IndiaRetailBiz

Having already announced investment of about Rs 1,000 crore in its flagship retail venture Spencer’s, RPG is going to further invest Rs 300-odd crore to expand its smaller retail chains operating under the brand names of RPG Cellucom, Music World and Books and Beyond. This was revealed by RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka to PTI in Mumbai.

RPG Cellucom, the telecom products retail chain of the group, which currently operates 50 shops, will expand ten-fold to 500 shops by March, 2008. Apart from selling mobile phones and accessories, these shops also stock laptops and related products.

The group has no plans to aggressively expand its music retailing business further as the music industry has matured. Music World, its music products chain, which sells music and music related equipment like Ipods, DVDs, WorldSpace and accessories through 280 customer touch points, may as such grow only at 10 to 20%. Music World’s major business come from the sale of music produced under “Sa Re Ga Ma” label (originally HMV) by another group company. Sa Re Ga Ma, owns a rich library of Indian film and other music. It accounts for 72% share of all music produced in the country. Goenka described “Sa Re Ga Ma” as the “custodian of Indian heritage”

Books and Beyond, the books and leisure chain of the group, which primarily sells books, would have eight shops by the year end.