Noel Tata takes over as chairman of Trent

Noel Tata takes over from F K Kavarana who has been Chairman of Trent since 2006. Tata Group company, Trent

operates retail chains like Star Bazaar and Westside. Kavarana stepped down from the company’s board of directors on March 30 and Tata takes on his new role immediately, said a statement by Tata Group to BSE.

Noel Tata, who built Trent into a Rs 1,000 crores company and launched a slew of brands such as Sisley and Zara in India, also brought Wolverine Brands, a joint venture between Tata International and US-based Wolverine World Wide to India.

Tesco recently sought approval to open retail stores in India with an investment of 110 million dollars (over Rs 600 crores) in joint venture with existing partner Trent under the Tata Group. As per sources, Tesco will trade in products under 14 categories, including textiles, footwear, cereals, crockery, furniture among others and plans to open three to five stores every financial year, initially starting with Maharashtra.

The joint venture, Trent Hypermarket will operate stores under banners, including Star Bazaar, Star Daily, Star Market with tag line stating 'A Tata and Tesco Enterprise'. Tesco already has presence in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chennai through the JV.