For ardent followers of Agatha Christie?s potboilers of crime passion, The Murder on the Orient Express comes high on the fave list. And when a murder suspect, Miss Debenham?s identity is sought to be hidden by collaborators, the first name they mention is Peabody, thereby revealing all to the master, Hercule Poirot.
That may have just an anecdote in the more than two-centuries-old saga of Debanham?s and Peabody?s, but even by 1934, when Orient Express was published, it was already a byword in the UK for a large departmental store. And for the first time, the company, now only Debenham?s, is venturing into what it sees in the next seven years to be its largest market outside the UK ? it is already present in 37 international stores across 16 countries. Unusually, the retail giant, which has 141 stores in the UK and Ireland, has chosen to begin with West Asia and its neighbours, though also in Russia, Indonesia, Philippines and the Czech Republic.
?We opened our first international store in Bahrain in 1997,? says Francis MacAuley, international director, Debenham?s, who has been frequently flying to India in preparation for the launch of its first store in India. ?We have just opened a store in Ambi Mall in Gurgaon, and will follow it up with one in Courtyard Mall, Saket, in south Delhi in spring next year,? he adds. Expansion plans also exist for other cities like Mumbai and Bangalore, though he says the government has to look into infrastructure development in most cities.
Interestingly, after extensive research, Debenham?s chose India over China to establish itself as ?reasons of affinity, language, culture and a burgeoning Indo-British connection help us understand each other better,? says MacAuley. And we thought it was just business! ?We looked long and hard at China and realised it was a complicated market, and in business it is best keeping it simple.? He is happy that Indians want to listen, learn and act, which he feels are crucial to taking the venture ahead. He feels confident of having at least 10 stores in the next three years across major Indian cities.
?In the departmental store world, Debenham?s is the only one with an international presence and experience,? is the reason he gives for their planned success here. ?We are looking at the mid to upper income brackets ? the fashion and quality conscious ? who want a little bit of attention and care,? is how he sees his ideal customers.
?A major drawback we see is the high level of duties, despite which we are keeping our prices at the international level,? he says, though pointing out that the prices are affordable ? with a strategy of ?good, better and best?, which decides the price level.
?We have planned our entry in India for four years, and have been in discussion with our partners here, Planet Retail closely,? says MacAuley. He highlights that it was important to select the right locations as ?lots of malls will fail.? Also, that a delay in starting a mall not just affects confidence in the market, but also hits the bottomline adversely.
The first store, spread over 35,000 square feet, is across two floors and feature women?s, men?s and children?s fashion. Lingerie, accessories, fashion footwear, premium cosmetics and fragrances, as well as a home department are the other sections. And he only plans to make it bigger and better. For its not just economics, but other pulls like the dal at Bukhara or cookbooks by Madhur Jaffrey that continue to draw him to this land as it seeks to establish new identities.
?Suman Tarafdar