Pantaloon DePOT targets kids market via schools

DePOT, the books, music, gifts and stationery retail format of Pantaloon Retail India Limited, is targeting school kids to grow its brand in India.

It has also identified regional publication to drive sales.

Speaking to Business Standard, Darshana Shah, senior manager - marketing of DePOT, said, "Children's books form 40 per cent of our overall sales. We are therefore targeting children to build the DePOT brand."

DePOT is looking at doing up libraries of schools in Kolkata.

For instance, DePOT is in talks with Mahadevi Birla, Shri Shikshayatan and Ashoka Hall in Kolkata.

The company is also trying to build DePOT into a leisure-cum-activity zone for children.

According to Shah, DePOT's present contribution to the group's turnover is negligible considering it is only a year old. But by 2010, it expects to contribute 10 per cent to the group's overall turnover on the back of its exclusive content, school-level activities, and availability of regional content in books and music.

Depot also aims to be a strong member of the local communities it operates in through a variety of events, engagements and social initiatives.

According to Shah, building a books and stationery brand does not only depend on freebies or discount war. It also means ensuring an environment for consumers that would help them relax and provide them variation within the store itself.

"So we would be looking at involving readers into activities within the stores," Shah said.

The company, at present, has 85 DePOTs in India, in both shop-in-shop and standalone formats. It plans to set up a total of 150 DePOTs by the year-end.

It is also expecting a Rs 100 crore turnover by June 2008 from Rs 50 crore right now.

DePOT is also looking at regional publishing.

For instance, it would stock books in Bengali in Kolkata, while in Maharashtra it stocks books in Marathi and in Hindi in north India.

"We are also looking at exclusive titles which means we have the exclusive rights to the content. For instance we have exclusive rights for some of the books by Sanjeev Kapoor, Nita Mehta, etc," informed Shah.

Kolkata's first 4,500 sq ft DePOT was inaugurated on Friday and saw participation from 200 school children.

According to Shah, children's books form 40 per cent of DePOT's overall sales. The remaining is mainly self-help cookery books as well as fiction.