With a plan to add 3-4 stores annually to its store count, the ayurvedic beauty brand opens its first brick-and-mortar store in Chandigarh. A kiosk in Ludhiana will follow soon.
Explaining the reason for choosing Chandigarh as the location for the first store, Chopra told to Retail4growth, “Due to its small size and homogeneity in its population, Chandigarh is a reliable test market and gives a very good microcosm of what is going to happen in the bigger cities. Therefore, we decided to start from here, even though our data informs us that our bigger markets are the metros.” The maiden retail store of this PETA-certified brand is located in the high street Sector 9 Market of Chandigarh while the Ludhiana outlet will be a kiosk at the Pavilion Mall. “We plan to focus on the small outlet format and all our stores will be in the sub 500 sqft category. The first two stores are company owned but going forward, we are also contemplating taking the franchise route”, Chopra added. As per the brand ethos, eco-friendly materials such as marble, glass and wood have been used in the stores’ interiors.
Executing the store design identity, Harsimran Singh and Mohit Vij of Mohali-based Arch Lab told Retail4growth, “The idea was to translate three elements that the brand stands for – purity, honesty and safety. Each and every material in the store is bio-degradable. The ceilings and lights are made of wood while the walls and shelves teathered marble and hand-tempered marble and pedestals are made of blown glasses. Though the store size is small, we executed it as a complete boutique project and it was indeed challenging to customize all eco-friendly materials.”