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Tag: Bengaluru

  • The Children’s Place lands in India

    The Children’s Place lands in India

    US retailer The Children’s Place has opened its first store in India.

    The brand has entered the market in partnership with Arvind Lifestyle Brands, opening its first store in Bengaluru.

    The Children’s Place operates about 1200 stores internationally and Arvind Lifestyle hopes to open up to 40 in India during the next four years, largely located in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.

    Arvind Lifestyle CEO J. Suresh said the children’s clothes and accessories market is dominated by the ‘unorganised” retailers and his company sees a significant opportunity to gain first to market advantage in the category.

    “We should hopefully be the leading player in the market,” said Suresh.

    Mridumesh Kumar Rai, who heads The Children’s Place business in India added: “We want to be for kids wear what Zara and Mango are for women’s fast fashion in India,” said.

    Arvind Lifestyle sells a broad range of franchised lifestyle brands including Gap, Nautica, Ralph Lauren, US Polo and Elle. Earlier this year it announced a partnership with US teen fast fashion brand Aeropostale.

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  • Ikea India buys site for first store

    Ikea India buys site for first store

    Ikea India has acquired the land for the first of 25 stores planned for the country.

    The Swedish home furnishings company says the 13 acre site is located close to the IT hub Hitec City and is close to public transport, including a metro line under construction.

    Further details were scant, except that the land was acquired from the Telangana government. Ikea India plans 24 more stores in the long term and is currently evaluating sites in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi NCR.

    Each Ikea store will cost about $100 million to establish, including land and construction costs.

    Part of the arrangement allowing Ikea to open single brand stores in India is that it has to source product from within the country. The company already has about 50 suppliers in India employing some 45,000 people. Now it is actively searching for more suppliers to boost the proportion of locally-sourced stock.

    IKEA India CEO Juvencio Maeztu described India as a promising market because it offers the company the opportunity to source, retail, conduct CSR initiatives through Ikea charitable foundation and empower social entrepreneurs through next generation projects.

    “Our focus now is to bring all of it together in Hyderabad as we have bought our first land to build an Ikea store. We will bring a unique shopping experience through our inspiring stores offering affordable home furnishing products,” he said.

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  • McDonald’s India expands McCafe

    McDonald’s India expands McCafe

    McDonald’s India has opened three McCafés in Bengaluru.

    Westlife Development, owner of the Master Franchisee of McDonald’s in India, Hardcastle Restaurants, said the McCafes were the first in South India.

    Smita Jatia, MD of Hardcastle Restaurants, said Bengaluru has great significance as a coffee hub and there is tremendous potential for growth there.

    “With the launch of McCafe, we will strengthen our beverage strategy and build our restaurants as a one stop destination for all customers to enjoy across all ‘day parts’.

    Smita Jatia, Managing director, Hardcastle restaurants Pvt Ltd at the Launch of McCafe in Bengaluru

    *Smita Jatia, Managing director, Hardcastle restaurants Pvt Ltd at the Launch of McCafe in Bengaluru

    The store-in-store format enables a quick roll-out of a McCafé with an investment of Rs 30-35 lakhs per outlet across key trading areas in metro cities of West & South India to make it easily accessible to our consumers.”

    Jatia said within the last 18 months McDonald’s India has expanded the McCafé network across 41 restaurants in six cities – Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Nashik, Aurangabad, Pune and now Bengaluru.

    “Today, we are well on track as per the stated goal to launch 75-150 McCafé over the next three to five years, a clear testament to the fact that our coffees, frappes and muffins have been very well accepted by customers.”

    The expansion of the McCafé brand and its product offering is part of the company’s goal to elevate its coffee portfolio and to become India’s favourite destination for good food and quality beverages.

    McCafe counter at McDonald's outlet at JP Nagar,Bangalore (2)

    “We believe that we will be able to delight customers in Bengaluru too with our freshly brewed aromatic coffees,” said Jatia.

    McCafé uses 100 per cent Arabica coffee beans brewed by professionally trained baristas and sourced from sustainable farms in Chikmangalur, India.

    McDonald’s India first opened a McCafe in October 2013. Hardcastle Restaurants, which operates McDonald’s in west and south India, recognised an unmet need, for existing and new customers, in the rapidly growing Indian specialty coffee segment.

    McCafé was created and launched in Melbourne, Australia in 1993, and has since spread worldwide, with the first in the US opening in Chicago, Illinois, in May 2001. Today, McCafés can be found in Costa Rica, Japan, Paraguay, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, Canada, Malaysia, Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand and the UK, amongst other countries.

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