Electric Scooter Maker River Aims to Open 25 New Stores by March 2025
River, a Bengaluru-based electric scooter maker, has planned increasing its retail footprint across the country with the help of 25 new stores, to be launched by March 2025. The electric scooter maker aims at making electric scooters accessible to more and more customers situated at different places in particular, since the company succeeded in delivering results positively at Tamil Nadu recently.
This is the second wholly-owned store in Tamil Nadu of River after it opened its first store in Chennai in 2024. The new stores will be spread across key locations in the country such as Vellore, Erode, and Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu. In the future, it will have facilities in Mysuru, Belgaum, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Delhi.
Aggressive retail expansion plan to meet the gaining demand in India
The expansion plan in India, under which River plans to expand retail for its popular e-scooter, Indie, is more towards penetrating a much wider audience while strengthening retail structure for the company in the country. The strategic drive is about maximizing visibility and customers’ engagement towards the products through more opportunities and experiences.
There’s another new store that spans 1,200 square feet and is located on Kothari Layout on Trichy Road; it is called Rajdurai E-Mobility. There, River will sell its scooter, Indie, at ex-showroom of Rs 1,42,999, and that will be acting as a high street retail shop. The retail strategy concept is that the company has not only expanded through physical presence but also has various customer experience opportunities through each store, factoring in the styling and convenience aspects of its electric vehicles.
Tamil Nadu Focus
River has identified Tamil Nadu as an important market in its growth strategy. The company intends to open many stores in the state, other than Vellore, Erode, and Tiruppur. The company said, “The company’s success story is a journey with several of its employees in the firm. Several employees, working for the firm, hails from Tamil Nadu. Again, the Tamil Nadu region presents an opportunity which the company should focus on it. The regional market is more or less shifting towards electric vehicle, and an electric two-wheeler would show strong possibilities.”.
After the grand success of the first flagship store in Chennai, the company is expanding its presence in Tamil Nadu. The company is eyeing the fast-growing demand for electric vehicles in the state, while contributing to the sustainability goals of the region.
Expansion across India
Except from Tamil Nadu, River is expanding its reach towards other major pockets in India also. In the next few months, company will be increasing its retail platforms in cities like Mysuru and Belgaum, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Delhi. This enhances the reachability of River Electric Scooters within a greater network of customers with the company being able to eventually grow and advance at a greater degree in the fast-moving electric car market of India.
With the country now moving on to more greener modes of transport, it is well strategically poised for river to expand when there is now an increasing desire for electric scooters, thanks to the initiatives of the Indian government through promotion through subsidies as well as providing infrastructure.
River Indie Scooter
This flagship electric scooter, the Indie, is the first in a line of stylish, convenient, and high-performance two-wheelers that River has positioned at Rs 1,42,999 ex-showroom – an entry-level alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. River has been positioned as a design-and-function firm that provides a necessary alternative to today’s fast-changing requirements for commuting.
It is one of the newest features in the Indie scooter, with the powerful battery system, strong enough to cover long distances. Hence, it became an extremely practical scooter for daily commutes. This company would also open new stores in India showcasing the Indie scooter as a niche product in the electric two wheelers’ market.
Growth and Vision of the Company
River was created to disrupt the electric scooter market. Yamaha Motor, Mitsui & Company Ltd., and Al Futtaim Group are some of its well-known investors. Solid investor support is one of the reasons behind the company’s aggressive growth that has allowed it to enhance its product offerings and retail distribution channels.
River is going to create a brand of electric scooters. It is a known sustainable and innovative brand. That has been accomplished by increasing the retail footprint along with providing a product that is fashionable and functional enough to make River one of the market leaders in electric vehicles in India.
Currently, River has 9 functional retail stores in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Hubli, Visakhapatnam, and Kochi. As River expands, it is slowly building an all-round network of retail in the country. The company’s expansion goes well with India’s overall move towards electric mobility and its efforts toward attaining environmental sustainability through clean transportation solutions.
Conclusion
River’s growth plans reflect the company’s intent to become one of the prime players in the growing electric scooter market in India. With a focus on opening 25 new stores by March 2025, it is well-placed to spread its reach further and connect more customers across India. As electric vehicle catches pace in India, that would be the time when River has to grow further with other innovative means of mobility towards more effective and sustainable transportation methods.
River’s growing retail store network and its flagship product bringing style, convenience, and performance mark the beginning of an electric two-wheeler success story for the company in India.
Source: PTI and related news sources.