IndiaRetailBiz

“As the disposable income with the Indian middle class is growing, we are planning to aggressively market our brands in smaller cities. We will set up 20 new outlets by 2009 in tier II and III cities.” — Sanjeev Mohanty, Managing Director, Benetton India.

Benetton, the Italian apparel chain, which owns the United Colors of Benetton brand, has drawn plans to expand into smaller tier-II and tier-III cities. It will add about 20 stores measuring between 2,500 and 4,000 sq ft each, by 2009, to its existing retail network of 160 stores in 45 cities across India.

The size of the outlets would vary according to the purchasing power of a city, said Sanjeev Mohanty, its Managing Director. He, according to a PTI report, was speaking on sidelines of Pure&Play Retail Summit.

Benetton India has been clocking a whopping an annual growth rate of over 60% for the past four years.

“We are looking to acquire a bigger market share and hence are upgrading our brand’s collection by inserting more accessories and fashion for women’s wear and men’s dressing,” added Mohanty.

Benetton– the Italian fashion apparel group, which was founded over four decades ago in 1965, operates over 5,500 contemporary stores in 120 countries across the world. The Group, which produces about 160 million garments every year, conveys strong Italian character in design, style, and quality of the clothes, it produces. The group, known for its advertising campaigns world-over, achieved a sales turnover of € 2.1 billion in 2007.