Haier targets Rs 900 crore turnover this year
Haier aims to ramp up its Indian turnover to Rs 900 crore this year from Rs350 crore last year, mainly by expanding its presence through new experience zones and marketing campaign. It has set aside Rs 60 crore for marketing this year, and has signed up John Abraham to endorse the brand. Following the recent launch company’s first experience zone in India and its 38th in Chennai a total of 75 such stores would be opened across the country by Diwali, with two of those in Hyderabad and one in Vijayawada. By the end of next year, the company will have 300 experience zones. Such expansion is an added opportunity for in-store signage companies looking ahead to tap new business in the retail/ in-store sector.
Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail announces its plan to set up high-end luxury stores -‘The Collective’ in three new cities next year, besides expanding in the existing locations. The company currently operates two stores, one each in Mumbai and Bangalore that sell high-end luxury apparel and accessories from brands across the world under ‘The Collective’ banner. The company is likely to make an investment of about RS 40 crore in next year. “One store entails an investment of Rs 8 crore for the expansion move. Such development will bring in a new sliver lining in the business of those signage companies dealing extensively in in-store/retail segment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.