Wills Lifestyle on expansion spree

ITC is planning to expand its retail brands — John Players and Wills Lifestyle — extensively. The company

plans to double the Wills Lifestyle network to 100 stores in the next 18 months. It will be done through a mix of new stores in the existing markets and expanding their footprint in Tier-II markets through the franchising model. John Players is enjoying heightened consumer interest and its retail presence will be scaled up by adding 100 exclusive stores to take the total to over 300. The focus will be on multiple stores in metros and smaller markets, thus bringing the brand closer to the consumer.

According to Atul Chand, divisional chief executive, Lifestyle Retail Business, ITC it is their endeavor to make fashion more accessible to people as they target multiple consumer segments, enter new geographies, open more stores and make their products more appealing. A key strategy is to continuously leverage ITC synergies. For John Players, they believe the brand has been present but not adequately represented in cities, keeping in view its popularity. The new locations for John Player will be a combination of new cities as well as cities in which John Players is already present. The presence will be enhanced in towns with over 10 lakh population, where they will be adding 30 outlets and 40,000 sq. ft. space. He further adds Wills Lifestyle and John Players are leading brands in their respective segments. As a result of improvement in consumer sentiments, expansion and growth in existing stores, the company intends to grow by 20-25 per cent over last financial year.