The Hindu Business Line : C3 supermarket chain on expansion spree

THE expansion plans of Tai Projects' C3 supermarket chain has got underway with the third C3 outlet in Kolkata ready to be unveiled in a couple of days.

Thereafter, the C3 supermarket footprint will be extended to elsewhere in Kolkata and select cities in West Bengal and neighbouring States such as Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand and Meghalaya. The funds required for meeting the company's expansion plans will be generated from internal generation and debts, according to Mr Rohan Ghosh, Director of Tai Projects Ltd.

Mr Ghosh said two more C3 supermarket outlets would be opened in Kolkata by the end of the current fiscal. In 2006-07, C3 outlets will be opened in Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Siliguri and Shillong. The setting up of each C3 outlet will entail an investment of Rs 3-4 crore on infrastructure, excluding the cost of inventories.

According to Mr Ghosh, the C3 chain will focus exclusively on food products, kitchenware and personal care products. "Our offerings shall be confined to products that find a place in people's households, from the kitchen to the refrigerator and the bathroom," he said, adding that retail in eastern India was on the upswing. "People in eastern India have felt and tasted retail. Retail is in, and we are in it."

The C3 chain currently accounts for about 30 per cent of the Rs 37-crore turnover of Tai Industries, which is engaged in trading in food products, ferro silicon and calcium carbide. Food products on offer include imported canned foods, fruit drinks and cold cuts. Low alcoholic beverages such as beer and wines can also be bought off the shelf at C3 outlets. In the current fiscal, revenue from the C3 supermarket chain is expected to surpass Rs 15 crore, Mr Ghosh said.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
The advent of entertainment marketing

Indage Hotels appoints Alok Nanda as creative agency

`Media insight vital to add value to brands'

Tata Indicom's new mobile phone plan

`Car'isma

Zensar Tech in pact with SMT Direct Marketing

Lifestyle launches co-branded credit card with SBI

Ranka Group sets up multi-brand garment store in Bangalore

C3 supermarket chain on expansion spree

Tea tasting competition showcases S. India's capability

PSBs also chant marketing mantra, divert surplus staff

`Market changes put pressure on employer-staff relations'

Campco launches new products