Magppie a very known and respectful name in designer & lifestyle home accessories market is all set to open 40 retail stores in India. Megappie was launched in India in year 2000 and has three manufacturing facility in Kundli, Haryana. They are not new in Indian retail and their brand is already present in leading retail stores like Shoppers’ Stop, Lifestyle, Jagdish Store etc. and has 10 stores , of which seven are into
retailing stainless steel products and three in modular kitchen. They aim to achieve turnover of Rs.400 crores in next 3-4 years from Rs.125 crores now. The company exports its products to around 40 countries including US, Australia and European nations.
With growing middle class and desire to live class life, need for such luxury and stylish products is growing in India. Magppie’s deals in Table Top, Dining, Tea & Coffee sets, Barware, Décor, Bath Accessories etc. They have a premium brand called Kohinoor which has stainless steel product crystallized with Swarovski crystals.
Though the brand is doing well for past many years, but I still doubt their decision to go retail seeing the unpredictable nature of Indian consumer. But they may get first movers advantage as there is no known chain in the category they are in.
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Rajeev Damani 
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September 29th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Very good observation Rajeev. Yes, Magppie is definitely what media calls an “aspirational” or “lifestyle” brand. They compete against Art D Nox, with a very similar product line & pitch.
On the surface, this move seems a natural extension as the tableware market is not going great guns. During my frequent visits to markets, malls & shopping centers across the country, I find that single-brand stores displaying tablewares are mostly empty.
Possibly this category lends itself to “impulsive” purchases, more than planned and therefore, fail to generate enough pull on a stand-alone format.
Therefore their penetration plan seems poorly timed. If its Diwali / Festival season they are looking at, well, its always cheaper to become visible at multi-brand stores & there are many which have loyal following.
On the modular-kitchen venture. That’s even more disturbing! A glance at the semi-classifieds section of any national newspaper or even some of the “lifestyle” mags is revealing enough!
That players with sunk costs & handsome royalty tie-ups (thanks to the real-estate bubble) are having a tough time, staying even afloat, is evident.
The housing scene is unlikely to get better in a hurry.
So, where is the opportunity?
However, if Magppie is planning to operate in the “elite” segment where single transactions are in 6 digits, then its a different ballgame and not really worth analysing at all!