Samsonite to open 50 more franchise outlets this year

A pioneer in luggage and accessories, Samsonite has announced its plans to set up 50 more stores this fiscal. These new outlets will follow a franchise model developed by the brand. Announcing the project, the Director (Retail Projects) of Samsonite, Mr. N. P. Singh said, “The company has set up 167 franchisee outlets in addition to 50 plus other company-owned outlets. We are now in the process of venturing into new markets and scouting for business partners.” These exclusive outlets will be in addition to store-in-store in large format retail chains. Besides setting up more outlets in important cities, the brand is also in talks with entrepreneurs for opening in tier-II cities. “Overall, we plan to open 50 more outlets, and all of them will be launched through franchise option. The idea is to set up stores in the nearest convenient location where a number of brands are available under one roof”, Mr. Singh said. The planned locations for this expansion include Vijayawada, Guntur, Madurai, Salem, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Kolhapur, Rourkela and Muzaffarpur. The company offers a variety of brands such as Tourister, Timberland products, Lacoste bags, wallets and shirts. These include backpacks, laptop bags, hard and soft luggage, wallets, belts and Samsonite shoes.