Benetton to open more stores in India

Benetton India, the Indian subsidiary of the Italy-based Benetton group, plans to open more than 20 exclusive stores in the country by the end of 2006.

Announcing this on the sidelines of inaugurating their flagship megastore outlet in Chennai, Gagan Singh, managing director, Benetton India Private Ltd, said that the growth will be mainly through the franchisee mode. The expansion will be mainly in the secondary cities in India, she added.

"India is a key market for the Benetton group and we will continue to build such megastores in all the metros in the South to provide the customers with a global shopping experience," Singh said.

Speaking on the occasion, M Lankalingam, chairman of Lanson group, who is also the master franchisee for Benetton in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, said that two more stores would be opened in the Ampa Mall in Chennai in six months.

"We also plan to set up one megastore in Pondicherry and two in Kerala by the end of next year," he added.

Benetton also plans to double its retail footprint in India to 100 stores in a period of three years. The company has a network of 59 vendors in India.