\Regional retailer should adapt to regional sentiments\

RS Brothers, which began operations in 1999, in Koti, as a single retail outlet, grew into a retail brand in apparel market, and has now further become a major player with 11 showrooms and a turnover of Rs 850 crore. In an exclusive interview, S Raja Mouli, Founder-owner of RS Brothers says, he is driven by the idea of serving local populace with relevant products.

How was the experience of brining mall culture in Hyderabad?

People have overwhelmingly accepted mall culture.  However, I feel the nature of mall business is same across locations. For example, we have 11 big showrooms in Hyderabad, out of those, only 7 showrooms boast mall culture.

What changes have you observed in retailing scenario in Hyderabad?

Changes have been observed in customer attitude, purchasing power, increase in purchasing facilities at one place, increase in availability of different new products at one place, with new market players doing business in new models etc.

What particular style, design, and fabric changes have happened in apparel segment over the years?

Wrinkle free cotton fabrics, linen suiting and shirting, pencil cut and narrow cut jeans and trousers, slim-fit and short length shirting etc have come in both children and adult segments. In woman segment, designer sarees like Polky has gained preference.

What is your biggest learning as regional retailer?

Regional retailer should adapt to regional sentiments,culture and needs.

When should a regional retailer think of expanding to national level? What are your suggestions on this?

In our  particular  nature of  business,  if  you  wish  to  expand  to  national  level, the expenditure will shoot up and hence, it will not be beneficial for us. And if we do expand nationally, we may need to shrink product categories matching need and preferences of the corresponding local areas.

What are the challenges of a regional retailer in India?

Online trading is nowadays a big challenge for a regional retailer.

What are your future expansion plans?

This  year,  we  have started one showroom  in  Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad,  and  another  one  we are going to start in the next  few  days  in  Ameerpet,  Hyderabad.  For  the  next  four years , we  are  planning  to  launch few small  sized showrooms  catering  to  the  needs of  the  buyer  in  both  the  Telugu  states (Telangana & Andhra Pradesh) and target  to  achieve Rs 1,500 crore  turnover from the  present Rs 850 crore turnover.