The high-end retail textile market in Coimbatore has become broader with well-known retail player Pothys opening a sprawling showroom on Oppannakara Street here on Wednesday.

Speaking to Business Line , Mr S. Ramesh, Managing Director, Pothys, said Coimbatore was the fifth city where the group has opened a showroom, and Thiruvananthapuram will be the next; incidentally, Thiruvananthapuram will be the first stop for his group outside Tamil Nadu.

Explaining the reasons for moving into Coimbatore (after Srivilliputtur, Tirunelveli, Chennai and Madurai), which already has strong textile retail chains such as Sri Chennai Silks, Sri Ganapathy Silks, Kalyan Sarees and Rm.K.V., apart from home brands such as PSR Silks, Sri Devi Textiles, and so on, he said, “it is purely business” and “we have our own strength, and we believe in it”. The strength of Pothys is that it has the “largest variety, lowest price and very good customer service,” he added.

Vast potential

The city has vast potential, but the group is not targeting Coimbatore residents alone for its business. Several districts, from Udhagamandalam to Salem/Karur, as also Kerala would form the catchment area for Pothys.

Asked whether the entry of Pothys would trigger a price war among textile retailers in Coimbatore, he said pricing could be a factor in one or two items but not in all. The showroom has goods which are “available nowhere else in Coimbatore”. For him, it is the right time to enter the Coimbatore market.

Mr Ramesh said Pothys was basically targeting the upper and lower-middle income segments, as 75-80 per cent of its business comes from these two segments. In the silk wear category, it has goods ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5 lakh.

Strong brands

Pothys owns three “very strong” silk saree brands — Samudrika, Parampara and Vastrakala — which are available only at its own outlets; some of its men's wear are available with other distributors too.

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