Furnishing Success

A formidable player in bed & bath soft furnishing industry in India, Chandan Savera, Sr General Manager- Retail, Creative Portico (India) Pvt. Ltd tells us about the company, opportunity and future plans. 

Aparna Sharon Isa Dass (ASID): How did the idea of entering the Indian market emerge for Creative Portico?
Chandan Savera (CS): Portico New York, a brand by Creative Portico (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a leader in premium bed & bath category and is valued for its innovative design and product by its consumers. Portico New York was launched in April 2004 to address the latent demand in the home textile market. 

ASID: Were there any hurdles that you faced when starting out with your retail stores?
CS: We have spent adequate time understanding the Indian market and have been offering innovative design solutions to the consumers. Unlike other retail brands Portico had forayed into retailing through the Shop-in Shop route. Having done it successfully, we did not face any difficulties that can be remembered. We look forward to transfer our expertise to our franchisee and other channel partners now. 

ASID: Where all are Creative Portico stores present in India?
CS: Portico New York has recently ventured its opening in standalone retail stores.

At the moment, we have one operational franchised store located at Linking road, Bandra, Mumbai. Apart from standalone retail stores we are present across 200 + shop-in shops in prime large format retailers and about 600 multi-brand outlets across the country.

ASID: Which location is a key preference- a mall or high street markets?

CS: We believe in making the right mix, so our preferred store location is a mix of stores in malls and high streets.  

ASID: What is your take on brand licensing- is it essential for each retailer?
CS: Licensing enjoys credibility with all stake-holders in case of well respected brand. However, the challenges involved in brand licensing are immense as well. Adequate checks are necessary on commercial, legal, manufacturing processes as well as focus on brand and vendor management.  

ASID: Who are your target clientele and what are the categories of merchandise that are available at the store? 
CS: Portico New York has been a fashion leader and driven by passion for innovation. We believed in offering international quality on products and designs at Indian price to the Indian consumer. Our core target clientele are women in the SECA 25-45 age group.

We have been pioneers in offering kids bed and bath linen and today the largest consolidator in kids segment in a range of cartoon characters from Disney, Mattel, Cartoon Network, Nick, Marvel. We also have a range of bed & bath linen for tweens and teens including collection from Hanna Montana, High School Musical and iconic youth brand like MTV. We also offer health-based bed linen products. Portico Therapeia range promotes healthy living and has products with non-toxic, anti-mite and anti-bacteria treatment. Range includes bed sheets, pillows, mattresses, pillow protectors and soybean quilts. 

ASID: What are Creative Portico’s future plans? Any plans to venture online shopping for the Indian buyer?
CS: We already have an interactive portal to facilitate online buying enabled with safe payment gateways and delivery options across India. Portico also had initiated an online contest with banner ads on leading matrimonial portals to direct traffic to the shopping site. We would be aggressively opening exclusive stores driven by franchise partners apart from our strong presence through Shop-in shop and Multi-brand outlets. 
 
ASID: Any advice for future entrepreneurs?
CS: There are two things I would advise on, first being revenue model. Entrepreneurs should take extra care for establishing revenue model for their venture before plunging.

Second would be working capital. Any new venture takes its own time to pick up. Most of the ventures fail because of lack of working capital. If they are able to survive a little longer, business might just set right for them.