Marks & Spencer unveils its flagship store in Delhi

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has a real treat lined up for its customers in Delhi today, as it reopens its completely transformed flagship store at South Extension.

Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia joined Venu Nair, Managing Director of Marks and Spencer Reliance India, to celebrate the opening of the store. The newly extended 30,000 square feet store will provide customers with a bigger and better shopping experience - showcasing M&S's most extensive range of exceptional quality, confident styles across clothing and beauty in Delhi to date.

The store also features the first Marks & Spencer Lingerie & Beauty department in New Delhi and follows the retailer's launch of its world-first department at M&S Hill Road in Bandra, Mumbai last month. The new concept is dedicated to bringing the very best of M&S's exceptional quality, stylish lingerie and edited beauty offer to customers. The move which will see M&S make up sold in Delhi for the first time is in line with M&S's strategy to capitalise on growth of the lingerie and beauty markets in India.

Speaking from M&S South Extension, Neha Dhupia said: "I am delighted to be associated with the launch of the Marks & Spencer's bigger and better flagship store in New Delhi at South Extension. I've been an M&S customer for years and love the experience every time I shop at M&S. Marks & Spencer is a much-loved British brand and its latest winter collections make a strong style statement for the winter and party season ahead. It's great to have such a large and inspiring store at the heart of New Delhi and I'm sure shoppers will love it."

Venu Nair, Managing Director of Marks & Spencer Reliance India, said: "Our newly extended flagship at South Extension offers us a special opportunity to bring the very best of Marks & Spencer to customers in Delhi - offering our customers a truly international shopping experience with exciting fashion displays and our widest range of quality, stylish clothing and beauty products in the city. As we continue to build a leadership position in India, creating an inspirational flagship store, such as South Extension and our recently opened Mumbai flagship in Bandra, complements our supporting stores in these cities and across the country."

Exceptional quality, stylish fashions

M&S South Extension has been designed to inspire and delight customers, with exciting visual displays to complement M&S's most extensive range of exceptional quality, stylish fashions in India. The revamped store will offer customers the latest winter collections across womenswear, lingerie, menswear and kidswear, as well as accessories and a special edit of beauty products.

Customers can choose from quality, timeless wardrobe staples such as winter coats, jackets and knitwear, as well as trend-led wearable fashion pieces including a luxurious Autograph leather & suede skirt, an elegant Limited Edition checked shift dress in wool and an animal print jumper from M&S Collection. The store's clothing collections will also feature a host of clever product innovations, for example Secret Supportâ„¢ dresses that help customers drop a dress size with integrated shapewear, whilst Insoliaâ„¢ technology in its footwear ranges improves comfort and stability.

Marks & Spencer Lingerie & Beauty

The new M&S Lingerie & Beauty department features an inviting and inspiring store design, with a neutral colour palette and flattering lighting to complement the stylish lingerie and beauty collections. Customers will be able to shop the very best of M&S's exceptional quality, stylish lingerie, with M&S's extensive breath of lingerie styles, shapes and sizes setting its lingerie offer apart from the competition.

The new department will also include a dedicated beauty offer which combines the best of nature and science. For the first time, M&S will sell its quality make up ranges in Delhi. M&S's aim is to make beauty buying simple, fuss-free and enjoyable with no hard sell.

The newly revamped flagship store is in line with Marks & Spencer's strategy unveiled in November 2013. M&S is focussing on building a leadership position in India including in cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai by opening a cluster of supporting stores around its flagship store locations such as its new stores in South Extension and Bandra, Mumbai.

Since M&S formed its joint venture partnership with Reliance Retail in 2008, the retailer has built a solid platform to accelerate its growth in India. Since April 2013, M&S has already opened eight stores in India including doubling its presence in Mumbai and entering the cities of Kochi, Vadodara and Surat for the first time. M&S now has 37 stores in India, trading from a total of over 500,000 square feet.

As part of the retailer's plans take its business in India to the next level, M&S will open a further seven stores by the end of March 2014, followed by a further 36 stores in the next two years.

Source : Equity Bulls

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