In a retail landscape where the definition of “food experience” is being rewritten, Think9 Consumer has appointed Shashank Shekhar Sharma as the CEO of Foodstories, its gourmet food and experiential retail venture founded by Ashni and Avni Biyani.
Foodstories operates at the intersection of food retail, lifestyle, and experience — a space that is seeing new momentum as India’s premium consumers develop a deeper appetite for authenticity and variety. The brand currently runs three stores — in New Delhi (Ambience Mall), Hyderabad (Banjara Hills), and Bengaluru (Lavelle Road) — with expansion to other metros expected in the coming quarters. Each outlet is designed as a curated space offering organic and hydroponic produce, international condiments, artisanal bakery items, cheeses, and premium packaged foods, along with café-style formats.
Think9 Consumer, the venture-building platform set up by the Biyani sisters in 2021, focuses on creating modern consumer brands across food, fashion, wellness, and personal care. Among its current portfolio are Sorrentina, Kingdom of White, The Good Bug, Broadway, and Beauty in Everything (BIE).
For Shashank Shekhar Sharma, this role marks a shift from quick commerce to experiential retail. Over a career spanning nearly two decades, he has held leadership positions at The Oberoi Group, Chai Point, and Zepto, where he helped shape Zepto Café, the foodservice vertical within the company’s Q-commerce business. An alumnus of OCLD, Sharma brings a background that spans foodservice, retail operations, and P&L management — skills that will likely be central as Foodstories builds scale and operational discipline.
Speaking about his recent appointment, Sharma said, “A brand born from a deep passion for exceptional food experiences and a belief that everyday essentials deserve to be extraordinary. At Foodstories, we are creating a niche, upscale gourmet grocery brand that curates the finest ingredients, artisanal regional products, and global flavours under one roof. Our vision goes beyond retail — we’re building an ecosystem where signature cafés, backed by state-of-the-art commissaries, become destinations for culinary storytelling and elevated dining experiences anchored around health and wellbeing. With a strong focus on quality, innovation, and community, we are driven to build Foodstories into a brand that not only celebrates food but also reimagines the way people discover, enjoy, and connect over it.”
According to IMARC Group, the Indian gourmet and global foods market was valued at USD 4.55 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.5%, reaching USD 5.4–5.5 billion in 2025. The segment’s growth reflects broader consumer shifts — rising disposable incomes, greater exposure to global cuisines, and an interest in wellness-linked and provenance-driven foods.
Despite the price sensitivity attached to this category — accentuated by GST rates of 18–28% on imported and high-value foods — consumption continues to expand, particularly in urban clusters with strong premium demographics. This has encouraged retailers to balance imports with a rising share of domestic gourmet and organic products.
Across India, the gourmet food retail ecosystem today includes established players such as Nature’s Basket, Le Marche, Modern Bazaar, Nuts & Spices, Q-Mart, Freshpik, Debon, Food Square, and Pangea Gourmet. Collectively, they represent an evolving sector where curation, store design, and experiential retailing are becoming central to differentiation.
Foodstories’ entry and steady expansion come at an inflection point for this market. As Indian consumers begin to view food retail as a lifestyle statement rather than a functional transaction, the lines between grocery, dining, and experience are steadily blurring.
For Think9, Foodstories extends its philosophy of building insight-led brands that reflect changing consumption patterns. And for Shashank Shekhar Sharma, it presents an opportunity to apply operational discipline to a format that thrives on creativity and consistency in equal measure
