Ritu Wears changes name to Biglife

The chain of department stores known as Ritu Wears has been rechristened as Biglife.

The parent group JDS Apparels is planning to raise Rs 50 crores by selling shares to private equity funds to fund its expansion plan. JDS currently runs 12 department stores that are now called Biglife. The retailer wants to open large format stores in cities like Agra, Panipat, Meerut, Moradabad, Bareilly, Dehradun and Jaipur in a year. All stores will be of 30,000 sq. ft. or more. Since JDS has multiple brands, it can only tap domestic investors such as Reliance Capital, Aditya Birla Capital Advisors and Kotak Private Equity Group to raise funds.

JDS Apparels was opened in 1961 in Delhi by Janak Dulari Sahni, who was joined by sons Sanjay and Sameer. The company posted a profit of Rs 7.5 crores and sales of Rs 190 crores in the year ended 31 March 2011. Ritu Wears started as a 200 sq. ft. children’s wear store in 1965. From the conventional and conservative to the ultra-modern and futuristic, Biglife offers an exclusive women’s wear collection. Biglife prides itself in being a fashion store for the entire family. Everything at Biglife is exclusively merchandised and the products ranges from stylized clothes, footwear, cosmetics, fragrances, toys, watches, luggage and accessories for men, women and children to well-coordinated table linens, artifacts, home accessories and furnishings.