New Business Opportunity

With its robust growth recorded over the years, retail chain giant Shoppers’ Stop has planed a new expansion move to roll out more stores. Following the recent launch of its third store in…

Italian sportswear maker Lotto is planning to spend US$10 million over the next five years to corner seven percent of India’s branded sports apparel and equipment market. India is among the top 10 markets for the company and it will be among the top five within the next five years. Lotto will not only spend on marketing the brand but also to launch two advertising campaigns—one around the soccer World Cup in May and another one ahead of the  New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October. The brand, which started its stand-alone retail chain in India in 2008, has 31 stand-alone stores across the country and plans to open 200 more such stores by 2015. The new sportswear outlets will offer an opportunity to the country’s signage segment, particularly benifiting in-store media companies, print providers and sign suppliers.

Mumbai-based Fine Jewellery (India) Limited, a leading manufacturer of diamond studded gold and platinum jewellery, plans to open five more exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) under its retail brand ‘Nirvana’ during the next financial year. The company’s recent EBO openned at Hyderabad, its first in south India and the second nationally with its flagship store being in Mumbai, Fine Jewellery had already identified locations in Mumbai and Nagpur, while its Bangalore EBO will be opened in the next one-and-a-half month. This expansion move of the company will be a golden opportunity for in-store signage players as well as sign suppliers to hit new ground.

Seeing huge potential of the country’s market of products for newborns, 50-year-old UK-based Mothercare has decided to open exclusive retail stores in the country under its joint venture with DLF’s retail management firm DLF Brands. Mothercare which offers apparel, toys and equipment for infants and children, operates in 50 countries through 1,100 stores worldwide. The company believes that India is a major growth engine. Foray of the retail giant into India will benefit signage players, such as in-store media majors and signage suppliers.

Future Group has decided to invest more than Rs 125 crore over the next six months to expand the Big Bazaar chain of hypermarts in the east. The group intends…

South India's integrated commercial-cum-hospitality complex developer Express Infrastructure is in talks with big chains like Hyatt and Shangri-La to manage the hotel property built by it inside the Rs 750 crore Express Avenue Complex. Express Avenue, the mall-cum-commercial-cum-hotel complex built on over 10 acre area in the heart of the city, will have retail space of around 900,000 sq ft and commercial space of around 85,000 sq ft housing around 10 big corporates. The hotel complex will provide a new opportunity to the signage companies viz. in-store media majors, print providers, sign makers, etc.

Amway plans to open around 170 outlets across India in next five years. The company has to take the number of outlets in India to 300 in next five years against…

Bling Telecom Pvt Ltd launches their flagship mobile phones brand Movil in the South Indian markets at Bengaluru. After capturing the northern market in the last few months, Movil aims…

Spanish fashion retailer Inditex SA, one of the famous brands flaunted all across the globe, is planning to open around 20-25 Zara stores in India in the next three years. The expansion plan is the company’s strategic move to learn the pulse of the Asian market. Entry of the French fashion giant into India will boost the subcontinent’s fashion retail sector and it would be a golden opportunity for signage companies like in-store media majors and sign providers.

After a phase of consolidation, billionaire Micky Jagtiani-owned Max Hypermarkets, which operates Spar-branded superstores, plans to expand its 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. Now is the time for signage companies to get ready to hit the hypermarkets in a big way.

Vision Express, the 50-50 joint venture between Reliance Retail and Pearle Europe, has opened its first Vision Express store for eyewear in Ahmedabad. While the retail chain has 46 stores across 18 cities in the country, the Ahmedabad outlet is the 45th outlet for eyewear by the company. The new store is located at Iscon Mall and offers free eye test in an 11 step eye test that includes a special eye pressure check. The store is all set to present its new collection of sunglasses— 'European Summer Sunglass Collection 2010'. This new Vision Express store is considered to be a new vision for the signage industry where every in-store media companies and sign suppliers can embark upon.

Future Group bought the lone India franchisee store of Shoprite Holdings Ltd, South Africa’s biggest grocery chain. Located at Mulund in Mumbai, Shoprite store will be used to unveil Future Group’s new brand…