The Hindu Business Line : Putting the retail foot forward

SPECIALITY retailing seems to be the new trend in footwear marketing. Over 70 international and Indian brands under one roof. That's `The Loft' — the new footwear shopping centre being set up by a Mumbai-based group.

The first centre will be opened in Mumbai on July 21 with 18,000 sq.ft. area displaying over 35,000 pairs of footwear.

Apart from stocking a range of shoe brands, both Indian and foreign, for men, women and children, The Loft will merchandise accessories such as a collection of over 15,000 pairs of socks, shoe polishes, laces and foot creams.

The shoe brands on offer will include Bally, Clarks, Florsheim and Weinbrenner for men; Tango, Liberty, Bata, Dr Scholl's and Hush Puppies for women; Ascot, First Step and Bubble Gummers for children; besides Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Umbro among the sports brands.

Besides, a pedicure centre, the store will also feature a joggers track and tread mill so that customers can check how a shoe feels on the shop floor, before purchase.

"It's experienced buying," says Mr Susil S. Dungarwal, Customer Care Executive and Chief Manager (Development & Operations), Lakewood Malls Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based company which is entering speciality retailing with the launch of The Loft. The company also runs a supermarket (Haiku) and a lifestyle store (Culture Shop). "Ninety-eight per cent of the people in the country don't know how to buy shoes," says Mr Dungarwal. "Very often customers are lead by the latest market trends. We will try to educate the customer on how to select the shoe best suited to his/her foot structure, rather than chasing after the image it is associated with or being dictated by its price tag alone."

The store has also roped in the services of orthopaedics, who will advise customers on the footwear suited to their feet, besides the key features to be considered when buying shoes. The specially designed `no noise, no loft' store boasts an internal microphone system that will connect each sales associate on the shop floor to staff in the store rooms to ensure that the customer requirements are met in the shortest time possible.

The store, set up at an investment of Rs 7.5 crore in Powai near here, is looking at a turnover of Rs 6 crore in the first year of operations. The official launch, slated for August 14, will be accompanied by a media campaign that will include full-page ads in the national dailies, innovative marketing concepts, besides the presence of national and international celebrities.

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