Retail-Nama

‘Office Linc,’ the retailing arm of Kolkata based Linc Pens & Plastics, is expanding its presence  during this fiscal from two stores at Kolkata at present to seven stores nationwide. ‘Office Linc’ claims to offers its customers a range of office stationery products- from pins to laptops- said Deepak Jalan, managing director, Linc Pen & Plastics Ltd.

‘Office Linc’ has roped in channel partners like Airtel, DHL, Blue Dart, Microsoft, Music World, Book Cellar, Anderson Printing, Presto, Aqua Java, SKP Moneywise and Talk, who will stock their products and provide after-sales services in the ‘Linc Office’ stores.

“All our products would be available for less than the maximum retail price if bought individually. For bulk orders, we would provide heavy discounts”, added Jalan as reported by Business Standard.

“We also have 10 ‘Just Linc’ stores all over India, with 2 stores in Kolkata’s Big Bazaar and City Centre. We should be opening a few more Just Linc stores shortly,” added Jalan. ‘Just Linc’ stores, which occupy around 500 sq. ft space, are located only inside shopping malls and stock only Linc products.

Bombay Dyeing, the bed and bath textiles major with close to 50% of organised market share, is planning to add 10 exclusive outlets within a year, reports the Hindu Business Line. According to Mr. Arun Bhawsingka, Head of Domestic Business, Bombay Dyeing, the organised market size is Rs 300 crore, while the unorganised sector accounts for Rs 6,500 crore.”

Currently the company’s range of home textiles (including bed and bath products) is available at over 400 Bombay Dyeing stores and many multi-brand retail outlets in 300 towns across the country. It recently launched its new bed and bath collection, Country Romance, in Chennai.

This year, the company has also tied up with fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee for a new `signature line’ based on “fusion design themes with traditional Indian motifs rendered into contemporary form”. “This range is the first of its kind which will change the way consumers look at the home linen industry. Bed sheets and towels will now have a designer stroke and a designer label,” he said.

Reid & Taylor, the S Kumars suitings brand, which offer ready-to-wear garments, already has 26 stores operating in the country. It plans to ncrease the number of its stores to 150 by the end of the financial year reports Busness Standard.“Of the 150 stores, 120 will be located in non-metros and will be run on franchisee models. The rest, which will be located in the six major cities, will be company-owned,” said A Misra, senior vice-president – marketing, Reid & Taylor.

Speaking about fashion trends in menswear, Misra said 95 per cent of the men in the country get their garments stitched, while the dominant global trend in menswear fashion is towards ready-to-wear clothing.

The company recognises competition with Raymond and other imported brands.

House Full International (HFIL), who are pioneers of the home improvement concept in India are setting up 50 new outlets by 2009.

“As part of our expansion, we are opening 50 new outlets spread over 2.5 million sqft in major cities across the country in the next three years (2009). We are investing around Rs 350 crore for the expansion work. Each outlet will be spread over 30,000-40,000 sqft or more. In the current fiscal, we are opening nine outlets in major cities including Chandigarh, Kolkata, Bangalore and Aurangabad. Our investment in these nine outlets will be around Rs 63 crore,” said Arif Sheikh, president & chief executive officer, House Full International (HFIL), a chain of retail outlets offering complete range of home improvement products, which already has three outlets at Nashik, Pune and Surat operating in the country, reports Business Standard.

The recently opened Nashik outlet is spread over 40,000 sqft at a cost of Rs 7 crore. The company will be opening its fourth outlet at Hyderabad shortly. The retail chain has invested Rs 110 crore so far.

The Kishore Biyani owned Future group is getting ready to roll out two new exclusive speciality retail formats, TOP 10 and ETHNIC CITY, having typical store size of between 5000 to 8000 sq ft, in the fashion apparel and accessories segment, to exclusively cater to the needs of students and women, reports the Economic Times.

The group will soon launch two Top 10 stores in Mumbai and about 20 more in the near future. While, Top 10 stores will offer trendy apparel, accessories and footwear as well as the latest electronics gizmos, including mobile phones, Ethnic City on the other hand will offer every thing that a woman wants, said Biyani.

The look-and-feel of the new stores is being designed by Bangalore-based design firm Idiom Design & Consulting.
Incidentally, the group has recently also firmed up plans to launch a mega discount store chain Brand Factory offering fashion brands at factory price. The group has aggressive plans for the fashion apparel and accessories segment.

Spencer’s Retail is all set to open six new Spencer’s Dailies outlet on Friday. With this, Spencer’s will have 80 outlets across the country reports Hindu Business Line. According to a press release issued by the company, the six new outlets are located in Pune, Hyderabad, Tiruchi and Bangalore. “Plans to open more Spencer’s Hypermarkets and Spencer’s Supers are also in the pipeline this year,” the release said. With this Spencer’s Retail will have seven hypermarkets, three supermarkets and 70 Dailies. “All the new Spencer’s stores will stock every conceivable product that is required by a household on a daily basis. At Spencer’s Daily one can get fresh fruits, vegetables, fast-moving consumer goods, household items and groceries,” the release said.