Tata Indicom announces aggressive retail expansion plan

Kolkata, Sept 22 (UNI) Tata Teleservices Limited (TTL), which has embarked on an agressive retail expansion plan, is all set to make forays in the largely unexplored Northeastern market before this year end, TTL President (Business Improvement) Jehangir Ardeshir said here today.

Speaking to newsmen during his brief visit to the city Mr Ardeshir said as part of its aggressive expansion programme TTL had targetted to increase the total number of Tata Indicom True Value Shoppe(TVS) and the newly introduced True Value Hub(TVH)to 3500(from around 2400 now) by March 2007 besides increasing the TTL customer base from the present 12 million to around 18 million, recording more than 20 per cent annualised growth during the same period.

He said though TTL services were presently available in more than 3,000 cities and towns in 20 Telcom Circles across the country,the entire Northeastern region comprising seven states and Sikkim remained out of bounds mainly because of "operational reasons".

"But now we have decided to enter that virgin market in a big way and with a lot of investment and attractive proposals to help further widen our customer base to a great extent", Mr Ardeshir said when asked about his future plans.

He, however, declined to set any particular timeframe for the new project but said "most likely it would begin before the start of next year".

Asked about the investment proposals, the TTL President said, "Rs 80 crores to Rs 100 crores would be invested" for the expansion of TTL's all India retail expansion programme during the current fiscal to take the total number of TVS and TVH across the country to over 3500.

Incidentally, TTL today entered the Limca Book of Records for 2007 edition for being the first Telcom operator in the country to open as many as 103 TVS across the country on a single day on September 11.

As such senior represetative from Limca Book of Records S Basu today handed over the prestigious certificate to Mr Ardeshir at a function here in presence of several other senior officials of the company including COO Abhijit Pal and Vice-President,Retail,Rajiv Handa.

Among the 103 true Value Shoppe opened on Spetember 11, the maximum 22 were in Kolkata.

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