Trent plans to open 18 Westside flagship stores next year

Trent-controlled retail chain Westside is planning to open 18 flagship stores in calendar year 2008.

Market sources said that Westside, one of India's fastest growing retail store chains, will target mostly tier II and III cities as part of its expansion plans for 2008, with flagship stores in the 40,000-50,000 square feet range.

At least 80 per cent of the property acquisitions required for Westside's next phase of expansion have been wrapped up, the sources said.

Westside will be launching two new stores every month starting January 2008, the source added, noting that these could be bracketed under either the flagship or standard categories of store dimensions.

As part of the growth drive, Trent is also said to have signed a franchise agreement with leading home shopping company, Littlewoods Shop Direct Group of the UK this year to extend the reach of the Westside brand to UK shoppers.

Trent is also set to launch its second Star One Global hypermarket (under the Star India Bazaar initiative) after Ahmedabad, at Vashi in sub-urban Mumbai towards the end of calendar 2007.

It is significant that Trent had in April this year entered into an agreement with The Xander Group Inc, a global private equity firm, to develop and manage an institutional retail real estate portfolio in India in partnership with Indian developers.

Trent is likely to leverage this arrangement into its growth plans for brand formats Westside, Landmark and Star India Bazaar.

The flagship stores planned next year will substantially improve possibilities for cross-promotion between Westside and Landmark, the south-based books and music retail chain in which Trent had acquired 76 per cent stake in 2005.

Established in 1998, Rs 456-crore Trent retails menswear, womenswear, kidswear, footwear, cosmetics, electronic goods, perfumes and handbags, household accessories, lingerie and gifts through Westside.

Westside has worked on moulding its outlets along the snazzy, well-designed, hands-on ambiences and coffee shop displays typical of Lacoste, Nike and Switch retail stores in the West, and personalized its offerings by offering style and accessory guides to its customers.

The stores are seeking to capitalize on the dynamic retail market fuelled by increasing incomes across every middle class strata, as well as the opportunity to wean away a substantial portion of consumers from the unorganized retail sector by offering world-class interiors and designer wear at diverse price points.

The company operates 26 Westside departmental stores in over 18 cities since 1999, including Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mysore.