A two-day East India Retail Summit (EIRS) 2012, organized by Images Group, will be held in Kolkata on January 11 and 12 at ITC Sonar, inviting a gathering of national and regional retailers.
East India, which has been for some time on the radar of national and international retailers, has, of late, seen some hyper activity in planning and developing quality retail space by real estate developers. With over 20 percent share in country’s total retail and 9 percent contribution to total modern retail in India, this region which includes the seven sister states of North East holds big promise for retailers as well as shopping center developers.
Talking about the event EIRS Chairman, Harshvardhan Neotia (Chairman, Ambuja Realty) said that he was glad to carry forward the momentum that the industry started in 2011 with the launch of the first edition of EIRS, which saw tremendous participation and appreciation for being the only and first-of-its-kind retail industry event in the region. “The retail frontier is expanding like never before, and we as contributors and stakeholders have much to be proud of, having shaped the retail landscape in the region to make it one of the most exciting and keenly watched regions in the Indian retail growth story. It is with this very thought in mind that we echo our vision and the region’s star growth potential at the East India Retail Summit 2012 with the theme ‘East India: The Rising Star of Indian Retail’, Neotia added.
Commenting on the summit, Amitabh Taneja, CMD, Images Group, said: “The EIRS will facilitate the evolution of modern retail in this vast but under leveraged market. For the second year in succession, we have drawn the region’s and the country’s biggest retail brands to proactively discuss, debate, and address the challenges and opportunities of this massive market. We will have some of the India’s largest national retailers at this summit, to deeply understand East India market’s unique character and to find ways to crack the code to retailing success here.”
East India Retail Summit 2012 is supported by brands like Bata, Coca Cola, Spencer’s, Future Group, Manyavar, Ambuja Realty, Prapti Fashions, Starmark, Khadim’s, Longhorns, Turtle, GKB Opticals, Baazar Kolkata, Eteenz, Forum Projects, Avani, Acropolis, and DLF, among others. Several big names in retail will attend the summit to spot the latest economic and retailing trends that are affecting the industry while exploring new business opportunities and strategies to increase productivity in this part of the country.
Among the retail honchos expected to attend the event will be Sunil Biyani, Future Group; Pramod Arora, PVR Cinemas; Vineet Gautam, Bestseller; Anant Daga, W; Rudra Kishore Sen, McDonald’s; Sumit Sahay, Croma; Mehriar Patel, Globus; Tarun Lal, YUM; K Ramakrishnan, Café Coffee Day; K. Dasaratharama, Spencer’s; Rahul Saraf, Forum Projects; Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, Bata India; Pankaj Renjhen, JLL; Kishore Bhatija, InOrbit; Mohit Tikmany, Manyavar; Sanjiv Gupta, GKB; Sanjay Vakharia, Spykar; and many more.
Mohit Tikmany, CEO, Vedant Fashions (Manyavar), said: “We had an enriching experience at EIRS’11, the first ever regional retail summit where we got an excellent opportunity to interact with the captains of the regional retail fraternity, share their experiences, and understand their business models and practices.” He further added: “EIRS’12 seems to be promising and we have great expectations from it. Retail never being the same before with increasing consumer aspirations, EIRS as an annual summit would act as an important catalyst for retailers of Eastern India to gain from one’s learning, experiences, and ideas and improvise a business plan to provide today’s consumer the best retail experience.”
Ved Vyas Chhabra, Owner, Tourister Shoes, said that associating with Images event has always been a pleasant experience. EIRS 2011 enriched the company with the happenings of retail activities in Eastern India with leading brands of the country sharing their outlook about the region. It provided a very effective platform on various retail-related issues. He said a larger participation is expected in EIRS 2012 and he is looking forward to gain from the experience and knowledge of the leaders of the retail industry.
Harish Bijoor, CEO, Consults Inc, said: “Retail is one of the oldest professions in the world. As India prepares to re-invent modern retail and re-jig traditional mom-and-pop retail simultaneously, the EIRS is bound to serve as a timely, relevant, original, and innovative forum for open debate, discussion, and decision-support.”
The event will also include an exhibition featuring the best-known brands, companies, vendors, and partners. Images East India Retail awards, an initiative to felicitate and honor the best performing retail companies, will also be held at the summit for categories such as apparel and accessories, consumer durables, home fashion brands, furniture, health, beauty, and fitness.
An added attraction of the summit will be a fashion show called “India Brand Show,” featuring leading fashion brands. Models including Shonal Rawat, Asif Azim, and Karan Rao among others will walk the ramp.
Images Multimedia Group (established in 1992) is retail intelligence organization with publications, research, education, events, awards, and retail support services. The company has played a vital role in organizing fashion and retail businesses in India and has successfully set up an information exchange via media, which equips the trade with the knowledge that drives the fashion and retail businesses across the globe.
Establishing a continuous flow of information through its activities facilitating networking amongst investors, retailers, realtors, and brand leaders, Images has emerged as a vital link between the marketers and the market place.
Images forums are known worldwide, where the retail, franchise, and shopping center fraternities converge.
-IndiaRetailing Bureau
