• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug. 22 FMCG and hospitality sector major ITC Ltd said it would set up new small format stores in rural areas on the lines of its existing hypermarket chain, Choupal Sagar, by early next year, as a step to expand its retail operations.

“The idea is to penetrate lower income level rural areas through the smaller Choupal Sagar stores, spread over about one acre,” Mr S. Sivakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Agri Business Division, ITC Ltd, said on the sidelines of the CII Marketing Summit here on Wednesday. The stores would cost Rs 2 crore each and would be set up in small towns and rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, he said without disclosing the number of outlets the company planned to open.

ITC plans smaller outlets that would have a capacity to house between 12,000-13,000 stock keeping units at 40 locations, out of the existing 170 across the country where it already runs its big format stores.

In the next 5-6 years, ITC is also planning a multi-fold increase in the number of its e-Choupals, a platform where villagers can access the Internet. “We will increase the number of e-Choupals from the current 6,400 in 130 districts to 20,000 across 350 districts,” said Mr Sivakumar.

He said the company would open around 200 new Choupal Fresh outlets, food and beverage stores in major towns of the country, including metros, to expand its presence in urban areas.

More Stories on : Retailing | Rural Development | I T C Ltd

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Image makeover apace at Union Bank

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line