The Hindu Business Line : Retailers see potential in large-sized customers

New Delhi, Aug. 14 Big is in! Retailers have finally taken stock of the huge untapped potential in catering to large-sized people, through apparel or accessories.

An increasing number of standalone single brands such as the Delhi-based Just My Size as well as special large-size specific divisions in national retail chains like ‘All’ in Pantaloon, are mushrooming across the country.

“Though retail is burgeoning in India, there was really no one catering to this section of the society. Of the total population of India, 28 per cent women and 35 per cent men are obese. So, we decided to step in and take command of the situation,” said Mr Chandan Widhani, Director, Just My Size. The company, which plans to open five outlets every month to reach the 25-store mark by 2010, says that for obese people shopping is a very personal experience where clothes mostly have to be tailored to suit their body specifications.

“Out of the 50-lakh urban population of Delhi, 15 lakh are obese, with practically no branded retailer catering to their needs. Our idea was to bring the latest fashion to them at affordable costs,” said Mr Widhani.

Just My Size will soon have stores in Tier-I cities such as Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Ludhiana, before the rollout in Tier-II cities, with apparel priced from Rs 599 to Rs 1,800.

The company also plans to increase its offerings to accessories such as bags, wallets and belts.

Meanwhile, ‘All,’ Pantaloon’s in-store division specifically catering to large-sized customers, has already stepped on the gas and set up 10 standalone stores across the country.

“This is an area with huge potential, and we are focusing our resources greatly on a robust expansion in this category,” said Ms Aarti Gudal, Business Manager.

The company already has standalone stores up and running in places such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Indore.

“We plan to set up 25 standalone All stores across India in the next three years. These will function alongside the in-store division of Pantaloon stores,” said Ms Gudal.

Though the company refused to comment on the revenues garnered from the standalone stores, Ms Gudal said that All divisions at Pantaloon account for five per cent of total revenues.

Then there are big players such as Benetton, which plan to foray into the sector as a part of its second phase of expansion.

“Large-sized apparel currently could be 5-7 per cent of the Rs 40,000-crore apparel industry. We will definitely focus on the large-sized apparel business in the second phase of our expansion,” said Mr Sanjeev Mohanty, Managing Director - South and South-East Asia Pacific, Benetton India.