Date:22/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/12/22/stories/2006122206020500.htm

Back Carbon eyes 20 stores in India by next Dec

Sravanthi Challapalli

Chennai , Dec. 21

Carbon Accessories, which began opening standalone stores early this year, expects to have at least 20 stores operating all over India by next December.

Mr Mahesh Rao, Managing Director, Carbon Accessories, told Business Line that the brand's retail growth was dependent on how soon the malls came up in the cities the brand was eyeing.

All the stores would be located only in malls as the products fell into the impulse-buying category, he said. Traditional jewellery store brands were destination stores and could afford to be located in the high street but that was not the case with the modern jewellery brands, he explained. Mr Rao said Chennai will become a big market for lifestyle brands.

"Its tipping point towards that will be quicker than other cities' was, because it has been insulated for a long time," he said, adding that malls will be the catalysts to turn Chennai into a big market for lifestyle brands. Mr Rao was in Chennai to explore opportunities for a Carbon store.

Though nothing has been finalised, he expects it to take a year-and-a-half for the Chennai store to establish itself after it is set up, unlike in other metros where it takes just six months.

According to him, though conservatism is here to stay, people will need contemporisation in some facets of life, and that's where brands such as Carbon will add value.