Trent opens Star Bazaar in Mumbai

Mumbai: Trent Ltd, Tata Group''s retail arm has launched its hypermarket format, Star Bazaar, in Mumbai at Thakur Mall in suburban Dahisar.

The hypermarket is spread over 50,000-sq ft, and will offer non-vegetarian food, and will run a run a live bakery, while selling in-house labels of garments, among other things.

Brand names of the value apparels, which would be priced onwards from Rs99, are Edward, France Giovanni, Spike and Fashion Street in different categories of men''s wear, while Navya is the brand name for Indian wear, and Tammy is for kids wear. The garments are sourced from across India, including hubs like Jaipur, Tirupur and Mumbai.

Selling in-house labels has been a profitable line for Trent, be it in garments, staples or home cleaners, according to Neeti Chopra, Marketing Head, Trent. The company''s in-house labels, according to her, are doing well mainly on account of the high degree of customisation that the company is able to offer basis the needs of its audience.

Other Star Bazaar location is the 50,000-sq ft retail space in Ahmedabad, set up in 2004. The company plans to launch a third hypermarket in Bangalore within the next two months, followed by another in Mumbai by December-January.

By 2009-2010, the company aims to be present in the top 15 to 20 cities, having opened 23 to 25 Star Bazaars. To manage the back end of the hypermarket, Trent has tied up with regional vendors and small operators for transportation of goods.