The launch is expected to coincide with the Dubai Shopping Festival, beginning in March. It is also in talks with jewellery houses in Sri Lanka to open outlets by June-July 2000. Countries like Malaysia and Nepal will follow by December 2000. All this will involve an investment of another Rs 2 crore.

In all these countries, Gili will be selling under the same brandname and with the same packaging. Says Gili managing director Shailesh Sangani: ``We will not be shipping/exporting a product. We will be taking a brand with its culture, identity and warranties.''

However, the positioning is expected to be different. While in India, Gili products have been positioned as the perfect gift, in the overseas market it will be positioned as a Buy it for yourself brand.

But what are the company's expectations from the overseas market? Sangani says: ``Ninety per cent of the population in Dubai are Asians, of which 90 per cent are Indian. So that is the kind of demand we see in these cities.''In India, Gili is sold at a fixed price through more than 100 stores across 25 cities. By investing another Rs 1.5-2 crore, it is expected to extend its penetration to 150 outlets across 40 cities in the next one year. Today, Gili has offices in seven cities. The aim is to have about 24 offices - one in each state over the next three years.

In 1998-99, the company had a sales turnover of Rs 30 crore. This year it is expecting to touch Rs 65-70 crore.

Men's line for Valentine's Day
This Valentine Day is going to be special for every woman! Not only will she accept gifts from her beloved but she too can present gifts to him - courtesy Gili.

For the first time, Gili is targeting the female audience with a line of men's accessories. Says its managing director Shailesh Sangani: ``According to ancient legend, the leap year is the year when a women gets a chance to express her love. Going by tradition, we are launching the range in this leap year.''

The men's line would consist of sports pendants, cuff-links, chains and tie-pins. For fear that men would not like to wear something which comes under the category Jewellery, Gili is positioning the line as Accessories. About 30 products have been designed for men this year and 100 for women.

The company has budgeted close to Rs 1.5 crore for Valentine's Day this year, as compared to Rs 1.10 crore. The mass media campaign includes print advertising in more than 17 newspapers across the country.

Gili has various promotions planned like contests planned at youth-centric venues such as theatres, restaurants and colleges. With each gift, there will be a free teddy worth Rs 100. About 35,000 teddies have been created this year as compared to 27,000 last year. Gili has also launched a special diamond (sourced from De Beers) collection called the Cupid Collection, priced between Rs 1,300 and Rs 5,000 per piece.

It has a tie-up with rediff.com, whose valentine's page will exclusively promote Gili. People logging onto the site can also buy Gili products online. It has also placed its collection catalogue on its website in order to attract orders from Indians abroad who would like to order a gift for someone special in India. Besides the promotions at various retail outlets, Gili will be splashing its Valentine offers across 100 hoardings in Mumbai.