IndiaRetailBiz

Landmark Group, owned by Dubai-based group of NRIs, which currently operates 19 stores under three retail chains across 9 cities in India, according to a Business Standard report, is planning to invest another $500 million in the next three years (by 2010) in the country. The group, in the past 10 years, since 1998, has invested $100 million in the country.

Landmark group operates over 650 stores across West Asia, India, China and Spain. Employing about 17,500 persons worldwide, of which 3,000 work in India, it occupies retail space of over six million sq ft, globally. The group, which operates major retail chains including Splash, Max, Baby Shop, Home Centre, Lifestyle, Shoemart, etc., has recently made two international biddings for $10 billion worth retail acquisitions.

Landmark’s current operations comprise 13 Lifestyle stores, 5 Home Centre stores and a Babyshop store operating out of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vashi and Pune.

Landmark has also set up the first Oasis Centre in Bangalore. This Centre, which occupies a retail space of around 200,000 sq ft, houses Lifestyle, SPAR supermarket, Fun City and Polynation under one roof.

While, Landmark has planned to scale up the number of Lifestyle stores to 35 and Home Centre Stores to 15, it intends to also set up SPAR (supermarket), Polynation (food court) and Fun City (entertainment zone).

Landmark, through its subsidiary Citymax India is planning to also foray into the hospitality business. It intends to set up 4-star hotels and suites, family entertainment centres, food courts, specialty restaurants and coffee chains.

Citymax will soon launch the first outlet of Gloria Jean’s Coffee outlet in Mumbai. It has tied up Gloria Jean’s Coffees to launch a chain of outlets in India.