The Hindu Business Line : Footwear brand Loft to go national

BUYING footwear or trying on that pair or sports shoes can soon come packaged with a soothing pedicure or foot massage, what with Lakewood Malls, the holding company that owns Loft, the country's largest branded shoe store, now planning to roll out its brand across the country.

Plans are being firmed up to take the large format retail store, which is headquartered in the upscale Haiko supermarket at Powai in Mumbai and currently open also at Hyderabad, into cities such as Bangalore, Chennai and New Delhi over the next couple of years.

First stop for the store's expansion is Pune city where it has finalised a 20,000 sq.ft. retail space within a mall in the up-market Koregaon Park area, a company spokesperson told Business Line adding it will be launched by the end of 2004.

"We plan to go to at least four other places by 2007'', the spokesperson said. "We are planning to initially take the brand to other cities initially through company-owned stores but at a later stage might consider the franchisee route.''

The Loft is being positioned as the country's largest branded shoe shop with over 130 brands available in one destination. At over 22,000 sq.ft. of retail space, the Hyderabad store is its largest, while the Mumbai store has 18,000 sq.ft. of retail therapy on offer.

The company has added value to the customer's shopping experience by providing services such as pedicures and foot massages in-store, some of them free with purchases over a certain amount.

Interestingly, the store also houses a jogging track under its roof where customers can try on running or jogging shoes or other high-ticket purchases. "The idea is to educate the consumer about footwear and footcare'', the spokesperson said.

Lakewood Malls also owns two other brands in Mumbai — the Haiko supermarket and Culture Shop, a one-stop destination for ethnic and contemporary handicrafts and artifacts from across India.

"We are planning to roll out Haiko in various locations across Mumbai and also take Culture Shop into other locations,'' the spokesperson said.