Van Heusen opens first digital store in Bengaluru

 Van Heusen, the premium lifestyle brand for professionals from Madura Fashion & Lifestyle portfolio, unveiled its first digitally immersive flagship store – Van Heusen Style Studio – in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar.

The first of its kind in India, the 5,500 sq ft store is an attempt to address every apparel shopper’s pain points of finding the appropriate fit, size and style best suited to their personality.

On entry, the shopper sees a 42 inch, digital display called ‘Today’s Briefing’ that offers ‘look of the day,’ informs what’s new in-store, doles out styling tips and updates on new fashion trends.

Next to the display is the ‘Fit Scanner’ enclosure, where the shopper is scanned by an infrared device, after which, measurements are generated from the collar circumference, shoulder width, to the chest, bust, hip, waist, height; which are used to identify the right fit for shirts, trousers, dresses, etc.

Next, is the ‘Style Bar’ digital display that helps a shopper identify their style personality by answering a few questions and throwing up 20 different looks that match the shopper’s style.

Customers choose the style by category, colour, patterns, fabric, and move on to the full length ‘Virtual Trial Mirror’ where the shirts, tees or trousers selected, can be virtually previewed on themselves without stepping into a physical trial room. The store has a ‘Style Simulator’ room, where shoppers can try on outfits for the day/night/evening wear, with an option to create the right mood by turning on music that matches the occasion, for which the apparel is being bought.

When the customer gets to the billing counter, a 42-inch double screen completes the experience – one screen displays inspirational styles recommended by Van Heusen, while the other screen displays style guidance tips.

“We decided on Bengaluru first, because it is home to tech-savvy people, who are exposed to international fashions and are willing to experiment. We are not selling apparel here, we are selling looks – the entire ensemble from the shirt, tie, jacket, pocket square, cufflinks, shoes; and have displayed different looks for men, women and youth, all around the store,” Vinay A Bhopatkar, COO, Van Heusen & People, said.

“We worked with FITCH, Singapore and Experiential Design Lab, Delhi to develop this store from scratch over the last 18 months,” he added.

Plans are on to roll out five Style Studios in the top metros over the next 12 months. Van Heusen has a pan-India presence across 280 stores in 120 cities.

 “Style Studio allows us to offer a wider variety of price points and exclusive merchandise; We expect our average selling price to go up from ₹3,500 to ₹4,500 with Style Studio,” added Bhopatkar.

Landmark open to more brand tie-ups

Lifestyle department stores, Max Retail and Auchan hypermarkets will lead the growth for the $4.7-billion Dubai-based Landmark Group in India. Renuka Jagtiani, who spearheads the group's international business, said the target to achieve a billion dollar turnover from India is well on track with the addition of doughnut chain Krisy Kreme and the French hypermarket chain Auchan to its portfolio, reports Times of India. 

Jagtiani, who runs the business along with husband and Middle Eastern retailing czar Micky Jagtiani, said India clocked over Rs 3,000 crore in turnover last year with a growth of 30-35 per cent annually even as the group looks to bring more brands across different categories here. "We have been here for 11 years and as a group we believe in each one of our businesses. Grocery retailing has been important for us. Auchan is a great hypermarket partner with a track record of success in emerging markets so this part of the business will be significant for the group," said Jagtiani, vice-chairperson of Landmark Group. 

The group, which will be the franchise partner for the French retailer, aims to open 10-12 hypermarkets every year after it decided to discontinue its association with Dutch retail chain Spar. Jagtiani said if the Indian government decides to open up the multi-brand retail sector to foreign investment, it may look to change the ownership of Auchan iprovided both the parties agreed on it. The group has gone slow in its investment behind its fashion portfolio other than through Lifestyle and Max stores. "We are always on the lookout for brands and are open to associations, we are not limiting ourselves," said Jagtiani, who was instrumental in setting up the multi-brand fashion retail chain Splash. 

Landmark group franchises international brands such as New Look, Aftershock, Reiss and Koton in the Middle East as well as Bossini and Kappa in India. The group withdrew Springfield and Vincci from the Indian market during the 2008 economic downturn and cut back on expansion of other fashion brands, the report added. 

Van Heusen to target smaller cities

Having invested around Rs 35 crore so far in opening exclusive stores, they will now invest Rs 4-5 crore each year to open the new outlets under a franchise model.

With aims to transform itself into a complete lifestyle brand, non-apparels will also be sold under the international Van Heusen brand, which was launched in India in 1990.

A whole gamut of products including men's ties, belts, footwear, eyewear, watches and luggage will soon be available under the premium brand name. They will also enter the women's shoes and bags segment.

"We expect a good demand for these products as we can offer a complete shopping experience to our customers. In the next three years, the non-apparel business should contribute around 8-10 per cent to our total sales," Ramachandran said.

Source : Indian express.com