P N Rao ventures into Chennai

Renowned suit specialist based out of Bangalore, P N Rao has opened

doors to a 5,000 sq. ft. showroom in Chennai. The newly launched store in Alwarpet, Chennai retails a range of ready-to-wear suits from Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, Givo, Blackberrys, V. and Park Avenue. For custom tailoring, suit and shirt fabrics from Raymond, Morarji, Reid & Taylor and J Hampstead are used. Options range from formal wear to occasion wear, besides tuxedos, ethnic wear and accessories.

P N Rao, which was set up in 1923 by the late P N Rao, has three retail showrooms in Bangalore, which have been achieving Rs 20 crore sales annually. With the company claiming to have 10 crore loyal customers base, 25 per cent of its sales come from repeat business. After debuting in Chennai, its first store outside Bangalore, the company plans to enter Hyderabad next year.

The retailer is also planning to launch its own brand of suits and shirts. To achieve this, it is setting up a suit manufacturing facility in Hoskote, with an investment of Rs 6 crore. The plant, with a production capacity of 150 suits a day, will be operational in a year. As a part of its retail expansion strategy, it is also looking at opening ‘craft your own shirt’ corner in malls.