NEW DELHI: The ‘Imported’ tag still rules the Indian psyche. The friendly neighbourhood retailer, who supplies the monthly quota of Malaysia-manufactured deodorants, Indonesian chocolates and made-in-China shampoos, has known this for long.

Now, the fact has been factored in by new-age retail shelves. Retail chains, both in fixed budget and niche high-end categories, are reserving more shelf space for specifically ‘not-made-in-India’ merchandise. In most cases, the brand barely matters.

“As long as it is genuinely imported, it’s okay,” says a merchandiser of an agency that picks up imported brands for small retail chains based in New Delhi and Punjab.

“There is a huge craze for imported products, especially in Tier II towns, where access to such products is a problem and buying options are limited. The brand does not really matter, because the general psychology is that the foreign products are superior to the domestic products,” says Vikas Gulaty, director and CEO, Mallz 99.

The retail chain is planning to expand to about 100 outlets in the next three years, has all its merchandise, from dog food to mascara, sourced from all over the world, but India.

“We have buying houses in Turkey, Europe, Japan, China, Indonesia and the US. We have 3,000 products in the portfolio and brands keep on changing. Sometimes, a particular brand does not make it back to our shelves. It depends on the global availability of the products,” he says.

The India-based franchise of One-Dollar stores US DollarStore, has everything shipped via Florida (though it is sourced from all over the world). “About 95% of the products in the stores are imported. The only brand which is made in India is Pepsi,” says Gautam Sahni, director, Nanson Overseas.

The craze for imported products is complimented by a high degree of brand recall, even for the lower-end brands. “It’s astonishing that people are aware of a lot of brands that are available in our stores, even though they have never been advertised here.

And the brand awareness is not just about expensive products. Even lower-end things like Pringle chips and Jack’s cleaner are identified and that creates more demand,” says Mr Sahni.

Similarly, the high-end Dr Morpene’s ‘Tango’ chain of stores and Ebony Retail, have both tied with luxury brands like Mineral Care and Southern Islands for their beauty sections.

“There is a demand for some of the products that our customers have tried during their sojourns abroad and have enough disposable income to try out others, especially in Punjab,” says an official from Ebony.

US Dollar Store, the Florida based retail major on Tuesday announced its entry in to the country through the franchise route. The pioneers of the single price concept stores (the store offers international brands and merchandise at a fixed selling price of Rs 99 only) Has signed up with New Delhi based Company Nanson Overseas as franchise. According to the company press release, the international brands and merchandise at the fixed prices of Rs 99 will have perceived value or value for money built into them.

New Delhi, Nov 8: The latest thing happening in the retail sector in India is the entry of the 'single price concept stores'. In an exclusive interview to this newspaper. Mr. Gautam Sahni master Franchise in India for the Florida – based US Dollar store said that that US Dollar store which has already opened its maiden outlet in Delhi, plans to open around 100 outlets in the country in two years.

These dollar stores, sell all items mostly imported, ranging from food & beverages, cosmetics, decorative items, toys and what have you, at the single price point. A dollar in the US, the price point in India is Rs 99.

Talking about the recently opened US dollar store in Delhi Mr. Sahni said, “the store is doing wonderful business" in two years time at least 15 outlets are being planned for Delhi alone speaking about the merchandise, Mr. Sahni said that apart, from Pepsi, which again is an America brand, all products are imported.

However, the important thing to take note here is that even as everything is imported and it is the United States parent company, which is the sourcing agent, the country of manufacture can be United States. Canada, china, Brazil, Taiwan or any country for the matter, which makes business sense for the company.

Then what about Indian products? “ To maintain the exclusivity, we are not keeping made in India products as of now, but can not the future” said Mr. Sahni.

In the early 1990s, when PVR Priya re-opened and was showing the "latest English movies", you could see a flock of youngsters gathering near the entry of the market. That was where Modern Bazaar was — a general store with all sorts of imported items, where on any given day you would see embassy people shopping for goodies.

The teenagers however, preferred it for the fast food joint they had running, where burgers and channa-kulcha came at pretty cheap prices in those pre-McDonald’s days.

Modern Bazaar now has relocated, after a fire — from its spot right in front of the market, to the little-visited back section. The new-look Modern Bazaar, which opened about four months ago, now boasts of a full-fledged bakery; making their upper section smell delectably of fresh bread. It’s gone through many avatars since it opened in 1977, says owner Kunaal Kumar. Previously, it used to have a video library, which closed. Then the fast food centre. Then a liquor store. "You probably won’t get all of this stuff anywhere else," says Kumar, "Some, perhaps; but not all."

Also in the Priya complex is Le Marche, a fancy new food store. It has not only all the foreign brands but also has tied up with Sugar and Spice, so you get cold cuts and pastries right next to the chips and the sauces. Then there’s Morning Store in M-Block GK-I market, which also has a busy fan following. You can pick up one of the shopping baskets and shop for marshmallows and chutney, all in the same trip. The Jor Bagh shops — Steak House and PigPo are where all the carnivores shop, preferring to overlook the local halal butcher, and the Green Chick Chop chain stocks ready-made curries like kadhai-chicken and rogan-josh where all you need to do is put it in a frying pan.
A new range of dollar stores have also set up shop in the city offering shampoo and handy gadgets at economical prices — basically everything in the shop goes for Rs. 99. The US Dollar Store in the Priya complex prides itself on being "funfilled". At least, that’s what Gautam Sahni, main franchisee and director, Nanson Overseas Private Limited says. "It’s like a treasure hunt, you never know what you’ll find. And thanks to the price, customers usually leave with three or four items."

Sahni has big plans for the Dollar Store as well — he intends to have 25 outlets all-India by September 2006.

There’s the My Dollar store, which has been heavily advertised by McDonald’s, which, we hear, is so popular, that they have to close the shutters of the shop every now and then, because they simply can’t have any more people inside. No wonder then, that grocery shopping is no longer a chore. Because travelling to your local fancy supermarket is easier than a trip abroad, and you get the same products!