An expensive indulgence

ZOOMING IN

With the Rs 800,000 crore retail sector booming, each player is looking at niche areas to differentiate services. That's why, Lifestyle International, part of the Dubai-based retail chain Landmark Group, is experimenting with a hair and beauty salon at one of its three Mumbai stores.

The 500 sq ft space "" Indulgence "" within the store will be dedicated to two rooms - one will provide skin care services and the other hair care. While Lifestyle has provided the infrastructure and space, Christain Dior and Lazartigue will provide the products and expertise in skin and hair care.

Why a salon? Says Kumar Sitaraman, managing director, LifeStyle International, "We want to provide our customers the service experience that is in line with the service at the store. We house international lifestyle products and as an extension of that feel we can offer international service as well."

Kumar and team chose Mumbai to open its first shop-in-shop because of the availability of space. Lifestyle plans to take its current seven national stores to 21 stores in three years. And Kumar is hoping to extend Indulgence to as many stores as possible. Services are priced in the range of Rs 1,850 to Rs 3,500.

Lifestyle will have tremendous competition in this area. Already, Hindustan Lever's Lakme Salons dot the national landscape, apart from skin care clinics like Marico's Kaya, besides a host of other entrepreneurial outfits like Nalini & Yasmin and Juice.

But Kumar feels there's enough room for one more player and is betting on the convenience of the service being located in the store. "Customers can walk in and buy products, even use the services to rejuvenate themselves and get expert advice," he says.

Model grooming

SOCIALITE QUEENIE DHODY is busy these days. While her jewellery designs are a hit with the celeb set in India and abroad, she's all set to launch her brand new line of skin and hair care products branded Skin Essence.

Dhody has tied up with Dinyar Boxwalla who she refers to as, "a guru in skin care", and will now package and showcase his products in the skin-care centres that Dhody plans to launch in not just the metros but also Hong Kong and Dubai in the near future.

The first such centre where people can pamper themselves to facials, massages and other skin related therapies has already opened in New Delhi's posh Greater Kailash area.

Currently, there are 35 skin and hair care products that have been launched by Dhody and the number will increase gradually. While most of the hair-care products are under the Rs 200 price range, the facial masks carry a tag of Rs 1,800 and above for 50 gm.

Channels crooning

Reality TV gets another heady doze. Sony television recently kick-started its search for an Indian Idol. While Sony TV is hoping to procure more than its fair share of ad revenue, Star TV, promoter of Channel V, is bringing its Super Singer to 10 cities in India.

In the past two years, Channel V received a great boost in terms of TRP ratings with Popstars - I and Popstars -II. While the first all-girl popstar band "" the now defunct Viva "" was created in 2002 with the help of big name celebrity judges like Shobhaa De, Manish Malhotra, Shiamak Davar and Shubha Mudgal, in 2003, Channel V realised that it was reaching out to just one section of the viewers.

Then came another boy-girl band "" Aasma with four youngsters. This time, however, Channel V is not launching four popstars. Instead, there will be only one singer who will be chosen by one judge "" popstar Adnan Sami.

On the other hand, Sony television has roped in three of the most popular figures in Bollywood to judge Indian Idol.

Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan, musician Anu Malik and singer-actor Sonu Nigam are all set to judge budding singers in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

A total of 100 people will then be called to Mumbai and the number will be further trimmed to 30, then to 10 and subsequently only one lucky person will be anointed with the title.

To generate substantial hype and excitement around the programme, Sony has partnered with Nokia as the official mobile partner besides Planet M and Cafe Coffee Day for extensive ground promotions.

Sue Adams, FremantleMedia's managing director, Asia, the company that conceived the project in UK in 2001 is hoping that the success of the format will be replicated in India.