Piquadro to roll out 16 stores by 2013

New Delhi: Italian travel items and lifestyle brand Piquadro, which had recently opened a store in the capital, mulls setting up 15 such showrooms by 2012-13, eyeing the Rs 800 crore Indian branded luggage market.

The 40 million dollar company is seeking at tapping the corporate and fashion gifts market and has set up a 51:49 joint venture (JV) with DLF Group’s retail management arm DLF Brands for expansion in India. “We have just started with our first Indian store at Delhi and our plan is to have a total of 16 outlets by 2012-13,” Piquadro India Brand Head Jayshree Chowdhury said.

She, however, refused to divulge the company’s investment plans for the India. The company is basically targeting the premium segment customer in the metros and Tier I cities.

“We would be having a range of over 3,000 SKVs in leather goods, luggage items and accessories including keychains, cufflinks, laptops bags and gift items.

The company is setting up its second store in February 2009 at Delhi before venturing into other metros, she said, adding that the Piquadro stores would be of average around 600 sq ft in area. “The Rs 800 crore organised leather bag market in India is growing annually at over 25 per cent and we want to have a substantial presence in it,” Chowdhury said, without disclosing the company’s sales target for India.

Sources :- The Financial Express

DLF to bring Alcott, SIA brands to India

India’s largest real estate firm DLF has entered into separate franchise agreements with Italian apparel brand Alcott and Paris-based home decor retailer SIA group to launch them in India.

These two tie-ups will give a major boost to DLF’s proposed entry in domestic retail business. DLF already has tie-ups with premium apparel brands Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo. The company has been in talks with a number of foreign premium and luxury brands in all categories, including apparel, accessories, travel luggage and watches to build a diversified portfolio of brands when it launches into retail.

Alcott, which derives its name from ‘all cotton’, offers casual wear for both men and women. The company has over 160 stores across Europe. Recently, the Jawad Group, which represents over a 100 international brands in the Middle-East, brought Alcott to Bahrain. Alcott’s next stop is India, where the brand plans to open several stores at malls and other high-street locations.

SIA plans to offer a wide range of products to Indian home buyers, much of which will be initially imported. SIA has a large presence in Europe and the US, and has distribution facility in 30 countries.

The past five years of housing boom has increased opportunities for home decor players, as hundreds of thousands of new home buyers look to decorate their homes. Much of the domestic home decor market is still unorganised in India and brand-consciousness remains low.

The 40-year-old group expects to capitalise on the new opportunitites.

Sources:- Economic Times