Mumbai: Udit Sethi is emerging as one of the new-generation entrepreneurs helping reshape Mumbai’s alcobev retail landscape through a combination of hospitality, technology, product knowledge and customer-focused retailing. As the driving force behind Hops Cork, Sethi has built on his family’s decades-old liquor retail legacy while introducing contemporary formats designed around the changing expectations of Indian consumers.
The journey began in 1984, when Udit’s father, Sanjiv Sethi, entered Mumbai’s liquor retail business. Although Udit grew up around the industry, he initially chose to pursue a career outside the family business. He studied Hospitality Management in Scotland, specialising in Beverage Control, and later completed a Master’s degree in International Digital Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. He also worked with IHG Hotels in Scotland as a Duty Manager, gaining experience in hospitality operations, service standards and customer engagement.
Udit returned to Mumbai with a broader perspective on how retail could evolve in the alcobev sector. He identified an opportunity to move liquor retail beyond a conventional, transaction-driven model and create an environment where consumers could discover products, understand their choices and receive a more engaging retail experience.
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Under his leadership, Hops Cork has expanded into a network of 15 liquor stores across Mumbai, along with specialised retail formats focused on wines and beers. One of its notable initiatives has been the development of a luxury wine and beer boutique, designed to offer consumers an experience centred on product discovery, knowledge and premium service rather than conventional counter-based retailing.
Hops Cork has also ventured into craft beer with its own Storytellers range, which is available in one-litre growlers. The initiative reflects the company’s broader approach of responding to changing consumer preferences and creating new ways for customers to explore and purchase alcoholic beverages.
For Sethi, modern alcobev retail is not simply about increasing the number of products available on shelves. It is also about helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Product knowledge, staff training and customer interaction have therefore become important elements of the Hops Cork retail strategy.
Technology has been another key component of the company’s transformation. Rather than using technology only for administrative functions, Hops Cork has developed an in-house retail software system aimed at strengthening real-time sales tracking, inventory management and operational reporting. The integration of technology with retail operations has helped create a more data-driven approach to managing its growing network.
The company has also experimented with newer retail formats to address the growing demand for convenience. Hops Cork Xpress offers consumers the option of purchasing chilled beer and wine for convenient takeaway, reflecting the shift towards faster and more flexible shopping experiences in urban alcobev retail.
Hops Cork’s business has expanded beyond traditional liquor retail as well, with the company catering to beverage requirements for weddings, private celebrations and other events in Mumbai. This has given Sethi a wider understanding of consumer behaviour, occasions and beverage preferences beyond the conventional retail environment.
The evolution of Hops Cork has also brought recognition within India’s growing alcobev retail ecosystem. The company was listed among the top retailers in Greater Mumbai at the 2025 India Drinks Retail Awards, while Udit Sethi has increasingly become associated with the emerging generation of entrepreneurs seeking to modernise India’s liquor retail sector.
The transformation comes at a time when Indian consumers are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about premium spirits, wines, beers and other alcoholic beverages. As consumers explore new categories and brands, alcobev retail is gradually moving beyond a purely transactional model towards one built around experience, discovery, convenience and trust.
Udit Sethi’s journey reflects this changing landscape. Building on a family business with a legacy dating back to 1984, he stepped outside the traditional retail environment, gained international experience in hospitality and digital marketing, and returned to Mumbai with a contemporary approach to alcobev retail.
With Hops Cork, the focus is increasingly shifting from simply stocking liquor to creating a more informed and experience-led retail environment. As Mumbai’s alcobev market continues to evolve, Sethi’s combination of hospitality-led service, technology and modern retail formats positions Hops Cork as a notable example of how traditional liquor businesses can adapt to the expectations of the next generation of consumers
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