Dear Readers, As we are heading towards the next financial year, we are all bustling with new hopes, horizons and more and more expectations. We are hopeful that FY 2014-015 will be more rewarding than the last fiscal, and for this, we at Images are also innovating newer ways of work. The same goes for the industry we all are associated with and for whose betterment, we are working day in and day out. In the March issue of IMAGES Retail, we focus on a relatively newer format of shopping, which has garnered the interest of most retail biggies. Yes, all retailers want to be a part of this aspiring format; we are talking about “airport retailing.” If shopping is therapy, then airports are emerging as the easiest shopping therapy destinations. Airports are self-sustained shopping enclaves, which drive in sales as they create a unique shopping experience. Transit places have morphed into swanky retail destinations, with high-end brands adorning the racks, foreign lifestyle brands are tempted to open stores at emerging airports in the country. If media reports are to be believed, Victoria’s Secret can open its first beauty and cosmetic store at T3, the international airport terminal in Delhi. The estimated size of the travel retail in the international airports in India is in the range of Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,500 crore. The international traffic is growing at about 8 percent year-on-year in India. International travel retail growth is estimated to be 20 percent year-on-year in India. This proves how crucial travel retailing has become in the country. We, hope this number increases manifold in future. The other topics we have chosen for our readers this month are how online retailers are dealing with the dilemma of customer loyalty. We have also talked in detail about the importance of store layout in retail and how proper synergy between VMs and store designers can lead to a fantastic looking store. Under the technology slug, we have picked up an intriguing subject of how retailers can improve buying trips efficiency through the use of technology. Besides the few I have mentioned, we also have a bunch of several other interesting articles in this issue. So, please read on and we will try to continue presenting more interesting issue in the month of April. Cheers!
The largest read magazine in the Indian retail industry, ‘IMAGES Retail’ is a comprehensive and authoritative one-stop information resource for the top and middle level retail professionals. A powerful catalyst for the profitable growth of the Indian retail industry, Images Retail covers the entire gamut of retail operations in India addressing key issues such as investments and opportunities in retailing, innovation in formats, store design & VM, merchandising, real estate, IT, supply chain & logistics, CRM and analytical reports backed by in-depth market & consumer research.