Somany Ceramics to consolidate their retail presence in smaller towns

Leading tiles, sanitaryware and bathroom fittings brand Somany Ceramics, with about 22 Experience Centers in all key cities and 350 franchisee stores, has disclosed their plan to consolidate their retail presence in tier-II and tier-III markets. The brand adds almost 40-50 stores to their network everywhere and has recently opened a 7000 sq ft Experience Center in Bangalore, which has been designed by Bangalore-based design agency Four Dimensions Retail Design.

Talking exclusively to Retail4Growth on store formats and market penetration, Charu Malhotra, General Manager – Marketing, Somany Ceramics, said, “We generally add 40-50 franchisee stores every year and we will add about 30-35 more stores by the end of this fiscal. We generally operate through three retail formats – Somany Grande which spans between 3000 sq ft to 10000 sq ft; Somany Exclusive spanning between 1000 sq ft to 3000 sq ft; and Somany Studio with size under 1000 sq ft. When we expand, we have no clear number of stores depending on the format. The format depends completely on market and the available size. Though our primary lookout is to add more number in the Grande format as it gives us maximum display options yet the space crunch in markets like Mumbai doesn’t allow us.”