets. Exhibit 1 lists some of the key players in the Indian retail sector with well-defined utilitarian (financial) and normative (social accountability) goals, and expansion plans. It indicates that almost all the major players are ready to serve the external public and are planning to expand in future. They have all ears to listen to what the external public wants.

Consumer Relation Management, Retail Sector, Public Relation Officers, CRM techniques, Indian retail sector, Customer relationship  management, Transaction network services, Social accountability, Mergers and acquisitions, M&A, Innovative tools, Communication strategies, Multinational companies, MNCs.