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Sudha Menon

Pune , Oct.1

RAYMOND'S pret-a-porter business, Be:, is all set to tap the style needs of discerning buyers in metros and mini-metros by entering into alliances with large format shopping malls and stores.

The store, which is now positioning itself as a fashion destination, has kicked off the first such venture with its brand new store opening at the Pyramid Megastore in Pune, well in advance of the festive season.

"We hope to achieve significant growth in network by such alliances since the pressures of modern-day life barely leaves any time for families to actually commute out of their immediate neighbourhood for shopping,'' the Be: Executive Director, Mr Aniruddha Deshmukh, said.

"Most people now prefer to spend quality time shopping for their requirements at these one-stop destinations.''

The designer pret store will take its alliance with Pyramid Megastore to Nagpur where the latter is expected to open its store in the next couple of months, and also tap the large numbers of malls concentrated in Gurgaon as its next destination.

Meanwhile, the fashion conscious in Chennai will also have their own Be: with plans now the final stages for a store at Radhakrishnan Salai scheduled to open by December this year.

Be: will open in Delhi's Greater Kailash area in early October, Mr Deshmukh said.

The designer Pret store, which opened in Dubai last year, is now scouting for property to house one more such venture in the city this year.

Later, Be: will also tap Hong Kong, Singapore and other cities with a large Indian expat community.

Meanwhile, the store, which has to compete with a large number of fashion labels hitting retail shelves across the country, is strategising on how to stay ahead of the fashion frat and keep business healthy.

Mr Deshmukh and his team have come up with the idea of holding `fashion walks' across its stores on a regular basis, where designers on its board will have in-store shows.

Such walks were held recently in Mumbai and Kolkata. "A Bangalore fashion walk will be organised by Prasad Bidappa soon," Mr Deshmukh said.

"In a scenario where there are so many designers and labels and so many retail outlets, the idea is to keep up excitement around our store so that it brings in footfalls and, more importantly, drives our image up.''

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