Something for everyone!

Ritu Wears is one fashion house that has grown bigger and better since its inception. With its large lifestyle chain of stores, Sanjay Sahni, Managing Director, Ritu Wears shares the success story. 

Neha Malhotra (NM): Can you brief us about the inception of Ritu Wears?
Sanjay Sahni (SS): Ritu Wears started in 1965 and from 2003, it has grown from 6000 sq. ft to 2 lakh sq. ft. We have now marched into Punjab and Haryana as well.  

NM: How many stores do you have at present? Where are these located?
SS: Currently, the group has 10 operational stores in Delhi-NCR and Punjab, and is rapidly expanding throughout north India. Of these stores, five are in Delhi-NCR and two in Punjab.  

NM: Which brands are available at Ritu Wears? What are the product offerings?
SS: In men’s wear, we have Color Plus, Levi’s, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Arrow, Parx, Blackberry, Lee, Spkyar, Mufti. For women, W, Biba, Park Avenue are a few brands to name. For kid’s wear, we have Giny n Jony, Lil kangaroos, Puma, Zapp! etc. 

The stores are stocked with international and national brands in apparel, footwear, lifestyle accessories, toys, luggage, and home products.  

NM: Do you also manufacture your own product line? Who is the targeted clientele?
SS: Yes we manufacture our own line of products also. We design the merchandise and get them manufactured from our sources. Our main clientele is the evolving middle class.  

NM: What marketing initiatives have you undertaken to increase the awareness of the brand name amongst the customers?
SS: We have a separate marketing team headed by a marketing manager. They plan all the marketing activities with respect to festivals, occasions and campaigns. They also work on customer relationship management for the brand.  

NM: What is the USP of your brand? 
SS: It is a multi brand family chain and has quality lifestyle products not only apparels but footwear, home products, personal care and toys. The products are made available as per the catchments and the area requirements. It does not have a standard line and work around the requirements of the area.  

NM: Malaika Arora Khan is the brand ambassador for Ritu Wears. What was the reason behind opting for her as the face of the brand? 
SS: We felt Malaika Arora Khan, is the ideal brand ambassador for Ritu Wears, as she is not only young, glamorous and stylish but also because her life revolves around her family. In other words, she is just like any one of our current customers – young at heart, stylish and contemporary, yet completely family-centric. This new star image also signifies the management’s intentions of providing their esteemed clientele with a new and ‘Befitting a Star’ like services at all outlets. 

NM: What are the company’s expansion plans for the near future? Which are your target cities?
SS: We aim to beef-up our number of stores and move to central India. We are opening a store in Indore this month, followed by stores in Bhopal, Chattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.