Grasim eyes retail expansion in smaller towns

Grasim, India’s homegrown and men’s lifestyle brand, a subsidiary of Grasim Industries and a part of the Aditya Birla Group, aims to expand its retail network to tap Tier II, III cities for growth. From the existing store count of 12, the company plans to open 50 outlets by 2016, out of which almost 80 percent would be in smaller towns.

The 15-year-old textile brand ventured into the ready-to-wear segment only three years back and started with the northern region, later foraying into eastern India. Now the plan is to focus on retail expansion in central India, particularly states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The ready-to-wear segment, which currently accounts for roughly Rs 30 crores turnover of Grasim Industries and it plans to take the figure to Rs 100 crores in the next three to four years.

Grasim has also partnered with American e-commerce major Amazon to retail an exclusive range of men’s apparels, which are not available in physical retail stores. With an aim to establish Grasim as one of the top national brands in the affordable and fashionable apparel category, the company has been working on different apparel ranges starting from Rs 700 to Rs 1,500.