Fitted for perfection

With the motive to furnish British retail experience, Boudoir London has come up with its exclusive range of lingerie suited to the Indian consumers. Dalbir Bains, Founder of Boudoir London, shares the inception and future plans of her company.

Abha Garyali (AG): Tell us something about the inception of ‘Boudoir London’?

Dalbir Bains (DB): Boudoir London is my creation. The company offers the Indian consumers premium, good quality lingerie and swimwear. My knowledge of the international lingerie market made me realise the existing gap in the Indian market. I wanted to create an environment conducive to buying lingerie as well as put up a product offer relevant to the Indian consumers. In short, the objective was to create a British retail experience in India.

AG: How did the concept of Boudoir London evolve? 

DB: Boudoir London has received a huge acceptance in India as well as by the media. Boudoir London has been featured in over 300 magazine and newspaper articles and had over 20 television appearances, in reference with the specific product and the services. This demonstrates the power and the acceptance of the brand in India. My objective is to educate the women about the importance of wearing good fitting lingerie through various sources such as articles, columns in magazines, and appearances at women events.

AG: In what ways is Boudoir London different from other lingerie franchises? What is its USP?

DB: Boudoir London is a very unique brand as it specialises in international lingerie relevant for the Indian consumer. Some domestic franchises do not have the international quality and styling aspect that Indian women expect, other international franchises do not understand specifically the requirements of the Indian woman and her body type. 

I personally take care of every product in the store. As I have been a buyer and buying director for UK high street stores for over 15 years and this helps my work a lot. The service in store is firstly about bra fitting. Boudoir London is the only brand that offers a professional bra fitting service whereby the customer’s size is worked out accurately. Beyond that, the customer requirements are understood and the customer is advised on the right selection for her requirements.

AG: How many centers do you have at present and in which cities? What are the future target locations for your expansion?

DB: Boudoir London has just launched its first franchise outlet and its flag ship store in Juhu, Mumbai. Our target is to focus on the tier I and tier II cities in India and open another 12 stores in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Chandigarh etc. 

AG: What kind of training and support would you offer to your franchisees?

DB: The whole ethos of Boudoir London is customer service and creating a customer friendly environment. Boudoir London needs to maintain these standards across the country and has a very detailed and supportive training programme to ensure consistency amongst service levels in every store in the country. We understand the difference between success and failure of any franchise depends on the execution skills of the franchisee. The back up support for franchisees is limitless with regional managers being assigned in each area to enable franchisees to have continuous contact.

Boudoir London firmly believes that the franchisee’s success is our success so we work hand in hand with the franchisee.

AG: What kind of background is necessary for securing a franchise of your company?

DB: A retail /customer service background is preferable as prior experience is definitely going to enhance the results of the franchisee. Furthermore, knowledge of international products in India will be an added advantage. Finally, the franchisees need to be energetic and keen to be a part of the great franchise legacy.