Murjani to set up 4 Calvin Klein stores

The Murjani Group will be bringing premium brand Calvin Klein to India, with four stores being planned by the end of 2007.

Mohan Murjani, chairman, Murjani group told Business Standard, that they would be exploring different options for the brand in India.

"In addition to the brand stores, we are also considering freestanding stores for the innerwear range as well as for accessories. While we have rights to some accessories, we are in talks to bring in other accessories such as eyewear to India as well."

Murjani said the company was considering setting up freestanding stores for Calvin Klein and French Connection UK (FCUK) as well as the shop-in-shop format at the larger format retail outlets.

The company already retails the Tommy Hilfiger brand in India, and will be setting up a total of four Gucci and Jimmy Choo stores in the country by the end of 2007.

Murjani said the company would continue to bring in brands to India that fit in the luxury, premium or specialised category over the next few years, before moving on to a slightly lower band between the premium and mass brands.

"The potential for brand retailing in India is huge, and we want to be a major multi-brand player in India," he said.

Vijay Murjani, managing director, Murjani group said, "We are very aggressive on the build-a-bear (BAB) format, and plan to have between 50 and 100 outlets over the next five years," he said.

This will be a more mass format as compared to the other brands that the company is bringing in and will be present in malls as well as high streets."

While there would be a couple of large flagship stores of about 2,000 square feet, the average size the group is considering for this brand is 1,200-1,500 square feet.

The pricing for all brands, said Murjani, would be more or less at par with prices in Dubai or Singapore, with the starting level for BAB being Rs 500. The group is also launching luggage brand Tumi in India.