The Hindu Business Line : HyperCity creates private sports label for World Cup

Across products
The rub off of the event on the rest of the categories such as TVs and LCDs is also expected to boost the hypermarket's sales.
Mulls a private label brand for the consumer electronics category.

Mumbai March 13 For the 2007 World Cup season, K. Raheja Group company HyperCity Retail (India) has unleashed its first private label in the sports wear category under the brand name — Maxit.

Expecting a surge in sports apparel and equipment sales during the World Cup, the hypermarket has launched a range of goods targeting sports such as cricket, football, soccer and basket-ball.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Ashutosh Chakradeo, Business Head, General Merchandise, HyperCity Retail, said, "We are using the hype created by the World Cup to launch our private label brand in the sports category. Targeting the value-conscious consumer, we expect a surge in sales in sports merchandise between 25 and 30 per cent during the World Cup."

Other sports brands

Apart from its private label brand - Maxit, HyperCity is also vending other sports brands such as Wilson, Prince, Yonix, BDM and SG and expects the sports merchandise category to register significant sales during the World Cup.

With a new promo - The Blue Beat, HyperCity has converted its store into a World Cup zone with trivia about the event and branded galleries based on cricketers such as Super Sehwag and Dhoni Dhamaka.

It is also using the cricketers who are already brand ambassadors such as Yuvraj Singh, for selling games such as Microsoft's X Box.

Besides, the rub off of the event on the rest of the categories such as TVs and LCDs is also expected to boost the hypermarket's sales by 15-20 per cent, Mr Chakradeo says.

In fact, HyperCity is also mulling the possibility of introducing a private label brand for the consumer electronics category.

"We are looking at having a private label for the consumer electronics category. It would comprise small appliances mostly," says Mr Chakradeo.

HyperCity already has private labels in apparel (City Life and City Sense), Food (Fresh Basket) and Home (Tosca and Lauren Christopher).

With higher margins generating from private labels, the retailing company expects greater opportunities in the home category.