To be filed

A store designed like a railway station

Pantaloon Retail India Limited, a significantly young and very successful Indian retailer has recently launched another retail chain to its portfolio. The new retial chain, called Fashion Station, presents a unique viewpoint that I had yet to witness.

It’s USP is, "Fashion that fits your budget." Although Indian consumers are becoming more brand conscious, the KSA Indian Consumer and Retail Outlook study found that 58% of apparel for young women and 42% of apparel for young men are unbranded. This is primarily because in addition to having the trendiest, hippest clothes, it is very important for the Indian youth to be able to afford them. A majority of the youth depend on their parents for financial support until they (typically have a master’s degree or join the family business) can support themselves.

When I went back to India after graduating, I had a $1000 saved solely for the purpose of shopping in Bombay. I was psyched with the idea of returning with brimming suitcases for that much money. Only– it is an urban myth if you are like me who believed that "things" are cheaper in India. THAT is just not the case. While I cringed at paying Rs 60 for a cup of coffee, I almost couldn’t bring myself to buy clothes that were priced beyond Rs 800 (that’s like $16)
Ofcourse, it is all contingent on the places you shop at. Even then, I simply failed to find a store that had clothes priced within my budget and that fit me!
(With all these Asian imports, it is next to impossible for me to find a decent fit. The independent boutiques have too tiny fits)

So Pantaloon’s Fashion Station wins on two accounts. Affordability and Trendy (hopefully they offer regular sizes as well!)

Thirdly, it has gone one step ahead and taken creative license over the design and layout of the store. The entire store is formatted like a modern railway station!  Sections have fun, quirky names such as Style Platform, Baby Wagon, Time Travel, Accessory Junction, Sports Terminal, First Class Casuals and Evening XPress.

The Station has youthful, trendy music (popular bollywood songs and top MTV hits!) playing with a journey-related jingle every few songs to elicit the feel of a train journey! Additionally, there are blinkers fitted throughout the store that blink periodically to indicate great bargains and offers.

So in addition to offering great prices, the store has also nailed in on offering a unique experience to its consumers. I can’t wait to visit it on my next trip to India.