Home Solutions Retail (India) Ltd has opened HomeTown, its home improvement format, at Marathalli in Bangalore. With a built-up area of 180,000 square feet, it has been positioned with an objective to provide end-to-end solutions to customers to build and set up a home.
HomeTown format has been designed with three specific sections – Exhibitions, Markets and Services. On offer are an array of services and products ranging from basic electrical and plumbing to financing schemes for purchases.
Home Solutions Retail is a part of Future Group, which operates a number of lifestyle and value retail formats. It has in its bouquet 19 eZone, 10 Collection-i, four HomeTown, 62 Electronics Bazaar, 64 Furniture Bazaar, and 45 Got IT outlets across 40 cities in India.
According to company plans, each major city of India is likely to have one HomeTown format. Apart from the Bangalore outlet, HomeTown is present in Noida, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Within the next six months, Home Solutions Retail plans to have new HomeTown outlets in Pune, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Kolkata and Thane.
Company sources inform that each HomeTown is expected to rake in revenues to the tune of Rs two crore per annum. Currently, the company has earmarked Rs 20 crore for each store.
Talwalkars open fifth Fit & Active at HomeTown
Talwalkars, a name synonymous with health and fitness, has set up its retail initiative Talwalkars Fit & Active within HomeTown at Marathalli, Bangalore. The 330 square feet Talwalkars centre is the fifth offering of the company and features a range of international home-use fitness equipments that Talwalkars owns exclusive licenses for sale in India.
Talwalkars had earlier entered into a joint venture with Pantaloon Retail India Ltd (PRIL) for setting up Talwalkars Pantaloon Fitness centres. As per the agreement, Talwalkars will be setting up exclusive Talwalkars Fit & Active retail outlets and gyms within PRIL-owned malls and other retail formats.
Currently, Talwalkars Fit & Active is present in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The outlets in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore are within the HomeTown format. Adarsh Nigam, business head, Talwalkars Pantaloon Fitness, told Indiaretailing, “On an average, Talwalkars Fit & Active centres are spread over an area of 400-600 square feet. We plan to set up over 50 outlets in three years’ time.”
– Amrita Datta, Bangalore Bureau
