Pantaloon rolls out new retail format

Pantaloon Retail India - a Future Group company - has launched one more retail format, Brand Factory, to offer fashion brands at factory prices. The Future Group intends to take this format to all metros and A class towns with 10 lakh (1 million) plus population.

According to sources, the new format will offer the best brands at discounted prices, without compromising on the shopping experience. "The brands will be presented in a fully air-conditioned, slick environment spanning over 60,000 to 1,00,00 sq ft," a source said.

Vishnu Prasad, president - south and CEO - Central & Brand Factory, said; "Over the years, we have seen that factory outlets have become distinct shopping destinations with distinct audiences. With fashion cycles reducing, larger quantities of stocks are reaching factory outlets. But then, what is compromised here is the brand and its image."

"The emphasis at Brand Factory is to offer customers the widest range of brands possible at absolutely great prices in an ambience that benefits the brand. We clearly have the first mover advantage in this space and plan to capitalise on this by scaling up fast across key cities," he said.

The growth in retail scope and scale has allowed Pantaloon to increase focus on emerging opportunities.

The first Brand factory store will be located in Marathahalli - a hub for factory outlets in Bangalore - and the second at Abids, Hyderabad.

Both these stores will be launched this month. The new format will offer a wide array of products such as men's wear, ladies' wear, infant wear, ladies' accessories, cosmetics, footwear, sportswear, luggage and home linen.

Brand Factory will host many Indian and International fashion brands, including Arrow, Esprit, Bossini, Van Heusen, Louis Philippe Levis, Lee, Pepe Jeans, Dockers, Wrangler and ProVogue.

Pantaloon Retail has a turnover of nearly Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) in 2005-06. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company operates through primarily the Lifestyle and Value formats through multiple delivery mechanisms and lines of business.

The company has stores in 30 cities in the country, constituting 3.2 million sq ft of retail space.