New Business Opportunity

Croma, the electronics retail chain run by the Tata Group under its wholly owned subsidiary, Infinity Retail Ltd expects its […]

JCB India announces its entry into the footwear segment, by launching a range of safety and lifestyle shoes. The range includes six safety shoes and 15 lifestyle shoes. The lifestyle shoes would be available at Reliance Footprint outlets pan-India and also distributed through JCB’s channels, while its safety shoes will be sold through distribution channels. For its new venture, JCB has entered into an agreement with India’s largest safety shoe-maker, Rahman Industries to manufacture and market the shoes under the JCB brand name. The new JCB footwear stores would open a new business opportunity to the in-store signage players.

The Essar Group-owned telecom retailer, The MobileStore, is planning to add 700 outlets in the next six months. The company

Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, sees progress in India opening up foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.India’s $450-billion retail sector, with organised retail accounting for just 6 percent, is largely closed to foreign firms and favours small stores, which provide livelihoods for hundreds of thousands and serve a market of more than 1 billion. Earlier this summer, India took a tentative step towards opening up its organised retail sector to foreign companies by putting out a discussion paper, but it steered clear of suggesting changes to an existing investment cap. Now, signage companies engaging in the retail sector has to receive new growth with such sunshine development.

The global trading arm of the Tata Group, Tata International, plans to set up 15-20 exclusive footwear retail showrooms pan-India

Hero Group-promoted Easy Bill announces that the company will increase its retail outlets by over three times to over 20,000 by the end of 2012. The company, through which provides a one-stop shop for paying pay telephone, general insurance or credit card bills, has at present over 6,000 retail outlets across 70 locations all over India. It is now planning to get into move ticketing business by rolling out the service in South India next month. Mega expansion of Easy Bill outlets across the country will offer in-store media display companies a new business opportunity.

The Loot Stores has underlined what the company’s plans are for the festive season and beyond. The footfalls on normal

Reliance Jewels, a chain of jewellery stores run by Reliance Retail Ltd, is planning to open 50 new stores at select locations across the country in the next two years. Currently, the chain has 22 stores in 17 cities across the country, including three stores in Mumbai, one each in Pune and Nashik. Reliance Jewels stores have total retail space of around 88,000 sq ft. Most of the stores will be opened in those cities where the company already has Reliance Jewels stores. The new Reliance Jewels stores will be new glitter to boost business of signage companies engaging in in-store displays as well as others in the segment, such as PSPs, sign suppliers, etc.

Tata DOCOMO, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices, is planning to set up 4,000 exclusive stores for distribution and marketing

Japanese watchmaker Seiko announces a retail expansion drive in India with plans to open more exclusive outlets and increase presence in multi-brand stores in the next one year. The company, which is present in India through its subsidiary Seiko Watch India, had recently opened its first exclusive boutique in Chennai. It now plans to add nine such stores in the next 2-3 years across the country as well as increase its point of sale to 215 outlets by next year. New Seikjo outlets across India would bring in a new business opportunity to the country’s signage domain, particularly for those dealing with in-store signage.

India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki is planning to ramp up its service centres by a massive 1,500 outlets by 2015

Leading retailer and fashion apparel-maker Provogue India plans to foray into the fashion watch segment by next month and is eyeing around Rs 20-25-crore revenue from this business over the next 18 months. This company 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. Currently, there are 120 Provogue stores and the company plans to add about 75 more in the current fiscal. The new expansion plan of the company with addition of new stores would bring a sunshine opportunity to signage companies, particularly the ones engaging in in-store POPs and other displays.

KFC on fast land expansion is now ushering in its operations in India, expects to have 17 outlets in the subcontinent by the end

Bangalore-based Arvind Lifestyle Brands announces to introduce Italian premium fashion brand, Energie, in India soon, as part of portfolio expansion. The company, which has a host of international and homegrown brands, including Flying Machine, US Polo and Arrow, is also working on revamping and expanding existing labels in the country. And they will very soon bring in Italy’s super premium jeanswear brand -Energie- here. The company will open both shop-in-shop and stand-alone stores. Signage companies dealing in the retail segment will find a new vigour in business with the arrival of Energie in India.

Indian innerwear company, Maxwell Industries Limited announced the launch of its latest offering ‘Eminence’ in Bangalore as part of regional

Canon announces its plan for a massive retail expansion in India to achieve a turnover of about Rs.4,600 crore by 2015. The imaging major also announces the launch of 22 new products, including digital cameras and printers. The company plans to take total retail presence to 6,000 outlets across the country and will increase marketing budget by 25 per cent to Rs.150 crore next year. This year, the company is seeing a sales growth of 56 per cent, while they expect the sales to touch around Rs.4,600 crore by 2015. With unfoding of new Cannon outlets, in-store sigange companies would aim to tap new business in the sector.

Fiat is charting out a new strategy to turn around its fortunes. The Italian car major plans to open exclusive

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.

TAG Heuer, the Swiss watch brand owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, plans to more than double its

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.