Fabindia to open 10 experience centres by 2018

Ethnic lifestyle retailer Fabindia has launched a new retail format called the ‘Fabindia Experience Centre’, and plans to open 10 such stores by the end of 2018, according to a senior company professional.

The company recently opened a store in Mumbai, and had opened one in Delhi earlier this year. “The Fabindia Experience Centre houses a Fabcafé, an interior design studio, organic wellness centre and an alteration studio,” Fabindia Overseas CEO Viney Singh said here.

While he did not reveal the investment that the company has put into the new venture, he said by the end of next year there will be 10 stores across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. “This will be the first phase, and we aim to take it to other cities as well following this,” Singh said.

Fabindia currently as 268 stores in all, of which about 50 stores are through the franchise model.

“We are further exploring the franchise model as well,” he said.

Asked about the overseas business, he said the company has put on hold its international expansion, as it would like to reassess the business and the markets. Presently, there are 11 Fabindia international stores.

Speaking about the Fabcafe, he said, “It primarily focuses on bringing a nutritious menu highlighting India’s diverse cuisine with a wide array of dishes representing various parts of the country.” Extending the focus on health and well-being, the experience centre has a designated space for Organic India’s first wellness store in Mumbai.

The wellness centre allows customers to interact with trained consultants on various aspects of health, lifestyle and well-being, he said.

The interior design studio (IDS) provides a range of services such as consultancy on layouts, mapping spaces, product customisation and colour scheme coordination, among other things.