Trent (Westside)

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Trent is the retail arm of the Tata group. Started in 1998, Trent operates Westside, one of the many growing retail chains in India. The foresight of the Tata group, which invested in retail relatively early is paying high dividends as retail is one of the booming sectors in India.

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[edit] History

In 1998 Tata sold of their 50% stake in the cosmetic products company Lakmé to HLL for Rs 200 Crore (approx. 45 million US$), and created Trent from the money it made through the sale. All shareholders of Lakmé were given equivalent shares in Trent. Simone Tata, the chairperson of Lakmé, went on to head Trent. The reason behind the sale was that Simone Tata saw a greater growth potential in retail, and believed that it would be much more difficult for an Indian company to release new cosmetic products in a market that had opened up to global companies which could invest more in research.

[edit] Business

The company has a turnover of Rs. 357.6 crores (FY 2005-2006) and currently operates 22 stores in the major metros and mini metros of India. An international shopping experience, a perception of values, and offering the latest styles, has created a loyal following for Westside's own brand of merchandise.

Westside was named the 'Most Admired Large Format Retail Chain of the Year' by the Lycra Images Fashion Awards 2005.

Westside operates stores in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat, Vadodara, Indore, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Mysore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur.

[edit] Star India Bazaar

Trent also operates the newly launched hypermarket, Star India Bazaar which is situated in Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

[edit] External links