Vishal group to set up more stores in Punjab

After its success in Ludhiana and Patiala, Delhi-based Vishal Retail Ltd, a company engaged in setting up hyper market stores, will make a presence in Amritsar shortly. This will be the company's third store in Punjab.

Furthermore, the company is planning to strengthen its retail chain in the northern region by opening stores in Chandigarh and Jalandhar.

Moreover, the company is planning to add 19 stores, including some in Tier-II cities, by the middle of next year, taking the total to 50.

The company has a fully integrated factory in Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon, spread over 80,000 square feet area.

It was in 2001 that the company foresaw potential in the retail segment, the largest sector in the global economy. The group started its corporate journey with a mission to bring quality garments within the reach of the common man.

Besides garments, the company has added watches, sunglasses, fashion accessories, gifts and novelties, electrical appliances, digital diaries, perfumes and cosmetics, etc. to its product portfolio.

With an area of 25,000-30,000 square feet, the company has 31 fully integrated and self-owned stores, spread in 24 cities in the country. Currently, it has a presence in Agra, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hissar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Meerut, Patiala, Pune, Ranchi, Siliguri, etc.

By the middle of next year, the group is going to have stores in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhilwara, Chandigarh, Indore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Ludhiana, and Surat.

Director Ram Chandra Agarwal said, "We have successful brands like Zeppelin, Kitaan Studio, Paranoia, Chlorine, and Fizzy Babe, Jasmine, Zero Degree, Soil, Massa Bay and more in our fashion portfolio."

Commenting on the northern region, Aggarwal said the region had potential and basically "we are based in Delhi and so controlling operations is easier".

In 2005-06, the turnover of the company was Rs 288 crore. Agarwal said, "This rise has inspired the group to chalk out an ambitious expansion programme, which includes adding 21 more stores by mid-2007. The company has a target of crossing Rs 650 crore in March next year, and by the middle of 2010, the Vishal group is expected to go past Rs 5,000 crore."