Spencer`s goes for image makeover – Plans Footwear Range

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June 30, 2008

According to a new report in Business Standard Spencer’s Retail is planning for private labels in fashion accessories as well as footwear brand Mark Nicolas for men and women

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Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata June 30, 2008

Spencer’s Retail, the Rs 800-crore retail arm of the RPG Group, will expand its range of fashion merchandise with the launch of private labels as well as foreign apparel brands, in an attempt to revamp its image as a fashion-centric brand instead of just a food retail chain.

“We have always been known as a food and retailing brand. We now intend to change our image and tap the fashion segment as well,” Samar Singh Sheikhawat, vice-president (marketing), Spencer’s Retail, said.

Currently, the sale of fashion merchandise makes up 10 per cent of the total revenues of Spencer’s Retail.

“We expect sale of fashion merchandise to contribute 25-30 per cent to the overall revenues by the end of March 2009, when the company will have a turnover of Rs 2,000 crore,” Sheikhawat said.

Spencer’s fashion offerings will be positioned as ‘affordable’, with prices in the range of Rs 199 to Rs 1,000.

To begin with, the fashion merchandise will be available only in Spencer’s large-format stores. It will allocate 25 per cent of the 25,000 to 70,000 sq ft space in such stores to fashion merchandise, up from 10 per cent now.

The company will introduce its private labels in apparels like Island Monks (casual wear for men and women), Mark Nicolas (formal wear), Scorez (sportswear), Detailz (basic wear), Asankhya (ethnic and fusion wear), Puddles (for children up to two years of age) and Little Devils (for children between 2 and 14 years).

Spencer’s will also launch private labels in fashion accessories under the brand U n I, comprising bag, junk jewellery, leather items, belts, etc, as well as footwear brand Mark Nicolas for men and women. It will also launch larger sizes for plus-sized adults.

The company is restructuring its marketing team to include more designers and people with experience in fashion merchandise retailing. “The designers will be selected from design schools in India, while the manufacturing will be handled by third-party contract manufacturers,” Sheikhawat said.

Going forward, Spencer’s also plans to host fashion shows of the stature of ‘Lakme Fashion Week’ or ‘Wills Fashion Week’.

Apart from its private labels, the firm is also looking at bringing two apparel brands from the UK and the US to India this year, one of which will be for children and the other for grown-ups. Both the brands will be allotted close to 2,500 sq ft each and will be retailed in a shop-in-shop environment inside Spencer’s large-format stores.

Footwear chain ties up with Europe brand

In Published: Saturday, 28 June, 2008

SHOE Mart, a leading chain of footwear stores from the Landmark Gulf Group, has announced a joint venture with Kurt Geiger, Europe’s largest luxury shoe specialist.

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Published: Saturday, 28 June, 2008, 01:00 AM Doha Time

SHOE Mart, a leading chain of footwear stores from the Landmark Gulf Group, has announced a joint venture with Kurt Geiger, Europe’s largest luxury shoe specialist.
The deal is expected to open 30 Kurt Geiger stores across the Gulf region within the next five years, with the first store in Qatar already open in Landmark Mall.
Shoe Mart’s alliance with Kurt Geiger will add a new dimension to its current portfolio by bringing the latest designer shoes to the region. This is the first time Kurt Geiger has ventured into franchising.
The Kurt Geiger stores will offer a range of own label collections for men and women reflecting the design and identity of Kurt Geiger’s UK freestanding stores.
“From our perspective, Kurt Geiger’s entry in the Middle East represents a significant shift in the region’s market dynamics as customers of luxury shoes now have the option of choosing one of their favourites,” Shoe Mart CEO Manu Jeswani said.
Kurt Geiger’s director of change, Andrew Lee, stated that the company sees the Gulf Region as a natural progression in the international growth of its business.

Koutons Retail to launch footwear range by October 08

Chandigarh June 22, 2008

In sync with its plans to position itself as a complete family store, Gurgaon-based Koutons Retail Ltd has decided to launch its footwear range for men and kids by October this year.

“We will come out with our footwear range for men and kids by October this year as part of our strategy to offer complete range of wardrobe and accessories to customers under one roof,” Koutons Retail President Balvinder Singh Ahluwalia said here.

The apparel manufacturing company would source footwear from China as well as India for its retail stores, he said.

Besides, the company has also firmed up plans to foray into overseas market with the opening of its first store in Dubai next year.

“The store is aimed to cater to the requirements of Indians living in Middle East countries,” he said. However, the company is yet to decide whether to open company owned store or to have an collaborative arrangement with other firms for this purpose. The company also plans to enter the European market.

“Definitely we will move to Europe but that may happen next year,” he said. Following an aggressive expansion plans, the company would open over 500 stores this year with an expected investment of over Rs 100 crore.

Koutons plans to increase the strength of their stores from 1,263 at present to 1,800 stores by this fiscal end,” Ahluwalia said.

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