Step on the gas?

The key to profitable, premium apparel, retailing

The key to apparel retail profitability, even for premium brands, are stores* like these.
200 square feet, 200 shirts on display.

In my view, the fallacies in premium apparel retailing are:

• the customer needs to see a display of 2,000 to select 2.
• if the merchandise is premium, the store needs to be large.
• premium merchandise needs premium interiors. Is the retailer seeking to influence the customer with the product offering or the store interiors?
• that stores needs to be located in premium retails areas where the store rent could be upto upto 25% of sales
• a small army of people is required to pander to the customers whims.

200 square feet stores, located in all key neighborhoods are the key. If a brand can retail from 200 square feet from an airport location, it can do the same from other locations too. Carefully selected merchandise, in 5 well selected  stores in the city, of 200 - 300 square feet each, will fetch more than one 2,000 square feet store. Hand-held barcode scanning and invoice printing devices can even dispense with the need for a cash wrap. For the consumer, it is easy access to the brand. For the brand, it getting closer to the customer without mounting a white elephant.

A combination of a large number of  very small stores and a small number of  very large stores, combined with the power of the internet, is the key to  profitable apparel retailing.

*Shamshabad

Sunday or Sinday

After creating  heavens and earth, god ordained Sunday as day of  rest,
The baron said: 'Rest!  'tis the day man must keep with realty abreast'.
So what if world isn't out of recession, Indians to be at their spending best,
Sunday must be spent scanning for loans and attending  realty fest.


'Tis difficult to be immune to marketing  assault on one's good sense,
If you are, you may be a genius or a dunce.
Am certainly not a genius and if called dunce will put up strong defence,
Anyway, will tell you the story thence.


The sales pitch, from every direction said,  realty is now good investment,
If you haven't, inflation ‘ll make your other investment useless parchment.
My attitude was, Sunday is for a nice cuppa tea meant,
Realty is nowhere on my firmament.


Said, as I earlier, marketing assault can good sense circumvent,
Succumbed did I to looking for realty and sought to make a pocket dent.
Was I going to squander every cent?
In search of realty small or even opulent.


The first advt said “only twenty minutes to the new international airport",
At 96.5 kmph  I made grade, at this speed the cops would get me to deport.
The other talked of the salubrious environs I could court,
On inspection did I realize that not long back did leopards here hold fort.


I did get tempted when the advertisement read Vaastu compliant,
When I did get a look see I found the bedroom small and the loo giant.
When I did find a place which was nice and  quaint,
The seller, I found, was not so clean and had a reputation taint.


The next advertisement said “ this is only for an expression of interest”,
Meant you paid an advance while he decided if you could be his guest.
The next one offered  the absolute max
Yet had to give him the axe - he kept covering his tracks


Investing in India realty is not like buying potato
You have to do lots of  legwork and step on many a toe.
The amount of work I did to got me nowhere, maybe I should post a photo,
Be grateful, those who enjoy their Sabbath and not to realty czars kowtow.

Helmet : Head protection with free built in SPF 100

                            Scarves, as head-gear, bannned in Pune

Queue Training

     

1411 – Do or Die : A Short Story

The cabinet was already in the War Room when the Prime Minster strode in. The War Room, in the PMO, was a room much like any other room except for a picture of the beast on the giant screen. The Prime Minister was preoccupied with thoughts on how to control this menace as he strode in. He had summoned this emergency meeting of the cabinet, the day before.

There were many matters which normally weighed his mind. This one, except for a few brief weeks in the past, was not one of them. However, regular news of wanton killings had disturbed him. Also, what bothered him was that statistics were hard to come by. He understood the difficulties in compiling data but wanted more frequent updates.

He was greeted warmly by his colleagues as the door shut behind him. His ministers knew that the Prime Minister was not his normal self. They knew this, as they had rarely seen him pouring over data of this nature with the same seriousness and application that he applied for statistical data on the economy.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure that you are completely briefed of the situation. While I am aware that this matter does not directly concern many of you, I think this has to be treated as a matter of national importance. It is essential that ministries like Defence, Foreign, Home, Tourism, Surface Transport, Environment & Forests and others put their heads and resources together to come to a sustainable long term plan. “I need your thoughts. “We can begin with inputs from the Defence Minister”:

Defence Minister: “I have spoken to the three service chiefs. They have assured of me of their full co-operation. To start, the army is providing men for combing operations in the effected areas. They expect to bring down incidents of killings significantly with their mere presence. Given the nature of the issue, for the time being, no assistance has been sought from the Navy and the Air Force.

Foreign Minister: “I have asked our missions abroad to inform all foreign governments that this is an internal matter and we will brook no interference from any quarter on our policies on the subject.

Tourism Minister: We have taken up the matter strongly with the Foreign Office of key countries to remove travel advisories to India. More tourists will help our cause.

Minister for Science & Technology: I have spoken to the chief of Space Research. He has assured me that our satellites are capable of providing "locate and identify" services. This will be useful to the forces combing the area.

Surface Transport Minister: We have, for the time being, shelved our plan to build additional roads in the area. This will ensure that forces inimical to it find it difficult to traverse through the area, thus forming a natural protective barrier.

Environment & Forests Minister: We have tapped our contacts with tribes in the area. They will help the ground forces in combing the area as well as provide intelligence inputs when there are sightings.

Home Minister: All paramilitary forces have been instructed to tackle insurgency in the region very seriously so that the forces conducting combing operations are not hindered in their work.

“That is very good indeed. “Any more deaths will be bad for the reputation of our country.” It could affect foreign aid in the area”. “The next time we meet, I hope it is not in the Sit Room but in “Sarsika” celebrating the success of our initiative”

"The number of tigers in our country has dwindled to 1411. Let’s pledge, that, in the “Year of The Tiger” – we don’t let the dragon slay our tigers for its parts. Our national animal deserves our support in enabling it co-exist.Let's make no bones about this - their right to exist on this planet is as good as ours.We have to ensure its survival so that future generations may continue to enjoy its beauty, grace and majesty".

India : The next twenty

India became Republic on 26th January, 1950
For the people of India, this was perfect to the t,
They got a say,
To aye or nay,
Nuclear state, spiritual capital and no.1 by 2020.

India became Republic on the 26th January,1950,
Religious intolerance makes it sometimes "rifty"
No religious thrift
Let's not drift
Broadminded views 'll power the NIFTY - 50.

India became Republic on 26th January, 1950,
In years 60, a power to reckon as you can see,
2010 to China is Krugman say
Or India if the divine has it's way
Not divine decree but hard work 'll make India a marquee.