Kishore Biyani

Kishore Biyani is an Indian businessman who is the Founder & CEO of Future Group, one of India's biggest brick-and-mortar retailers is also the founder of retail businesses such as Pantaloon Retail and Big Bazaar.

According to Forbes magazine, he had a net worth of billion in 2019.

Retail career Rise Known for a thrifty approach in running his businesses, with precepts such as modest corporate travel and hospitality arrangements,

Biyani, who has admitted to making "whimsical decisions", had ignored the prevailing opinion of modelling retail businesses on those in the West and had instead concentrated on concepts that were familiar to India. His method of communication with both the media and financiers had been perceived as poor, as were his staff recruitment choices. Considered at first to be an extravagant risk-taker lacking in worthy business connections and shunned by his peers for all of these reasons, Biyani's success with Big Bazaar had turned him into a revered figure in the Indian retail sector and a magnet for media attention. He was running the largest retailer in the country and was named as retailer of the year by the National Retail Federation, which at one earlier point had refused even to admit him. He was, however, facing a threat from the much larger resources of conglomerates such as Aditya Birla Group and Reliance Industries, both of which had signalled an intention to move into the retail sector.

In 2026, Biyani co-founded The Foundery, a 90-day startup incubator, alongside entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, marking his return to business activity following the collapse of Future Group. Future Retail, which had entered insolvency proceedings, saw lease termination notices served on approximately 835 of its stores.

Decline In addition to the threat posed by the conglomerates, the 2008 economic downturn affected Biyani's business and methods. There were postponements in planned expansion and downsizing in some areas.

Nonetheless, by April 2012, Biyani's business empire, including the non-retail elements, w performing less than its competitors and there were concerns raised about its debt levels. He announced that there were plans for a further restructuring of parts of the business to enable it to become debt-free by March 2013. A controlling stake in Pantaloon Retail was acquired by Aditya Birla Nuovo Ltd in May 2012 in a complex deal involving a demerger of the business from the wider group, and there were subsequent further dilutions of Biyani's involvement in the business. In 2016, it was renamed as Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.

In August 2020, it was announced that Reliance Retail had reached a deal to acquire the retail and wholesale business of Future Group at $3.4 Billion. In 2022, around 200 retail stores of Future Group such as Big Bazaar, were replaced by Smart Bazaar across the nation and many ended up just shutting down.

In April 2024, Biyani sold his oldest SOBO Central Mall, Mumbai, to K Raheja Corp at a settlement of Rs. 476 crore.

In May 2026, the Indian Market Regulator, SEBI, imposed a monetary penalty on Kishore Biyani for violations of listing, disclosure norms, and governance lapses.

Other business interests Through the Future Group , Biyani expanded into several business sectors, including insurance and media. The company has also recruited senior executives from firms such as ICICI and Reliance Industries.

Biyani has also had a foray into Bollywood, underwriting the critically panned box-office failure Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and Chura Liya Hai Tumne that were released in 2002 and 2003 respectively.