After winning over India’s DIL, Disney targets kids’ hearts

The Disney stores will sell products like stationery in the price range of Rs 25 to Rs 900, targeting mostly children in the age group of 3 to 10 years, he said. Jaipuria said that besides the big cities, stores would be opened in Tier-II cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

“For the moment, the products will be imported. But once we open the first 100 outlets, we will start manufacturing units in India itself,” Jaipuria added.

The group is already in talks with some major schools in the national capital territory (NCR) for a tie-up. “We hope to break even in two years and our marketing strategy includes tie-ups with schools. We are targeting the affluent society,” said DIL president and CEO Virag Joshi. “The affluence level of people in India is rising along with a heightened awareness of global brands and overwhelming acceptance of global retail formats.”

“India is a very important market for our growth. We aim to take the Disney characters, mainly Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, etc to Indian kids at fair prices,” said TWDCI MD Rajat Jain.

MNCs have been eager to grab a share of India’s retail market, estimated at about $200 billion per year. Last year, the government said it would allow foreign companies to invest in retail stores for single-brand products in partnershipwith Indian companies.

Several international brands such as Nokia, Marks & Spencer and Adidas have since moved to set up their own stores. Previously, their products were sold through franchises.However, multi-product retail companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc are still barred from opening stores in India. Selling through company-owned stores currently totals just $8 billion.