Infiniti Retail plans to have 75 stores next year
Tata Sons subsidiary Infiniti Retail announces its targeting of more than 65 percent growth in turnover to touch Rs 1,700 crore in the current fiscal, as it plans to enter new geographies and expand reach. The company that operates 56 ‘Croma’ branded stores, sell a range of consumer electronics, appliances and IT products will invest about Rs 40 crore by March next year to have a total of 75 stores. It also plans to launch its own branded computers and notepads. Such robust plan of the company signals a new business opportunity in signage segment, particularly for those dealing with in-store displays.
Cotton King is planning to expand its operations in south India. The retail chain has been planning to open five stores in Hyderabad this fiscal. Cotton King has an established presence in Maharashtra with 36 stores in almost all the important cities. The company has set the target to take the total number of Cotton King Stores to 50 by March 31, 2011, which will include five stores in Hyderabad while the rest would be in Maharashtra itself. The new stores will be an added advantage/opportunity to signage companies, particularly those dealing in in-store displays, for new business opportunity.
India with plans to nearly treble the number of restaurants here by 2015. The chain, whose Indian operations is owned 26 per cent by global hospitality and travel company Carlson and rest by Bistro Hospitality Pvt Ltd , currently has seven TGIF outlets operational here. The chain recently opened new restaurants in Hyderabad and Noida. It is looking to add one each in Delhi and Bangalore very soon, he added, without giving investment details. Expansion of the TGI Firday’s outlets across the country is added advantage for the in-store signage companies for new business level.
The Triangle Real Estate India Fund, a $120 million venture by Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments (OMIGPI) and ICS Realty, is targeting growth of its portfolio through more partnerships in retail-biased assets now that its first Indian investment, the Prozone Aurangabad Mall, has opened its doors. Triangle fund was also partnering with Prozone, a joint venture between Provogue, a leading Indian retail group and Capital Shopping Centres plc, in investments in two other fast-growing cities – Coimbatore and Nagpur. Onset of such high-end malls in the Indian retail segment will be a golden opportunity for the signage companies dealing with in-store displays.
Tommy Hilfiger, the premium international fashion brand, recently forayed into children’s wear segment in India. The brand made its India debut in April 2004 through Arvind Murjani Brands, a 50:50 JV between the Murjani group and the Ahmedabad-based Arvind Mills. At present, the JV company is retailing from 15 outlets, but from mid-December, and they will tour North India to expand its presence. Over the next nine months, the company plans pan-India presence in smaller cities. Arrival of Tommy Hilfiger outlets in smaller cities across India is a bigger opportunity for the in-store signage companies.
to start similar projects in other big cities, including Hyderabad and Chennai, that are seeing traction for high-end brands. The company is currently in talks with the existing tenants at its DLF Emporio for the same. There are some 10-12 anchor brands the company is in discussion with to bring up similar models in other cities. Expansion of DLF malls across the big cities will be an added opportunity for the signage companies engaging into in-store POP displays and others.
Leading retailer and fashion apparel-maker Provogue India plans to foray into the fashion watch segment soon and is eyeing around Rs 20-25-crore revenue from this business. The company, that forayed into the retail business with casual and semi-casuals targeting the youth, especially men, has tied-up with global watch-maker Fossil for manufacturing the products from the latter’s unit in Himachal Pradesh. The company plans to start retailing its watch brand at all prominent Provogue stores and watch outlets. Currently, there are 120 Provogue stores and the company plans to add about 75 more in the current fiscal. The new set-up of the Provogue stores and its expansion is an added opportunity every in-store signage company can harvest in near future.
The Essar Group-owned telecom retailer, The MobileStore, is planning to add 700 outlets in the next six months. The company already has 1,200 outlets across 200 cities and 45 per cent market share in organised telecom retail. The company has started the process of adding 200 stores and has around 100 stores in the pipeline. To hasten its plans, it decided to adopt the franchise model in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns. The model will help the company add around 500-600 stores, leveraging the existing supply chain system which has already been set up by the company. Such mega expansion of MobileStore outlets is an added advantage to the signage companies dealing in in-store displays, POP, etc.
Reliance Retail is looking at opening about 3,000-4,000 stores over the next 3-4 years across all its 19 formats. The expansion is a part of our US$6-billion investment the company had announced in 2006. Currently, the country’s largest organised retail firm has 1,000 large and small outlets. These are spread across formats such as Reliance Fresh, Reliance Footprint, Reliance Time Out, Reliance Digital, Reliance Wellness, Reliance Trendz, Reliance Autozone, Reliance Super, Reliance Mart, Reliance iStore, Reliance Home Kitchens and Reliance Jewel. The company’s new stores would mainly be in Tier I and II cities and signage companies engaging in the retail sector will find a new business pace along with the Reliance Retail’s expansion move.