Madura Fashion & Lifestyle launches 'Planet Fashion Grande'

Planet Fashion is a retail initiative of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle. A part of The Aditya Birla Group, Madura F&L has been the pioneer in men?s fashion in India, with brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and Allen Solly, each of which is a market leader in their segments.

Launched in 2001 as a retail format to cater to the discerning customer who seeks a choice of the best brands, Planet Fashion today boasts of 145 stores across 97 cities, making it the largest apparel retail chain of its kind in the country. It registers an annual walk-in of over 3 million customers. By the end of this year Planet Fashion will touch a figure of 200 stores.

Planet Fashion operates stores between 1500 to 6000 sq ft that primarily caters to menswear and focuses on its in-house brands. It has a retail turnover of Rs 240 Cr, and last year registered a growth of 25 %. To drive its growth objective, they are now launching a new format of store christened `Planet Fashion Grande?. The first Planet Fashion Grande was launched on Friday, 16th Dec, at 100 ft Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore.

True to its name `Grande?, Planet Fashion has ensured that no stone is left unturned to create a store that truly lives up to its name. The store has been designed by Blocher Blocher Partners, an internationally renowned German architectural firm. They are renowned for having designed stores for Hugo Boss, Porsche Design and the likes across the world. The visual language for the store has been put together by Liga Nova which is an international brand retail company specializing in visual merchandising.

The shopping experience at the store is enhanced by the well trained staff that has been handpicked from across the country. The store boasts of a Stylist, who has over 25 years of experience in the field of suits & designing tailored garments. He will personally attend to customers to advise them on fabric, design, fits & style to match their body type, usage occasion and comfort preference.

Research has shown that most customers seek to be stylish but find themselves puzzled by the plethora of brands that most large format stores offer. This insight has been the basis of merchandise planning architecture at the Grande. Planet Fashion Grande has showcased only selected successful brands covering all relevant clothing options. Mr.Shoaib Farooqi, COO, Planet Fashion, International Business and Trade Sales said ?In our store, options aren?t galore. We only offer exhaustive merchandise across handpicked brands. That is what differentiates us from other retail formats?.

Positioned as a store that enables one to ?move up in style?. As a philosophy, Planet Fashion is customer-centered and believes in delivering what the customers specifically seek. Planet Fashion Grande? showcases four segments. The international floor has some of the most sought after brands like Calvin Klein, Nautica, Esprit & EDC, each depicting its retail lifestyle look. To compliment these, there is a section on accessories with international fragrances & sunglasses.

The Ceremonial floor is the ultimate destination for those looking for a male wedding trousseau. You have the largest collection of designer Sherwanis and wedding accessories. The suit section offers suits for formal as well as evening wear across brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and Allen Solly. For those particular about exclusive tailoring, there is a section dedicated to custom tailoring. Planet Fashion Grande? is launching made-to-measure service where the suits will be custom tailored at the company?s factory set up with Italian collaboration.

The ladies section is one of its kind that hasn?t been seen in Bangalore till now. It offers the prêt line of Ritu Kumar. The exclusive printed sarees from Satya Paul launches you into a different orbit of imagination. As is also true of the pure ethnic collection from Seven East or ethnic fusion range of Global Desi. On the formal front you can satiate your desire with AND, a western fusion range, not to miss the large variety from Allen Solly and Van Heusen Women. All this is complemented with footwear & handbags. ?Going by the number of ladies that have already walked in & the amount of curiosity they expressed even before the official store launch, I can confidently say that the ladies section is already a super success.? Says Farooqi.

The menswear floor is an exhaustive storehouse of choice with brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Levis and a range of footwear from Metro to complete your wardrobe.

Farooqi says, ?The next store of 18,000 sft is ready to open in the busy Karol Bag shopping district of Delhi by the end of the year. Delhi being a big wedding market, the Grande? will have an exclusive Bridal section as well.? By the end of next fiscal, they are targeting to open 15 such stores across India. ?In addition to metros, towns like Surat, Indore, Dehra Dun & others are in the pipeline.?