Reliance Jewels, which had deferred its entry into certain highly competitive regions in the South, expects to enter these markets this year.

Apart from looking at online retailing, the company also plans to double its stores strength this fiscal.

The jewellery arm of Reliance Retail will enter the Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai markets this year, Mr Ashok Kaul, Senior Vice-President and Business Head of Jewellery, Reliance Retail, told Business Line .

“Tamil Nadu and Kerala are large markets, but they are also very competitive and there are many things that need to be right before we enter such markets,” Mr Kaul pointed out.

“Also, the launch was deferred as these are localised markets with region-specific designs and we need to have the ability to source the designs,” he said. It is not just about size and having the money to open stores, but we need to understand the regional requirements, he pointed out.

Along with entering new markets, Reliance Jewels plans to double its store presence across the country by the end of 2012. The company will be expanding across large and small towns in Karnataka, Andhra Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat, ahead of entering newer markets such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, according to Mr Kaul.

Reliance Jewels is also mulling getting into online retailing. “We don't have online retailing as of now but we are thinking in this direction,” Mr Kaul said. It is not a large part of the sales so we aren't focusing on that, but it would help us and complement our existing network, he said.

“We need to be ready so that when we find that the market is ready to start buying jewellery online, it can supplement our sales,” he added.

> sushma.un@thehindu.co.in

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