Tata's hypermarket opens Dec 21: Official

Bangalore, Dec 20: Trent Ltd, the Rs 637 crore retail major managed by the Tata Group, is planning to open six hypermarkets under its brand 'Star Bazaar' in the next three years with the first one scheduled to be inaugurated tomorrow, marking its effort to gain a foothold in the South, a top official said today.

Talking to newspersons here, Trent Marketing Head Neeti Chopra said hypermarkets offered a wide repertoire of products to consumers at the lowest price. The company already operates 'Star Bazaar' hypermarkets in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.Ms Chopra said the retail boom in Bangalore was unprecedented prompting the group to cash in the opportunity.

Located in one of the prominent areas in the city, the hypermarket would be housed in a 75,000 sq ft area spread over three floors. Trent, which also operates Westside, one of the country's largest retail stores and Landmark, a book store, plans to take its turnover to over Rs 2,000 crore by 2010.

It had recently tied up with DLF Universal to set up its retail stores in 12 DLF Malls coming up in various cities in India. Ms Chopra said 'Star Bazaar' would set up a second outlet in Mumbai next month and then, shortly, move to Chennai and Hyderabad.

UNI