Westside-Retail Giant

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

SR PARTICULARS PAGE
NO. NO.

1) ABOUT WESTSIDE 3

2) CROMA RETAIL FORMAT 4

3) MERCHANDISE MANAGEMENT 9

4) WESTSIDE STORE LAYOUT 10

5) STORE EXTERIOR & INTERIOR 14

6) ATMOSPHERIC 16

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7) IT SYSTEM USED BY CROMA 17

8) SWOT ANALYSIS 19

9) SITE LOCATION & SITE EVALUATION 20

10) MY ANALYSIS 22

11) REFERENCES 25

ABOUT WESTSIDE
Established in 1998 as part of the Tata Group, Trent Ltd. operates Westside, one of
India's largest and fastest growing chains of retail stores. The Westside stores have
numerous departments to meet the varied shopping needs of customers. These
include Menswear, Women’s wear, Kid’s wear, Footwear, Cosmetics, Perfumes
and Handbags, Household Accessories, lingerie, and Gifts. The company has
already established 36 Westside departmental stores (measuring 15,000-30,000
square feet each) in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad
& Noida (to be considered as 1 city), Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata,
Ludhiana, Lucknow, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Pune, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara and
Jammu. The company hopes to expand rapidly with similar format stores that offer
a fine balance between style and price retailing.
Trent ventured into the hypermarket business in 2004 with Star Bazaar, providing
an ample assortment of products made available at the lowest prices, aptly
exemplifying its ‘Chota Budget, Lambi Shopping’ motto. At present Star Bazaar
has 4 stores in 3 cities located in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore. This store
offers customers an eclectic array of products that include staple foods, beverages,
health and beauty products, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, consumer
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electronics and household items at the most affordable prices. Star Bazaar also
includes a large range of fashionable in-house garments for men, women and
children, exclusively available at the store.
In addition, Trent recently acquired a 76% stake in Landmark, one of the largest
books & music retail chains in the country. Landmark began operations in 1987
with its first store in Chennai with a floor space of 5500 sq. ft. At present
Landmark have 10 stores, varying in size from 12,000 sq. ft. to 45,000 sq. ft, 3 in
Chennai and 1 each in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Vadodara, Gurgaon, Pune,
Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Until 1996, Landmark’s product portfolio comprised
books, stationery, and greeting cards. It was later that music was added to it.
Landmark also sparked the trend of stocking curios, toys and other gift items.
What separates Landmark from other stores of its kind is the range and depth of its
stock.

This story began circa 1998 when The Tatas acquired Littlewoods – a London
based retail chain. This acquisition was followed by the establishment of Trent Ltd
(a Tata enterprise that presently operates Westside). Littlewoods was subsequently
renamed Westside.
In a rapidly evolving retail scenario, Westside has carved a niche for its brand of
merchandise creating a loyal following. Currently, the company has 36 Westside
stores measuring 15,000-30,000 square feet each across 20 cities. With a variety of
designs and styles, everything at Westside is exclusively designed and the
merchandise ranges from stylized clothes, footwear and accessories for men,
women and children to well-co-coordinated table linens, artifacts, home
accessories and furnishings. Well-designed interiors, sprawling space, prime
locations and coffee shops enhance the customers’ shopping experience.

RETAIL FORMAT-

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Westside stores are Department stores. These are the general merchandise
retailers offering various kinds of quality products and services. A department
store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the
consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same
time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price
points, in all product categories. Department stores usually sell products
including apparel, furniture, home appliances, electronics, and additionally select
other lines of products such as paint, hardware, toiletries, cosmetics,
photographic equipment, jewelry, toys, and sporting goods. Certain department
stores are further classified as discount department stores. Department stores are
usually part of a retail chain of many stores situated around a country or several
countries.

Other examples are Lifestyle and K Rahejas Shopper’s Stop.

Area of operation
It is one of the largest and fastest growing chains serving the customers in
various categories, including men's wear, women's wear, kid's wear, footwear,
cosmetics, perfumes and handbags, household accessories, lingerie and gifts. The
company offers products with a balance between style and price.

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Ladies wear

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Kids Wear Section Ladies wear

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Men section Cosmetics

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IPL Promotion

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Various apparel varieties

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MERCHANDISE MANAGEMENT

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 PRIVATE LABEL
Private label products or services are typically those manufactured or provided by
one company for offer under another company's brand. Private label goods and
services are available in a wide range of industries from food to cosmetics to web
hosting. They are often positioned as lower cost alternatives to regional, national
or international brand. Westside has many private labels in its merchandise
portfolio. Private labels in Westside include-
 2F4U
 SRC
 Gia
 Urban angel
 Intima
 David Jones
 Ascot
All these brands are produced for Westside only and can be found in Westside
only. These apparel brands are given separate space for displaying their
merchandise and more promotional offers are there on them to increase their sales.
At some places, these private brands are mixed with branded clothes so in that
case these private labels are put in lower shelves. At eyesight level, branded
clothes are put.
STORE LAYOUT

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 sWestside

Ground Floor First Floor Second Floor

Casual Clothing
Cosmetics
Women Section Formal Wear
Jewellery
Children Section Ethnic Wear
Watches
Household items Shoes
Bags

This store follows a Grid Layout. In this type of layout, cost for retailer is low,
easy for customer to shop (no confusion) , good merchandise exposure is possible,
cleaning can be done very easily and security can be managed ea

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1. Ground Floor
• Cosmetics
• Jewelry
• Watches
• Perfumes
• Bags

2. Ist Floor
• Women Section
• Children Section
• Household items

3. IInd Floor (Men Section)

• Casual Clothing
• Formal Wear
• Ethnic Wear
• Shoes

Watches

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 Shoes

Ladies bag
Jewelry

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Floor Space Analysis
To irrigate the space better Westside have the entrance on the ground floor
and exit on the first floor. In case of visual merchandising all the category
of clothes of all sizes and varieties are displayed and hence the
consumption of space for shelves is reduced. And it is convenient for
customers to choose and for the attendants to support buying. Profitability
of Westside Pune and Bangalore is more than that in Delhi because youth
here have much spending power. It is also driven from strong demand
backed by quality products and latest fashion. The exit from parking opens
at Ground floor. Hence slightly upper class people pass through ground
floor, so costly items like Jewelry, Watches and Perfumes. They people
may buy those things as they passes from that way and have a look at
them. In watches, good brands like Tissot, Rolex, Tag Heur, Espirit, Titan
Fast track etc. are available. Where as in case of perfumes, famous brands
such as Nina Rici, Tommy Hilfiger, Thierry Mugler , Calvin Klein etc. are
kept; targeting upper class people.
STORE EXTERIORS
Marquee- Posters of store are put on all the four sides of the store. Focus
lights are put all over the four sides of the store that makes the store brightly
shining at night. Large Westside banners are put which are visible from very
far distance also. Various brand advertisements can be seen on the walls and on
ground.
Entrance- Promotional schemes and various discount offer advertisements are
there at the entrance. Store layout is described at the entrance for the
convenience of customers. Bag or any other good can’t be brought inside the
store and hence bag preserving counters are put up near the entrance to keep
public baggage.

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Window display- Instead of walls, glasses or window pains are used in the
exteriors to display the merchandise. Various brands like Pepe London,
Provogue etc. have displayed their merchandise from their latest fashion range
to attract more and more customers.
Various eatables like ice creams, popcorns, juices etc. are available outside the
store to refresh people. Parking is at the basement for both two wheelers and
cars.
STORE INTERIORS
Services & Store Atmosphere in Westside
 Prepurchase services include accepting telephone & mail orders,
advertising, window & interior display, fitting rooms, fashion shows
 It provides post purchase service including shipping & delivery, gift
wrapping, adjustments & returns, alteration & tailoring
 It also provides ancillary services including general information,
check cashing, parking, restaurants, repairs, interior decorating,
credit etc.
The Westside stores wear a bright, festive look and, in keep with the
mood of the season, hosting a festival bright.
With the sole objective of rewarding its loyal customers for their
patronage, Westside has lined up a bonanza of surprise gifts. Every
shopper gets a scratch-and-win card which entitles them entry into a

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contest. Those making purchases above Rs 1,500 are also entitled to
receive other pleasant surprises
The trendy household section has a complete new range of bed linen in
elephant motifs, floral motifs and paisley design. The color palette for the
festive collection includes flaming orange, royal blue and other vibrant
colors to depict festivity.
The gift section has a plethora of gifts — terracotta pots, urns, knick-
knacks and diyas in beautiful colors, shapes and sizes. The store has also
introduced a new range of furniture and other household goods, including
cabinets, butler trays and mirrors in wood with an antique finish. An
innovative range in wrought iron and rope has been introduced in utility
items which include magazine racks, folding stools, jam pots on trays and
Ganesha in brass and terracotta.
ATMOSPHERICS
Lighting- Stores are very brightly lit from inside and CFL tubes are put all
over the store. Lights are focused on clothes
Color- Wall color is cream so that light can be reflected easily and
visibility is good in store. Paint has a luster in itself i.e. paint is having
mirror finish so that light gets reflected and clothes and other stuff are
clearly visible. Color is also such that it doesn’t get dirtier easily due to
people leaning against the wall and resting thei5r foots on the wall.
Visual communication- The signage and graphics are put all over the
place to promote various brands. Promotional schemes are displayed by
posters hanging over the various product ranges. The brand names are
clearly mentioned on boards. Also directional signage are there showing
the way to washrooms, drinking water, exit etc. Category signages, Point
Of Sale (POS) signages and departmental signage are present in many
numbers.
Westside’s name,logo and store identity is very clear from the posters.
Music- Basically english as well as hindi songs are put inside the store but
normally english songs are put up which are famous and are latest. The
volume is kept low so that people can talk among themselves and can
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 easily interact with store personnel’s. Continous announcement of schemes
are done in between this music playing to draw the attention of customers
and lure them for impulse buying.
Smell- A fragrant is put in the air conditioning duct so as to spread good
smell inside the store and remove any bad odours present in air. It gives a
pleasant experience to customer and is refreshing.
Security- Security of the store is pretty good. Cc TV’s are put all over the
store to keep check on notorious customers. Infrared detectors are put at
the entrance and exit which alerts gaurds if person is trying to steal the
things. Each and every floor has a security manager and 3 security guards
are appointed for each floor. Security guards specially take care outside the
trial rooms so as to stop people from hiding things inside their clothes.
Mirrors- They are put all over the store so that people can see how the
clothes, watches, jewelry etc. looks on them. These mirrors are also
cleaned at regular intervals. They are also put inside the trial rooms for
customer’s convenience.
Escalators- they are put one at each floor for going down and going up at
a normal speed that makes shopping convenient without making the people
getting tired. All the 3 floors are connected through escalators.
IT SYSTEM
Retail Information System (RIS) is developed by being used by Westwide
thorough out its retail outlets in india. The system builds efficiencies into
ordering, distribution and merchandising processes and is designed to provide
timely, accurate sales information on an item-by-item basis.
RIS includes:
 Touch-screen point-of-sale (POS) cash registers with scanners,
 The integration of credit-card authorization and gasoline sales into the POS
register,
 Item-level information to assist in making product-ordering decisions,
 Hand-held Mobile Ordering Terminals to facilitate ordering,
 Tools to help store personnel determine appropriate product assortment and
slow-moving items,
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  Daily weather reports and merchandising information and updates,
 The automation of some daily reporting requirements, such as merchandise
and gasoline sales, and
 A payroll time-keeping mechanism.
By effectively using the point-of-sale cash register and the in-store processor,
Westside franchisees and store managers have immediate access to the information
needed to make informed ordering decisions by store, by day and day-part and by
item. Additionally, the product assortment tools supply necessary data to improve
decisions on deleting slow-moving items and to make room for top-selling and
new items, all with the goal of making sure the right product is available at the
right time for each customer.
The system is not designed as a time-saving tool as much as a tool to use time
more effectively and to make sound business decisions that will boost store sales
and profits.

COMPETITION IN ZONE
The Westside store is located in Camp Area. Store has a Primary Trade Area of
two kms, Secondary Trade area of five kms and fringe trade area of eight
kms. Primary are the areas of highest footfall of round about 50 to 80 %, and so
are the most sought after. It has higher no. of customers and contributes the highest
per capita sales. As such, they’re also the most expensive. Camp is a primary
zone, and give access to plenty of customers and have the benefit of good public
transport links. However, it is worth bearing in mind that competition in primary
zones (Camp) is fierce. Big Bazaar, Brand Factory and Shoppers Stop is there
along with Wills Lifestyle and United Colors of Benettonthat gives a very tough
competition to Westside. The camp area is a Saturated market area where
customers are offered good range of products and services. The retailers are able to
make good profits.

SWOT ANALYSIS
The strengths of Westside are
1) It is growing at the faster pace
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 2) Has good brand name of TATA’s.
3) It has many outlets all over India. It has a good customer base.
4) Apparels are cheaper by 5 to 10% while the price difference on the other
products varies between 5 to 20%.
5) Attractive promotional schemes and heavy discounts
6) Quality and branded stuff only
7) The Westside has been positioned to the customer as a place where the
customer can shop for each & everything for which he goes to a market
except groceries.
8) Locational advantage- All Westside stores are located in prime locations of
the city like Shivajinagar, Camp etc.
Weakness:
1) Westside has not yet trapped the whole market- rural market is still
untapped. Not much product range for middle class people
2) Facing problems due to political environment-Subsidy from octroi, different
taxes like land tax and water tax
•Need help in taking over properties and real estate
•Need some concessions from labor laws
3) Lack of differentiation among the malls that are coming.
4) Poor inventory turns and stock availability
5) No involvement in food retailing business.
Opportunities
1) Huge untapped market
2) Rising disposable income- Increase in number of people in earner category,
women earning
3) Urbanization-Changing consumer habits and lifestyles as the disposable
income is increasing per family.
Threats

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 1) Competition from organized retail players which are in market and
emerging like Reliance, Shopper’s stop, Wal-Mart –Bharti etc.
2) Competition from local retailers.

SITE EVALUATION AND SELECTION

Factors considered by Westside while selecting a Site-
1) Sales potential of camp area is very high due to urbanization.

2) Access to site for pedestrians is very good due to good location of the store
as many good roads coming from various areas meet this Camp area and
parking area is ample in the area.
3) Accessibility to pedestrians is also good as people passing by can navigate
the store easily and visibility of store is also good due to its location on
main road.
4) Synergy from other stores is very high as other major players like Shopper
stop, Wills lifestyle etc. are there in vicinity that helps in cross shopping.
5) Leasing and occupancy terms- Occupancy rate is high in this camp area
and hence Westside negotiation power decreases as real estate developer due
to area’s high development.
Types of location- Westside is located in Camp area (Moledina road) which is a
Central Business District ( CBD) i.e. a traditional center for retailing in Pune
city. It is the largest area for shopping in Pune. All the major shopping stores are
there. It has high concentration of department stores and large offices and
entertainment facilities like pubs, clubs, cinemas, etc. Characteristics of Camp
area-
 Geographical centre of the settlement
 High concentration of public buildings and offices
 Very tall buildings to maximize land use of expensive real estate
 Activities concentrated in areas of functional zoning

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 Major retail outlets
 It contains a region with the greatest land value
 Good transportation facilities
 High concentration of traffic
 Great concentration of pedestrians
 High use of public transport
 High employment rate
Factors affecting the Market area attractiveness-
1) Demographics- Density of population is very high in Camp area. Each and
every kind of people from all classes and ethnic groups visit this area which
is advantageous for Westside.
2) Economic- Per capita income is high in these areas and hence spending
power of customer is more. Hence Westside mainly caters to high class
people and has very less products for middle class people.
3) Cultural- Customers preference is affected by culture. For providing good
shopping experience, retailer should understand this culture. Westside has
taken care of this thing and has kept multi lingual people , traditional
dresses are available in stores, some of the signages are in regional language
( Marathi) etc.
4) Demand- Population in camp area is very high and income level of people
are also high, hence demand is high for quality merchandise. So Westside
offers costly products like jewelry, perfumes, expensive watches and
branded clothes.
5) Infrastructure- Existing infrastructure of the area is quit good. Railway
station is close, roads are good, power availability is throughout the day,
communication facilities are good, computerization is very high hence all
this aids Westside in operating the store and catering to needs of people.

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 My Analysis
 A critical factor in Westside’s success has been its strategy to attract
shoppers & keep them in stores- the amount of time shoppers spend
in a store is perhaps the single most important factor in determining
how much they will buy. . In having understood the pulse of the
customers in India, Westside has clearly established itself as a brand
with an Indian heart.
 Over the years Westside has also developed and successfully
introduced a range of new brands especially suited to the Indian
palate. These brands like 2F 4U have been a tremendous success
amongst the new generation. What has also given Westside a
competitive edge is that in addition to an extensive range of
internationally renowned brands like Spykar, Lee and Fast Track
they also offer the option of a less known brands for low budget
customers.
 All the three floors are carefully structured. Ist floor and IInd floor
caters exclusively to Women and Men respectively. Thus giving
them privacy and more freedom to look into their products.
 Women’s need more space and look for comfort. They are less likely
to buy if the place is congested and makes them feel uncomfortable.
At Westside sofas have been placed in the women section so as to
make the females more comfortable.
 Westside has been able to create a brand image and is consistently
maintaining its brand identity by new additions in products and
catering to the market need.
 They are catering to different age groups under one roof. For ex. On
the IInd floor which is men’s section both formal and college wear is
available. This way they are able to build a huge customer loyal
base.
 Westside caters to not only the clothing needs and desires of its
customers. They have bed sheets, kitchenware, jewelry, perfumes,
baby products, household items, etc. This way a customer who
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 enters Westside just to buy one or two items usually ends up buying
a lot more.
 The in-store experience in Westside is very delightful. Their fully
skilled and trained staff caters to the needs of the public in the right
way. They don’t pounce upon the customer as soon as he enters the
store. They wait till the time a customer starts selecting and then
they come and help. This way the customer gets acclimatize with the
store and the environment.
Price of brands available at Westside is not too high as compared to its
competitor’s brands. This is due to their cost effective supply chain
management. They directly pick up the goods from the manufacturer thus
ensuring low price tag at their store.
My recommendations for Westside are as follows-
• To increase more footfalls more promotional activities must be
carried out. For this Westside can either offer more discounts or
increase their advertisements. Increase in the number of footfalls
will lead to increase in sales.
• Since Westside is not only catering to apparel need of the society a
few additions like Books, Music items, Electronic gadgets etc can
also be added to the products available inside their store. The
demand for the above products is always in the market.
• Allowing more space between the entrance of a store and a product
gives it more time in the shopper’s eye as he or she approaches it. It
builds a little visual anticipation.
• The number of trial rooms available at Westside is very less as
compared to the number of people coming. This usually results in
long queues and waiting by customers.

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• Install more full length mirrors inside the store so as to assist the
customers to make better purchase decisions.
• Play light music inside the store to make the shopping a pleasurable
experience.
• They can also exhibit their new line of clothing through events like
fashion shows.
• Baskets should be scattered throughout the store, wherever shoppers
might need them. Many customers don’t begin seriously considering
merchandise until they have browsed a bit.

REFERENCES

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www.mywestside.com
www.indiaretailbiz.com
www.indiaretailing.com
www.indiaretailnews.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.retailinsights.com

www.esnips.com

Journals from www.emeraldinsight.com

ICFAI Reference Material

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