UK-based textiles and home furnishings retail chain Rosebys Interiors, which was acquired by Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, has launched its retail stores in India beginning with Chandigarh and Punjab.
The step is seen in response to the potential of people in the northern region to splurge in high-end products with national and international lifestyle & home d?cor companies heading here for expansion.
The company simultaneously opened four stores in Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and two in Ludhiana. Rosebys that already runs 300 stores in UK plans to establish its footprint in the Indian market by setting up a franchisee network of about 150 stores by the end of March 2009.
Nikhil Sen, director Rosebys India Interior told FE, ?We are aiming to establish Rosebys as a brand in India hence we will be opening 20-25 stores on an average in each state. By the end of this fiscal year, we plan to open stores in five states. We will soon be launching our retail stores in Delhi, Kolkata, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.?
?With organised retail sector growing at more than 30% annually, there is huge untapped market for the home d?cor and lifestyle stores in India which is pegged around Rs10,000 crore. We are targeting this space across the country to deliver the world class product and shopping experience to consumers, Sen added.?
In an earlier conversation with FE, Aloke Banerjee, CEO, Rosebys Interiors India had shared, ?We are replicating the Indian franchise model to rejuvenate the stores in UK as well as explore new markets in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Vietnam etc. We are planning to open about 700 stores in India in the next 4 years. The first phase will involve launch of retail stores in Punjab followed by West Bengal and other states.?
Rosebys has launched four basic thematic product ranges in its stores. These are Indulgence, Eco Chic, Geo Retro, and Peony Garden.
Each of this range has a different concept and would have an entire product range from bed covers, bed sheets, towels, cushions, and adornments like photo frames, vases candles contemporary and unique range of home stainless steel ware and personal care products.
Aloke said, ?Home furnishings and d?cor market in India is largely dominated by the unorganised players.?
?We are here to bridge the gap between the luxury and low-end market present in the home furnishings and d?cor market currently. We have a wide range of products to suit every aspiring woman.? he added.
