DOMESTIC RETAIL
DECODING THE RAPID RETAIL EXPANSION
Sourcing to increase …
About a decade ago , India saw a huge retail wave when big brands forayed into the Indian market . Today , it ’ s the turn of mid- and small-sized brands to cash in on the open retail policy and a huge gap in the market for branded products . According to reports , 50 new retail brands are coming to India out of which 13 are apparel and lifestyle brands . And as for the existing brands , they are looking for rapid growth ; bricks-and-mortar stores are foraying into the online market and vice versa . Team Apparel Online talks to some of the faster growing retailers / brands to decode what goes behind the expansion plans .
As of today , India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world , triggered by an expanding economy , booming e-commerce and growing middle class . Riding on the back of this booming market , many retailers / brands are on an expansion mode . Splash , the apparel brand of Dubai-based Landmark Group , started its operations in India eight years ago with their first store in Hyderabad . They are planning to open 10 new stores across the country by the year-end . Abhinav Zutchi , Chief Operating Officer of the company tells us , “ We are expanding both in the metros and Tier-I and Tier-II cities equally . We look at the demographics and customer profiles while targeting a city , and since we work with the malls , it becomes easier to find the right location .” He further adds that assortment planning differs from place to place , though they have a clear strategy for the overall brand as to which product they want to place on their shelves . “ So , for a conservative market , we place more of basic garments and in a fashionable market , more designoriented products are offered ,” shares Abhinav .
Nilesh Chandra , Buying and Merchandising Head , Nysaa Retail Pvt . Ltd . ( 1-India Family Mart )
Nysaa Retail Pvt . Ltd . ( 1-India Family Mart ) value retail chain plans to invest Rs . 200 crore and open around 100 stores in the next two fiscals .
With the planned expansion , sourcing for the new stores will also increase in right proportions , explains Abhinav . Since the head office of Landmark is based in Dubai , tapping into new hubs for sourcing takes place on a global level . In India , 75 per cent of total sourcing for the brand is done from Tirupur , Coimbatore , Ludhiana and Mumbai . As for their vendor management , the global team takes care of the compliances and quality checks for all the brands ; so while considering a vendor , they go for the ones which are compliant on all levels right from production practices to labour procurement .
Focusing on building the brand Splash , the company is renovating the look and feel of the stores to give customers a complete experience . Taking an omnichannel approach , they are planning to make the stores more browser-friendly too in next six months or so ; if you like something and it is not in the store , you can directly order it online to be delivered at your doorsteps .
Mumbai-based Pretty Secret , a women sleepwear and lingerie brand , is rapidly growing . Realising the potential of lingerie market , they have by far opened 22 stores across India and are planning to open another 100 by end of 2018 . Over the years , the brand ’ s presence has been felt in more than 350 MBOs and big departmental stores . The company ’ s scale of operations is also growing with the launch of its exclusive offline stores . “ The consumer psyche has changed , which has given a new direction to experiential retail , hence more and more retailers are expanding and also taking an omnichannel approach . Our team believes that lingerie is highly
40 Apparel Online India | JULY 1-15 , 2018 | www . apparelresources . com