Hamleys plans to double its stores in India

Hamleys is already the largest toy retailer in India with 26 stores across 14 cities since its entry six years ago. It now intends doubling its number of stores within the next two years.

Reliance Brands, the master franchise for Hamleys India, is already on the job of launching six new stores this fiscal in tier 2 cities like Bhopal, Coimbatore and Guwahati under different formats including its smaller express stores.

The toy industry may lack buoyancy but India has emerged as the third largest market for Hamleys after UK and West Asia.

India is already the largest market in terms of number of stores and is growing much faster at 33 per cent for Hamleys than countries in Western Europe where growth is in single digits today. While we have 88 stores across 23 countries, India is our third largest market after the UK and GCC countries,’’ said Gudjon Reynisson, Chief Executive, Hamleys.

In India, Hamleys continues to import the bulk of its toys from China for its private label and sources the rest from distributors like Funskool, and has also included popular Indian characters like Chota Bheem at its stores.

Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, said, “ India is possibly the fastest growing market for toy retail. Now we have six new stores under construction mostly in the tier 2 cities and should reach a total count at 32 stores this fiscal. Consumers are going to malls where we are present and we want our stores to be there in even smaller markets like Ludhiana. ’’

SOCH TO OPEN 25 FRANCHISE OUTLETS IN 2016

Ethnic women wear brand Soch sees 2016 year optimistically as it hopes to set up 35 to 40 more outlets next year in India. Of these total stores, 20-25 will be opened through the franchise mode.

“We intend to open 35-40 stores by the end of 2016. Our plan is to grow in Central, West and South India followed by opening Soch outlets in North and East of India. At present, our total number of franchise outlets stands at 15. We intend to open 20-25 more stores via the franchise route by 2016,” Vinay Chatlani, MD & CEO, Soch, Said.

The brand currently has 62 stores across India at key locations including Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cochin, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Vijayawada, Lucknow, Indore, Bhopal, Belgaum, Visakhapatnam, Gulbarga, Kanpur, Salem, Dharwad, Tumkur and Calicut.

Soch, which came into being in February 2005 with its first store, offers fashionable range of designer wear for women at an affordable price. The brand has redefined the traditional Indian outfit for women of all ages and has a wide range of stylish and elegant designer ethnic wear like sarees, salwar kameez, kurtis and bottoms for fairer sex.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel eyes south India's religious centres to boost business

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is eyeing major pilgrimage centres in south India to set up hotels as part of its expansion plans, a top company official said today. 

Carlson Group is one of the world's largest hotel chains. South India has vast potential for religious tourism and the group is focusing its attention to develop hotels in major pilgrimage centres like Tirupati, Madurai and Rameshwaram, said Raj Rana, CEO, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia. 

"The group has already tapped the pilgrimage tourism potential in northern parts of the country like Ajmer, Varanasi and Haridwar and as part of the expansion of footprint, south (India) is an important destination for such activities," he said. 

Depending upon availability of partners and locations, we would set up at least 20 heritage hotels in these centres in five to seven years, he said. As the group functions on franchise, management and operation basis, the investments would purely depend on arrangements based on partners and number of hotel rooms, he added. The group is also open to conversion of existing hotels and their renovation, he said. 

Rana was here to inspect progress of work on the group's five-star hotel under Radisson Blu brand. 

The Coimbatore facility wold commence operations next year, he said. 

The group presently has 74 hotels across the country, including two in Chennai, one in Mahabilipuram and one in Salem in Tamil Nadu under different brands and 40 more hotels are in the pipeline. 

Italian furniture brand Natuzzi plans expansion in India; seeks franchisees

Italian furniture and upholstery brand Natuzzi, which entered the living rooms of the aspiring Indian families in 2010 with a flagship store in Delhi, plans another 20 shop-in-shop stores by end this year. The company, which opened its second flagship store in Mumbai recently, is looking for potential franchisees to expand presence. At present, Natuzzi has 12 points of sales in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gurgaon and Coimbatore. 

Natuzzi is a part of the 514-million euro NYSE-listed Natuzzi Group that designs, produces and sells a vast range of armchairs, sofas and furniture accessories. It exports innovative, high-quality sofas and armchairs to 123 countries in 5 continents. 

Nitin Bahl, country manager, Natuzzi India, said, “Natuzzi Store at Mumbai is a testimony of our continued commitment to this market. Ahmedabad, Pune and Goa are of strategic importance to our growth plans in the country and we are in the process of expanding our presence in these markets.” 

The company also plans to develop a network of Natuzzi and Italsofa branded stores across all key locations in Western Region including Ahmadabad and Pune in the near term. 

The store will give the customers of Mumbai a chance to experience all - from classic leather furniture and relaxed living room environment to sophisticated furniture of modern design and trendy colours.