BUZZ — Dmart pricing edge not enough to drive footfall, says HSBC; cuts TP

* Discounts offered at Dmart stores not enough to encourage customers to visit physical stores, given added time at checkout and out-of-pocket travel costs — analysts at HSBC Global Investment Research * Brokerage firm retains "Reduce" rating, cuts TP to 3,520 rupees from 3,530 rupees * Recent store additions in areas with less than 1 million population will not lead to productivity increase, HSBC says * "Dmart's core competitive edge appears to be its pricing proposition; without a more meaningful price gap vs alternatives, customer case for shopping in-store becomes less compelling" * 9 out of 31 analysts rate the stock "buy" or higher, 14 analysts rate the stock "hold", and the rest rate the stock "sell" or lower * Shares of AVEU up 0.2% at 3,717.70 rupees; YTD, down 2.01% (Reporting by Saikeerthi in Bengaluru) ((Saikeerthi@thomsonreuters.com; (+91) 8296756080)