Italian clothing and accessories brand Benetton plans to open 30-35 new stores and to renovate 30-35 stores as per their latest store design concept, On Canvas. With the expansion, Benetton will close down a few non-profitable stores in metros and Tier II cities. Renovation of identified stores will begin region-wise from last quarter of this fiscal. Animesh Ikshit, Vice President Projects & VM, Benetton India, says the company has targeted 60-70 On Canvas stores, out of which 50 per cent will be renovated while the rest will be new stores. Most of the new stores will open in Grade A and B towns. As multichannel is giving us business, the need of offering store experiences becomes paramount as a brand.
Amongst 360 EBOs in India today, Benetton treats five stores as premium in terms of size and premium-ness. The brand is in the process of identifying 35 such store under the premium canopy.
The brand is also planning to take in-store digital interfaces to the next level. Ikshit says the brand only consider video walls as digital element. As analytics play an important role in e-commerce, digital interfaces should be able to provide that kind of engagement and returns. However, in India it’s still in a nascent stage and take at least a few years to make a debut.