New Business Opportunity

Bharti Walmart, the 50:50 JV between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart Inc, announces that the company will enter the southern and

Cocoberry, India’s first premium frozen yogurt chain, is eyeing 50 retail outlets across India by the end of fiscal 2010-11. The company, which at present has around 11 operational outlets in Dehi NCR and Mumbai, plans to expand its reach in other cities like Chandigarh, Bangalore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata etc in the next one year. New stores are likely to be launched in Jaipur and Bangalore within the first quarter of next fiscal and about two-three outlets are in the pipeline for launch in Chandigarh. Now the mushrooming of Cocoberry retail outlets in big cities across India is a new business punch for in-store media companies, print providers and fabricators in the signage sector.

Japanese retailer Ryohin Keikaku is all set to enter the Indian retail market with its furniture brand Muji. The single

MMTC Limited, a public sector enterprise and the leading bullion trading company of India, plans to increase its footprint in the retail market. The company envisages to open 100 outlets, including company owned as well as joint venture and  stockists in the near future. The brand had been getting huge response from retail buyers in the exhibitions organised at various centers over the years. The company under Shuddhi (a JV of Gitanjali and MMTC) planned to open 63 outlets and out of these about 25 should be opened in Delhi. The silver lining in the new expansion move of MMTC is that signage players like in-store media companies, sign suppliers, etc could find a new opportunity in the new jewellery outlets.

Embracing a range of eco-friendly products increasing among the affluents, Kolkata-based Indian ethnic wear brand Ekru plans to tap the

UK-based toy retailer Hamleys plans to open 20 toy stores across India in the next seven years. The overseas company has tie-up with Reliance Retail and the JV will invest Rs 150 crore for the new stores. The company has unveiled its first store in Mumbai. Such new move accelerates organised toy market in the country and it has been estimated at Rs 1,500 crore poising for a healthy growth. Hamleys stores will be every kid’s delight, but more in concern for a new opportunity with the opening of the up-market toy stores will be for the signage industry too. In-store media companies, sign suppliers and others can earmark their business at a new level.

PVR Ltd has assigned around Rs 120 crore for setting up 60 multiplex screens across India. Of this, 14 are already operational and the remaining will be opened by the end of this fiscal. The company currently has around 127 screens and invested Rs 14 crore in the new seven-screen multiplex, which has a seating capacity of 1,850. South India is an important market for the company, for which it has been planning to invest around Rs 50 crore in the next 18 months in the south. Of course, the expansion of PVR multiplexes will shower new business opportunities to signage comanies such as, fabricators, printers and others.

Tata Group’s Tanishq jewellery brand plans to enter the lucrative regional ornaments segment as a new strategy to cater to

UK-based The Body Shop has announced that it would ramp up its presence in India by over four-fold in the next three years to tap the subcontinent’s market. The global skin care solutions company, which sells products such as facewash, body lotions, lipstick and many others, had already cut the prices of over 200 products in the last 12 months. India is considered to be the pillar for the company’s future in coming years as the country has potential to continue its growth. The increase of The Body Shop retail outlets in India is indeed a golden chance for signage companies in which in-store media majors as well as sign suppliers across the country could find a new room to exploit.

Italian sportswear maker Lotto Sports Italia, which shares the fifth position among international brands in the Indian sportswear market after

After a phase of consolidation, Micky Jagtiani-owned Max Hypermarkets, which operate Spar-branded superstores, to expand presence to new geographies and open 25 hypermarkets by 2012. This will result in a 10-fold increase in the company’s retail space—from 120,000 sq ft currently to 1.2 million sq ft.  The company, currently, operates three large-format stores—two in Bangalore and one in Hyderabad—and is set to open its flagship property, a 90,000 sq ft store, in Bangalore soon. Such introduction of new Max Hypermarkets in major cities is an unmatched opportunity for  signage companies like in-store media majors, sign suppliers and print providers.

Giovani, a leading lifestyle brand, has launched its flagship store in the city of Chandigarh. The brand name Giovani was launched in the year 2001 by Dhir Group. Now, Giovani retails its merchandise from New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Ahmadabad and Faridabad. Dhir Group is a leading manufacturer and exporter of high fashion men’s and women’s apparels to some of the bestowed brands in the world. The brand retails from nearing 200 multi-branded stores and has 11 exclusive stores of its own with each being around 2000 sq ft. The increase of Giovani stores around major cities and towns across the country has signaled a new prospect in the signage industry where in-store signage companies could boost their business.

Reliance , the 50-50 JV between Reliance Retail and Pearle Europe is planing to expand its base nationally to tap the

Zoomin, an online digital photo printing company, is planning to open 25 retail stores across India by the end of 2010. The venture-funded company will also partner with Crossword Bookstores for six shop-in-shops across five metros soon. To begin with, the company will open eight retail stores by the end of this fiscal. The company has one standalone Zoomin Photo Studio, a franchise owned store, in Mumbai which opened recently. And it has been planning to open six shop-in-shops across five metros. Also aimed is the opening of 25 ZoomIn Stores by the end of this year. The company will open its photo studios at Crossword in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Pune. The new Zoomin stores will provide a new opportunity to in-store signage media companies across the country.

Leading footwear firm Liberty shoes plans to open 50 more outlets across the country this fiscal. The company is unveiling the new

Destination Maternity Corp, a leading maternity apparel retailer, has announced the opening of two more Motherhood Maternity shop-in-shops in India.

Bharti-Walmart Private Limited is planning to add five more cash and carry wholesale B2B stores across India in the next financial year. The company rolled out its B2B model in Amritsar last year. The new stores would be opened at Zirakpur (near Chandigarh), Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patila, Ghaziabad and Jaipur. This new development at Bharti-Walmart will be a golden business opportunity for signage players, particularly in-store media companies, located in north India.

Gitanjali Gems Ltd, India’s biggest jewellery retailer that owns brands such as Asmi, Ddamas, Nakshatra and Gili, plans to double its reach in a year’s time to cover two million sq ft of retail space as it rolls out new stores in smaller towns, railway stations and cinema theatres. The jewellery firm more than trebled in size in four years from Rs 1621 crore in sales in 2005-06 and is slated to end this fiscal with a growth of at least 35 percent in net sales. Opening of new Gitanjali stores is indeed an unmatched opportunity for in-store signage companies as well as print providers and sign suppliers as well.

The Four Fountains Spa (TFFS) is expanding to cities like Mumbai, Delhi and NCR, Bangalore and Chennai amongst other tier-I

Kapsons, one of the leading retail chains in north Indian market, plans to infuse Rs 60 crore to set up six lifestyle stores across Punjab and Chandigarh. The company also intends to have a big warehousing facility in Mohali. With the opening of two premium Kapsons’ premium international lifestyle stores in Amritsar and Ludhiana, the total number of stores has gone up to twelve now. Opening of the new lifestyle stores will be a sunshine offer to signage players like in-store media companies, sign makers and print providers across the region who would find a new business opportunity.