New Business Opportunity

Global luggage maker Samsonite earns just 5 per cent of its total sales from India. But now, they are hoping […]

With the launch of its GSM services in Gujarat, Aircel announces that the company will be investing Rs 700 crore

State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) will go for a major retail expansion this fiscal by adding another 800 retail outlets in the next few months, taking its total fuel dispensing stations to 10,100. For the expansion, the company will invest up to Rs 500 crore in the remaining months of the fiscal. The expansion is encouraged by the deregulation of petrol prices-the promise to free up the price of diesel-and the rising energy requirement of the country. Now, it’s celebration time for signage companies including printers, fabricators, sign suppliers and other could embark upon the new HPCL retail outlets to find a new business opportunity.

Essar Steel, global producer of steel, is planning to increase its retail distribution network, Hypermart and Expressmarts in Kerala .

After the successful launch of its exclusive stores at Mumbai international and domestic airports, UK’s footwear brand Pavers England has launched another showroom within the city limits at the Oberoi Mall. The store located at Shop No. F-32, 1st Floor, Oberoi Mall, Goregaon is spread across 1,100 sq feet of shopping space, offering the fashion conscious crowd in the western suburbs stylish footwear range for both men and women and accessories like handbags. Unveiling of Pavers England store in the city will be an added advantage for signage companies including PSPs and fabricators dealing in retail segment.

India’s largest retailer, Pantaloon Retail India Ltd, is gearing up to double the number of its Food Bazaar and Big Bazaar stores, the expansion contrasting with its simplification drive. The process began with the group’s fashion and apparel concept Pantaloons—a Rs1,000 crore business. The 135 Big Bazaar and 70 Food Bazaar stores account for 70 percent of the group’s retail business. The company is planning to run 500 stores of the two formats together. Big opprtunity will be poured in with the new Big Bazaar stores for in-store signage companies.

Celio, one of the largest French apparel brands, plans to increase local sourcing by six times and double its store

Kolkata-based retail major in vision care business, Himalaya Optical, has forayed into Gujarat with the simultaneous launch of three exclusive stores in Ahmedabad. In the next two years, the company intends to open more stores in other cities of Gujarat like Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat. Part of the company’s phase one plans in Gujarat, the new stores in Ahmedabad will offer an array of frames and sunglasses from around 1,000 styles of over 500 brands including the likes of Cartier, Mont Blanc, Prada, Bulgari, D&G, Tommy Hillfiger, Oliver Martini, Allan Azzaro, Hans Stepper, Hugo Boss, Tag Heur, Ray Ban, Vogue, and Phillipe Morelle, among others. Maiden entry of the vision care leader in Gujarat will offer a new business opportunity to the in-store signage players operating in the region.

Gitanjali Group plans to open up to 20 large-format ‘Maya by Gitanjali Lifestyle’ stores by December this year, with an

Sweden-based luxury bed manufacturer Hastens forayed into the Gujarat market by opening its showroom in Ahmedabad. This is the third

What Shree Ganesh Jewellery plans in the next three years is two-fold basically. One is a retail plan and another

Imaging technology giant Nikon announces its plan targeting 1,800 retail outlets for in-store branding in India. The company aims the outlets for in-store branding along with the plan to hire 200 as store promoters in the current financial year. And they have already set up more than fifty D-SLR and COOLPIX zone in India as the company just launched Northeast’s second Nikon outlet in Shillong. The nationwide expansion of the imaging technology company’s retail outlets would also help expand business of in-store signage companies.

Godrej Group’s retailing venture, Natures Basket, announces its expecting contribution from its retailing venture to increase three-folds in the coming

Titan Industries announces its investment of Rs 170 crore to open 150 new stores across various formats by the end of this fiscal year. The plan is to open 150 stores across formats by March 2011. The Tata group firm sells watches, eyewear and jewellery under different brands such as Titan, Sonata, Xylys, Fastrack, Titan Eye+ and Tanishq. The expanding stores are mostly in the large format jewellery outlets. The company has opened about 40 new stores across India and very much going ahead with the plans. Now, the sunshine opportunity with the opening of the new Titan stores is for in-store signage companies too.

Fastrack, the fashion accessories brand, is aiming to be a Rs 1000-crore brand in three years’ time. The company, which

Fitness chain Talwalkars Better Value Fitness Ltd announces its 50:50 joint venture with Pantaloon Retail Ltd to acquire ‘Star and Sitara,’ a beauty and hair salon chain. The JV firm Talwalkars Pantaloon Fitness Pvt Ltd will issue additional equity to acquire the firm and Talwalkars share in the joint venture will fall below 10 percent post the transaction. Acquisition will move ahead to expand the beauty and hair salon chain across the country. Such new speculation of the salon chain will be a new opportunity to the signage companies for new business to unfold.

For Timex, speedy growth will come from expanding its retail footprint. The company says in unison that retail is here

Essar Oil and state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have bid for around five and 10 of Shell India’s retail outlets, respectively. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is negotiating to bid for nine outlets. Shell India, the domestic arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, had offered for sale 20 of its 80 operational retail outlets and around 20 sites acquired earlier for setting up such outlets. The only foreign petro retailer in the country, it has approached oil marketing companies, public and private, on this. However, despite repeated attempts, Shell India could not be asked to confirm the development. Opening of the new fuel outlets will pump new business opportunity to the signage moguls engaged in the oil sector.

In order to provide agricultural inputs to farmers, Vadodara-based ACIL Cotton Industries (ACIL) has firmed up its plans to roll out four retail outlets under the brand name ‘ACIL Krishi Store’ in Gujarat. Based on the success of these retail outlets, the company also plans to set up 40 more stores in the state. The company has selected Vadodara, Surendranagar, Navsari and Anand for launching the ACIL Khrishi Stores. Launch of the new stores across the Gujarat is a privilege that in-store signage companies could grab for new business.

Alok Industries, a Rs 4,000-crore textile major, is preparing an expansion plan for its international and domestic retail ventures to