Bengaluru, Aug. 31 -- India's largest brick-and-mortar retail chains such as DMart, More Retail, and Nature's Basket are increasingly stocking new-age direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, expanding their assortments to cater to the evolving consumer preferences.

Walk into a grocery or apparel chain, and chances are you'll spot these emerging labels on top shelves, beaming right alongside established fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands.

Direct-to-consumer brands are companies that sell products directly to shoppers without relying solely on traditional distributors. Unlike legacy FMCG giants, which depend on decades-old networks, most D2C startups launch online before expanding into offline modern trade.

Avenue Supermarts Ltd, which op...