Country of Origin: India
Launch Date & Place: 1991 in Mumbai
Parent Company: K. Raheja Corp
Company History
Shoppers Stop is a fashion and lifestyle company that was first started in India on October 27, 1991, by the K. Raheja Corp. Their first-ever store was located in Andheri, Mumbai. The successes of the venture lead the company to quickly expand its presence across different locations in the city.
Shoppers Stop today is the go-to destination for a multitude of Indian Shoppers who have seen and witnessed the brand grow from its roots to the industry leader that it now is. The company is home to a wide range of leading national and international brands for apparel, fragrances, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, home decor, and furnishings that caters to the needs of the entire family.
Being one of the largest chains of department stores across India, Shoppers Stop aspires to provide its customers with a high-class, international shopping experience.
About K. Raheja Corp.
K Raheja Corp is one of the leading developers and success stories in India spanning over six decades. The company has made a significant impact on modern lifestyles by providing elegant residential buildings, robust workplaces, and world-class hotels.
The company has also always been ahead of the time when it came to taking initiatives on the ‘green development’ front. They signed a memorandum of understanding with the CII-Green Building Council to construct green buildings, way back in 2007. Their constructions have extensively large and eco-friendly landscapes as a contribution towards developing more green spaces in the country. Their buildings have also been certified in the Gold and Platinum categories and won accolades from prestigious forums.
Being amongst India’s biggest hospitality and real estate players, the Group crossed yet another milestone with this lifestyle venture.
India Presence
As of June 15, 2023, there are 157 Shoppers Stop stores in India, located in 22 states and territories and 57 cities.
The state with the most number of stores is Maharashtra. Consisting of 30 stores, it makes up for about 19% of all Shoppers Stop stores in India.
In 2022, Shoppers Stop launched four new department stores in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Lucknow, and Mumbai. The Mumbai store has been launched at the domestic wing of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Additionally, the company has opened one more outlet of their SSBeauty in Mumbai, which is its luxury beauty store brand.
About the same, Venu Nair, MD and CEO of Shoppers Stop in an interview said, “Shoppers Stop is a bridge to a luxury brand that ensures an impeccable customer shopping experience for its customers both offline and online. Keeping in sync with our expansion strategy, we have launched 5 stores, in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Lucknow, and Mumbai.”
The company has also witnessed tremendous growth with the launch of its SSBeauty stores, which exists in a standalone format. They also have plans to expand and open more SSBeauty stores in India shortly.
Omnichannel Strategy
The brand is focusing on incorporating more advanced technology to expand its reach and provide more customer satisfaction. Shoppers Stop uses ‘social shopping’ to give customers a seamless experience from discovery to checkout. Better customer experience is reflected in the improved mobile application rating, the company said, adding that Shoppers Stop has invested ₹40 crore in digital domains to enhance their customer experience.
In an earlier interview with Mint, Venugopal Nair said, “Investment into omnichannel is the biggest priority for us and that’s accelerated over the last year. All our stores are linked to Shoppersstop.com. That’s a unique advantage we have because we have large stores with a huge set of brands.”
He said that they had added resources within their stores to be able to fulfill orders and ship from the stores. “Majority of our stores now have an area for us to be able to pick-and-pack and ship to our customers,” he added.
The company retails through more than 500 international and national brands such as MAC Cosmetics, Vero Moda, Cover Story, and Only, along with exclusive brands like Kashish, LIFE, Fratini, Arcelia, and many more.
The company also runs 130 specialty beauty stores for brands including M.A.C, Estée Lauder and Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Smashbox, Jo Malone, and furnishings retail chain Home Stop.
Customer-Focused Strategies
Shoppers Stop operates one of the country’s longest-running loyalty programs called ‘First Citizen’. The First Citizen program aims to keep customers updated on all new trends, launches and keeps them engaged with offers like –
- End of Season Sale
- Exclusive discounts
- Company-branded credit cards
The First Citizen program has resulted in an increase in the company’s sale mix and the average bill size of the customer.
Besides that, it also runs the ‘personal shopper’ program for its premium customers. This too, has added to the company’s revenue by 13.6% in 2019. The company has recorded a similar rise there on, year-by-year.
Flexible and Reliable Company Policies
- Simplified Shopping Experience
Whether one chooses to shop online, in-store, or through any of the leading third-party marketplaces, they get the same experience in terms of merchandise, price & service.
- Secure Shopping
Shopping on the company’s website is known to be 100% safe and secure as they do not store complete details or payment information of customers’ credit or debit cards in their system. This information is directly transmitted securely to the bank for payment processing.
- Free Returns
Shoppers Stop follows the policy – “We are responsible for what we sell”. To keep that at the forefront of their trade, the company offers free and easy returns on most of the merchandise bought online. If any customer is not completely satisfied with their purchase, they can return the items via a courier pick-up or exchange them at any of their stores across India.
- Free Alterations
The company offers free alterations to all of its clothing items and this can be availed at any Shoppers Stop store at the customer’s convenience.
- Personalized Shopping at Store
The company provides the service of a personal shopper to all customers who are willing to book the same on a prior appointment basis. These experts are there to guide customers as they shop in an exclusive lounge in the store.
- Personalized Shopping Guide
Customers are provided with personalized shopping assistance by following the company’s Style Hub, which is curated with the latest fashion trends and suggestions.
- Express Store Pick-Up
The company provides the facility of express pick-up service at the store. Customers can shop online and collect their order from the nearest or preferred Shoppers Stop store at their convenience.
Market Position
Shoppers Stop Limited reported its earnings results for the fourth quarter and full year, which ended on March 31, 2023. The company saw its revenue from operations increase from Rs 205.23 crore in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year to Rs 948.44 crore in the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal, as per the Press Trust of India report.
The company made a swift recovery from its losses incurred during the pandemic and has positioned itself as a market leader yet again.
