Smart Shop 108 (p) limited, one of Thailand’s successful companies, with franchise partner Holika Sema, opened its first convenience chain store in Dimapur today. The company is having 1,000 outlets in Thailand presently and plans to expand its presence in India through the franchise route. It presently has six stores in the country. The residents of Nagaland consider the opening of this store as a ‘pre-Christmas gift’ from Thailand. The store was inaugurated by Theradol Thongruang, Commercial Counsellor, Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi. The store is currently stacked with FMCG products and accessories but the company plans to turn this complex into a ‘mini Thai bazaar’, by adding shoes, garments and other products. There store would also open the ‘information centre’ soon to provide all kinds of information related to jobs, education and travel in the outlet. The company has made a foray into Dimapur after a careful analysis of the market potential in the North-east region. Also, Nagaland has a high potential as a developing province of the North-east.