Date:16/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/02/16/stories/2007021603680700.htm

Back Essar group to invest $250 m in mobile stores

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Mumbai Feb. 15 The Essar group will invest $250 million (Rs 1,100 crore) to create a pan-India network of retail telecom outlets branded The MobileStore.

The amount will be invested over a period of two or three years to create 4,000 to 5,000 outlets across the country, said Mr Rajiv Agarwal, CEO of Essar Telecom Retail Ltd, the group company which is handling the project.

The stores will be modelled somewhat on the lines of Carphone Warhouse in the UK, being operator and handset-agnostic, said Mr Agarwal. The complete range of services, products and accessories from all the leading brands will be available at these stores, he said.

The services offered would extend to billing services, value-added services (such as wall paper, ring tones) as well as handset repair services, said a statement from the company.

Forty stores have already been launched. They are located in Mumbai, Delhi and some of the other larger cities.Phase I should see Essar launch a network of 150 stores in the top 11 cities.

The company has envisaged The MobileStore in three formats: Large — 1,000-1,500 sq ft; medium — 800-1,000 sq ft and compact — 200-500 sq ft. There would be shop-in-shops located in large retail formats and malls as well.