GKB Opticals' retail plans on overdrive in Gujarat

Stepping up its retail plans, GKB Opticals, the retail division of GKB Rx Lens Pvt Ltd, will be setting up of its stores in Gujarat.

The ophthalmic retail chain has already set up one store each in Surat and Ahmedabad, and is in process of setting up two more in Baroda and Rajkot.

Speaking of the company's plans, H V N Raj, general manager sales, GKB Opticals said, "With the boom in the retail sector, we believe in moving with the times making sure that what we offer is the most advanced in the country, be it our lenses, frames or eye testing facility. We will be setting up at least 50 stores across the country by the end of this calendar year."

Raj claims that the Ahmedabad store, which was 37th nationally, is the largest with an area of around 3,000 sq.ft. With approximately 1,500 frames and sunglasses on display, the store houses nearly 35 brands including Ray Ban, Cartier, Mont Blanc, Tommy Hilfiger, Vogue, Swarovski, Armani, Oakley, Silhouette, Gucci, Rodenstock and Seiko.

The stores also feature in-house brands of frames and sunglasses which are manufactured by the parent company GKB Rx Lens Pvt Ltd. Raj said that typically a store requires an investment of Rs 8-10 crore which includes an imported eye-tes-ting machine worth Rs 8-10 lakhs.

With spectacle frames priced from Rs 600 to as high as Rs 35,000, the store fea-tures an in-house digital eye-testing facility alongwith services from qualified optometrists.