Ethnic wear retail, Neeru’s, has opened first store in Delhi. The store was inaugurated by celebrated Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor; the brand ambassador of Neeru’s who also endorses the company’s renowned wedding collection.
Inspired by the success of Neeru’s outlets in other cities, the Delhi store is spread over 3,200 square feet and is innovatively designed to allow customers to get a glimpse of the different products on offer.
Neeru’s has plans to expand its presence in North India by opening more stores in Delhi/NCR. They are tapping shopping hubs like Rajouri Garden, Lajpat Nagar and Ambience Mall, Gurgaon along with stores in Lucknow and Chandigarh. The retailer already has a lavish store situated on the second floor at DLF Mall of India, Noida.
Conceptualized by the brand’s in-house team the Karol Bagh store features an inviting and inspiring design which exudes the sophistication of the brand.
The New Store
The store showcases Neeru’s extensive range of clothing which redefines and modernizes Indian attire for women. Right from innovative silk lehengas to stylish Banarasi sarees, suits, mix-and-match, accessories, the Signature Neeru Kumar collection has touched the hearts of all clients. The other collections include Little Neeru’s which is dedicated to children up to 14 years of age. Ranging from everyday ethnic wear to festive wear, the brand caters to a spectrum of discerning audiences with varied tastes and style.
Stating the USP of the brand – selling the latest and the best of Indian ethnic wear at a reasonable price tag – Director, Neeru’s, Avnish Kumar said, “We are delighted to open our first store in Delhi. The Capital being such a culturally rich and vibrant city, the opening of our first store in Delhi marks an exciting step for the brand. With its fresh appeal and unique shopping experience, our new store will definitely keep the customers returning back for more. Our aim is to serve the clothing demands of the masses. With this store, we want to cater to the astute consumers in North India.”
Speaking on the occasion Karisma Kapoor said, “It is an absolute delight to be associated with Neeru’s. This is a name I can trust to endow the classic fusion of traditional and contemporary styles.”
From Humble Beginnings To Brand To Reckon With
From a humble beginning of supplying raw material to fashion retailers to being reckoned as a fashion brand that is today synonymous with ethnic fashion, Neeru’s has indeed come a long way. The brand kindles fashion with its active participation in fashion weeks and close engagement with celebrity fashion influencers.
The journey of Harish Kumar, CMD – Neeru’s, along with his mother Basant Kaur, the founder of Neeru’s, began in 1971 with tailoring and embroidery of superior and intricate designs in Hyderabad. In 1983, Harish started manufacturing and wholesale supplying of fabric to over 1,000 retailers across India.
Spotting a potential for handloom, he was quick to introduce handloom and other natural fabrics. This not only came as a fresh boon to the fabric market, which was till then saturated with man-made fibers and fabric, but this also gave a respite to weavers from south India helping them generate due economic benefits from their skills of weaving natural fibers.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Harish Kumar worked towards making handloom look fashionable and trendy thus giving it a facelift from its earlier avatar of being considered a choice for people who could not afford expensive fabric. The turning point came in 1991 when he realised that there was dearth for a good ethnic wear brand in the country, specially so when ethnic wear had a strong underlying demand. This is when Neeru’s journey started as a brand.
Market Presence
Today, with 52 EBO and MBO stores (including the one in Dubai) and approx 4.5 lakh sq.ft. of retail space, Neeru’s is redefining designer ethnic wear in India, making it available to patrons who are connoisseurs of fine design but shy away from buying due to expensive designer tags.
Director Neeru’s Avnish Kumar says about the brand’s USP, “Selling the latest and the best of Indian ethnic wear at a reasonable price tag.”
The locations of Neeru’s exclusive stores include Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru , Vijaywada, Tirupati, Nellore, Vizag, Guntur, Nizamabad and Dubai.
Neeru’s is also associated with large format retailers like Central and Lifestyle .
Product Line
The product line includes lehengas, sarees, silks, suits, mix-and-match, accessories, men’s ethnic and kids’ wear. Women’s wear includes lehengas, ghagras, silks, sarees, half sarees, blouses, tunics, and mix and match in both ready-to-wear, and unstitched formats. Men’s wear includes kurta pyjamas, Indo western wear, sherwanis, suits, shirts and trousers.
Neeru’s is also going strong on a sub-brand expansion, with the most prominent being Neeru’s Mix & Match—an exclusive collection of tunics, kurtis and bottoms. This is led by the Signature Neeru Kumar collection. Then there is Neeru’s Menz which is an exclusive collection for men.
The other collections include Little Neeru’s which is dedicated to children up to 14 years of age and Yuva which includes fashion jewellery, clutches, bags and footwear. The brand also forayed into the world of prêt with the launch of their signature collection, Neeru Kumar Collection.
The Flagship Concept Store
Neeru’s Emporio, The Ethnic Palace of India, which recently opened in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad is a visual treat spread over a sprawling 40,000 sq.ft. area. The store is dedicated to men, women, and kids ethnic wear.
It is a one-stop destination for wedding shopping and the design aesthetics of the store is at par with international luxury stores with Italian marble inlays, a waterfall inside the store, one of its kind 3D history wall, a 15 foot LED screen wall display and a live handloom machine where customers can watch weavers creating sarees right in front of their eyes.
Expansion Plans
Today, apart from its own outlets, Neeru’s is looking toward expansion through both the franchise as well as the dealership route. According to Avnish Kumar, the franchise terms of Neeru’s require a space of about 1,500-4,500 sq.ft. The requirement for its sub-brands is 500-1,000 sq.ft.
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