FirstCry strengthens team, eyes offline expansion

Babycare retailer FirstCry which retails both online as well as offline, is busy building its team, while looking at increasing its number of stores to 200 by mid-next year from 125 at present. The Pune-based company has almost doubled its headcount to about 800 in the past six months, as it looks to strengthen its offline presence.

Recently, the company appointed Amitabh Sadasiv, former regional manager at Raymond, as the National Stores Operations Manager to manage its franchised stores. The company is also said to be on the lookout for senior managers for the technology team, product manager and someone to head its hospital initiative, where a new mother at partner hospitals is gifted a FirstCry hamper.

The company also roped in acclaimed actor Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador recently. The company is also eyeing to raise more funds again next year through a fifth funding round. It has so far raised 36 million dollars (over Rs 228 crores) in Series D funding led by venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates and San Francisco based Valiant Capital. It had bagged funds worth 10 million dollars (over Rs 60 crores) in the last round earlier this year.

FirstCry, launched in 2010 by Maheshwari and Amitava Saha, is owned by Brainbees Solution, a products supplier for pregnant women and kids. Operating through the omni-channel model, the brand also has over 120 exclusive stores across the country.