Alok H&A, the retail brand from Alok Industries, is aiming for a makeover of its stores by this Diwali as per the lifestyle concept. On display will be accessories, shoes, bags, watches, jewelry, apart from apparels and home furnishings.
It also plans a lot of promotions and a 360 degree ad campaign. “In terms of store reach, we have aimed for 500 stores by March 2012 and we are on track on our expansion plans. We have a 20 per cent year-on-year growth target, which we feel will be realized by next Diwali and the end-of-season sales to follow. Overall, our main focus is on increasing the number of stores and our presence in shop-in-shops. We are looking at a distribution network through MBOs,” avers Varun S Jiwrajka, Head Retail-Alok H&A.
Their new winter range will be fresh, bright and colorful. A specific range on folktales is being launched in the ethnic category to focus on the cultural milieu of Tier II and III cities along with the metros. “Apart from these, we have numerous colors for various moods and many stories in the women’s category for the festive season. Kids’ category is not being ignored either and we will be introducing a range of party happy stories to satisfy the fashion needs of little tots,” he says. The brand’s target audience is mainly between 16 to 35 years. The customers are primarily from the mid-income group who look for affordable fashion and the upper class which is moving towards branded offerings in Tier II and Tier III cities.
EBOs generate maximum sales for them. The ratio between their retail formats is 68 per cent EBOs, 29 per cent MBOs and the rest seven per cent is generated from large formats like Central, Shoppers Stop etc. “We are filling in the needs of the smaller towns by offering them the same retail experience as the bigger retailers offer in metro cities. The lifestyle format has been our growth strategy and we have opened large stores in Indore, Aurangabad, Rajahmundry etc. with lifestyle products like shoes, bags, sunglasses, perfumes, clutches apart from apparels and home furnishings,” informs Jiwrajka. He feels the spending capacity in Tier II and Tier III cities has always been there and an increasing number of companies are now targeting them with renewed vigor. And that is what Alok H&A is also targeting for its own growth.
