INDIA. India Retails & Hospitality Private Limited is a rapidly expanding travel retail business which has just unveiled its new food & beverage brand, Radiance Hospitality. CEO Naresh Sharma discusses his ambitions for the venture with our Senior Business Editor Mark Lane.
A bright new star is rising in the burgeoning Indian travel food & beverage firmament. It comes in the shape of India Retails & Hospitality (IRHPL), a retailer with nearly 50 stores across eight major Indian airports, which has just launched its wholly owned subsidiary, F&B vertical Radiance Hospitality Services Private Limited.
It does so at an unprecedentedly exciting time for India’s travel hospitality sector, as passenger numbers soar alongside grand-scale, rapid airport infrastructure development and Indian airlines make huge investments in expanding their fleets.
In response to this rising demand, Radiance Hospitality has unveiled its first F&B outlets at major airports in Hyderabad and Goa and is about to open its first venue at Delhi’s premier gateway, Indira Gandhi International.
These openings are headlined by Radiance’s exclusively operated HYD Aero Plaza at the entrance to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, which IRHPL describes as a “curated F&B destination bringing together a mix of global and homegrown F&B brands”.
HYD Aero Plaza features Barley & Grapes (a microbrewery offering premium craft beers); Buffalo Wild Wings (the North American food chain which is rapidly expanding across India); SIP of SKY (a Hyderabad-inspired bar/restaurant); and renowed international QSR brands KFC and Pizza Hut.
Meanwhile at Goa’s Manohar International Airport, Radiance has recently opened the Susegado Microbrewery. The bar/diner features Goan cuisine and a private party zone. IRHPL claims it is “a first-of-its-kind experience setting a new benchmark for airport entertainment and leisure dining”.
The early Radiance openings will be rounded out by the Filli Café, a partnership with the popular Dubai coffee chain at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
IRHPL tells The Moodie Davitt Report that it expects to open approximately 15 more F&B venues under its Radiance arm across Indian airports by April 2026.
The company’s reputation has been built on a growing retail outlet estate (currently numbering 47) at key Indian airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kochi, Goa, Hyderabad and Vizag since its foundation in 2017.
Members of IRHPL’s senior team all have strong backgrounds in retail, many at high levels within the airport commercial environment.
They include CEO Naresh Sharma, who has held retail leadership roles in India and the GCC countries, including a six-year stint as Chief Commercial Officer at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport; Group Head Operations Satinder Singh Rawat whose background is in Dubai retail; and Group Head – Business Expansion & Projects Kavita Tiwari, who held senior commercial roles for Mumbai International Airport across more than 15 years.
“All of us understand airports or we understand retail; that’s our core strength, and that expertise will drive our expansion,” Sharma tells The Moodie Davitt Report.
In the airport space, IRHPL has developed its own store brands, including Art’Port (Indian art and souvenirs); Mishthaan (Indian sweets and savoury products); Toy Craft (educational, indoor, outdoor and licensed character toys); The Olfactive (local and international fragrances); Art’Port Accessories (a boutique retail concept that specialises in high-quality, handcrafted accessories made by local artisans); and Neo Travel (nutritious snacks, wellness products and travel essentials).
These are operated alongside franchised monobrand stores established in partnership with major international brands.
“We are on in a very fast trajectory as far as growth is concerned,” Sharma reveals. “We’re achieving annual turnover growth in double digits and delivered healthy profits last year.”
Discussing the divergence into F&B and the foundation of Radiance Hospitality, Sharma says: “As pioneers in the travel retail space, our mission is to elevate experiences for travellers across the country by blending culinary excellence with world-class hospitality. Our goal is to create exceptional F&B destinations that resonate with travellers and locals alike, delivering a memorable taste of both luxury and comfort.
“Radiance is a dynamic new player with ambitions not just in India, but also the global F&B and travel retail industry, dedicated to redefining airport and transit dining experiences. With a strategic focus on innovation, premium partnerships and curated culinary experiences, we are already making significant strides in Indian travel retail.”
Asked about the wider prospects for the Indian travel market, Sharma underlined the exponential growth predicted for the country’s international and domestic air passenger volumes, as well as fast-growing rail traveller numbers.
“Indian people love travelling and they are doing so in vastly increasing numbers,” he observes. “With the huge investments we are seeing from Indian airlines in aircraft fleets and more non-Indian airlines taking slots at existing and new airports to serve growing demand, the growth for the travel retail and F&B market will be tremendous.
“Indians are keen to explore different countries for holidays and visit friends and relatives overseas, and many new countries are now more easily accessible as aviation grows, particularly those with easy visa entry requirements for Indians. So international travel is increasing quickly as is inter-Indian travel through airports and railways.
“There are many exciting new airport developments such as at Noida International Airport [set to open in April], 65 kilometres from Delhi, and a new airport scheduled to open in Mumbai [Navi Mumbai International Airport] next year, among many, many others which are in development.
“The great commercial experiences which await travellers in these new airports will generate even more interest and growth in travel. Many more destinations will open up and this is an exciting backdrop against which to grow our travel retail business.
“Overall, I would say we’re extremely positive, extremely bullish on the prospective growth of the Indian travel market.”
This seemingly unstoppable Indian travel growth momentum means a plethora of travel retail and F&B opportunities and IRHPL is ready to invest in securing its share.
“There’s a very strong pipeline of tenders out there, and chances to go for new business,” comments Sharma. “You’ll actually see a lot of new brands at the airports. Historically, the airports would be giving retailers a lease for five years, but more recently the lease contracts are often only for three years.
“The reason airports are doing that is obviously because they want better and newer brands coming in. We’re starting to see a churn which is happening, with more international brands and more popular Indian brands entering the Indian airport business.
“The commercial head in any airport will tell you that there is more demand than the supply can be, so it’s very competitive. Rentals keep increasing purely from a demand point of view, fuelled by the exponential growth of passengers. That’s a dynamic which is very interesting in the Indian airport retail environment.”
On the type of F&B brands IRHPL has in mind for winning upcoming airport contracts, Sharma says it will be a mixture of own brands, but predominantly partnerships with well-known international and Indian brands.
“Although we are happy to experiment with our own brands, as we have done with the microbrewery venture at Goa, the Indian customer tends to prefer a brand which is already associated with quality. Hence it is often better to work with brands which are well known and have a certain pull.
“We have to keep this mind, as we are predominantly serving the Indian traveller, as well as the international passenger,” adds Sharma. “So, F&B segments like the internationally known QSR brands have their place but deep down, the Indian traveller wants Indian meals wherever they go. So venues like those serving popular traditional Indian food are also very important.
“I would say if an Indian eats out five times, only once or twice would they experiment beyond the food they are very familiar with. And within that, there is a question of brand, quality and price points.”
Sharma says IRPHL is always on the look-out for international brands to partner with, in both retail and F&B, but also well-known Indian brands.
A shining example of identifying and working with a popular Indian brand is IRHPL’s partnership with Theobroma, which owns and operates 235 patisseries across Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad.
Already, as reported, the IRHPL and Theobroma alliance has opened four hybrid store/cafés with another soon to follow at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Many more are in the pipeline.
Of this partnership, Sharma says: “Theobroma is a very interesting brand that has an obvious appeal to both Indian and international travellers, and we see a lot of potential for further growth with this partner. This is just the beginning.
“Already we have five stores at Delhi Airport together, they have become very popular outlets with a clearly strong pull that is evidenced by Theobroma’s rapid growth to over 200 stores in India. Many customers are entering the airport stores knowing exactly what they want to buy because of their familiarity with the brand.
“These are exactly the kind of retail brands we are looking to work with – those with a strong reputation and recognition outside the airport which can dovetail with our own travel retail expertise to make themselves successful in the airport market. We can make great combinations.”
Buoyed by its successes in the airport environment, IRHPL is now spreading its wings to other travel environments and lifestyle destinations in India. The company recently announced that it has been awarded the master retail/F&B concessions at two key Mumbai Metro rail stations, including the one serving Mumbai Airport Terminal 2.
“Railways form a very large part of the travel scene in India, and we see great growth potential as part of that for IRHPL and Radiance Hospitality,” contends Sharma. “The developing real estate around rail, airport and India highways gives us many opportunities to pursue and progress rapidly to our medium-term target of 100 retail and F&B stores. I’m sure it will happen soon.”
He concludes with a bullish outlook for Radiance Hospitality’s role in this expansion plan. “Radiance is poised for aggressive expansion, bringing innovative, high-quality dining experiences to travel hubs across India. As we continue to grow, we invite global and regional brands to partner with us in shaping the future of travel dining.” 
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes the FAB Newsletter, which features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining.
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