A

Project Study Report

On

Training Undertaken at

“Life style”

Titled

“Market survey of lifestyle store in Baby Shop Concept.”

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the

Award of degree of

Master of Business Administration

Submitted By: -

Anurag singh

MBA Part _3rd

Submitted To:-

Jodhpur Institute of Management

(A Constituent of Jodhpur National University, Jodhpur)

2008-2010

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Acknowledgement

I express my sincere thanks to my project guide, Mr. S. K. SINGH

(Designation) H.R. Manager , at Gurgoan ., for guiding me right from the inception

till the successful completion of the project. I sincerely acknowledge him/her/them for

extending their valuable guidance, support for literature, critical reviews of project and

the report and above all the moral support he/she/they had provided to me with all

stages of this project.

I would also like to thank to the staffs of the organisation , for their help and cooperation

throughout our project.

I express my gratitude to Jodhpur Institute of Management for providing me with this

opportunity and constant guidance.

Anurag singh

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Executive Summary

In today’s highly competitive scenario the stores want to attract a large number of

consumers and provide them with quality product and comfort. They intend to leave a

long lasting impact on the mind of the consumers. This leads to brand loyalty of the

consumer towards the store, which leads to customer repetition and generation of sales.

With the influx of large format department store the shoppers are getting more and more

discerning as what to buy and where to buy to get an ideal bargain in form of product

quality, variety and price. With apparel forming a major chunk of spending, apart from

food and beverages there has been a lot of focus by the department stores on their

apparel category.

The stores intend to provide the consumers with all the leading brands along with

substantial variety within each brand, specially keeping in mind the tough competition

from EBO’s and MBO’s

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Contents

S.no Particulars Page no

1 Introduction 5

2 Company profile 8

3 Departments of baby shop 15

4 Research methodology 16

5 Objective 19

6 Limitations 20

7 Findings 21

8 Analysis and Interpretation 24

9 Graphical Representation 25

10 SWOT analysis 39

11 Respondent don’t like in a store 46

12 Key observation 47

13 Conclusion 48

14 Recommendation for Baby shop 49

15 Refrences 54

16 Bibliography 55

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INTRODUCTION

The Retailing in India is largest industry account for 10 percent of country’s GDP and

around 8 percent of employment . Retail industry in India is at the crossroad .It has

emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries with several players

entering in the market. Retailing in India is gradually inching its way towards becoming

the next boom industry. The whole concept of shopping has changed in terms of

sprawling shopping centers, multistoried malls, hypermarkets and huge complexes of

shopping offering shopping, entertainment and food under one roof. The one

stopshopping concept has emerged as the idea behind shopping in malls. The mall

concept is new in India and it is gradually going popular in a fast pace.

A most evident change is the numerous new entertainment options the retail revolution

has thrown open .The families plan a full day excursion at malls on weekends. The

students seen passing away hour’s together hanging out in malls and mothers and kids

flocking to the food courts and playing centers .What’s interesting to observe here is that

these places democratized the retail experience attracting a cross section of population

from the elite to the masses ,who vary from age any where between 13 to 60 years .

The malls out here also offers international class ambience and which offer’s wide

variety of entertainment option’s which include multiplexes ,food joints , branded

departmental stores like Lifestyle , Shopper’s Stop , Pantaloons and many more which

makes shopping an enjoyable experience. The shopping now is more of a leisure and

recreational activity than earlier as a need based or list based activity.

In Gurgaon, there are good number of shopping malls at one place with famous retail

stores and multiplexes out there .These malls have right tenant mix , adequate parking

space and proper retail space too .This attracts shopper’s from various part of Delhi and

NCR(National capital region) to visit here especially in weekends .

The on going boom in mall activity gave opportunity to various business groups foresee

prospects on investing in this sector due to greater accessibility to real estate and

easy

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availability of finance from banks and other institution’s. There are numbers of new

malls coming up in Delhi and National capital regions which has posed a threat to the

existing malls in Gurgaon.. As Gurgaon is famous for these shopping malls and it

attracts Delhites especially to shop here.

The impact of upcoming malls in Delhi and nearby on the existing malls and its popular

stores is a matter of serious concern for these retailers. They have to take initiative to

retain their market share and to make strategies to outshine their competitors.

To understand the entire problem, the marketing research will definitely help us to study

customer’s preference, perception and the market potential of these Gurgaon malls.

This will bring out the strengths and weaknesses of these malls along with the

opportunities and threats ahead of them. The Retail in India is looking promising and the

Shopping malls will definitely do well in the near future.

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DEFINING THE MARKETING PROBLEM:

The growing number of Shopping Malls in Delhi and NCR(National capital region) and

its impact on the existing malls of Gurgaon .The rise in competition in Retail sector and

the strategies to be taken by the Retail players to retain their existing market share and

capture the Market.

OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH:

To Study the Impact of Upcoming Shopping Malls in Delhi and NCR(National capital

region)On the Existing Shopping Malls in Gurgaon.

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COMPANY PROFILE

Lifestyle International (P)Ltd. is a chain of departmental stores from the Landmark

Groups . The stores are at present in al the leading cities of our country. Lifestyle stores

is known for its attractive décor, availability of standard brands,quality service,

Luxurious ambience, enticing experience and the hautest collections. Lifestyle is a one-

stop destination for people with a spiced-up lifestyle. Launched in 1999 in chennai,

Lifestyle is one of India's largest professional retailers boasting over 250,000 sq. ft. of

shopping space across Chennai, Hydeberabad, Bangalore, Gurgoan and Mumbai.

Lifestyle appeals to the youthful, vibrant and discerning shoppers of India and has

stylish yet affordable merchandise for the entire family and their home. With international

displays and a shopper-friendly layout, coupled with the widest choice and the best

value for money, Lifestyle today is one of the most preferred shopping destinations in

India. Lifestyle India won The Business World Award for 'The most respected company

in the Indian retail sector'. It also won The Images Award for the 'Most Admired Large

Format Retail Company' in India .

The foundation of Landmark Group is built on the philosophy that the

'Customer comes first'. This has meant that we have developed and

live by certain core values as an organization - Carefully listen.

Constantly adapt. Always deliver.

On these 3 pillars The Landmark Group continues to grow

successfully. Venturing into new markets. Capturing greater market

share.

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Lifestyle’s Group has nine key Philosophies on

which the company is committed:

1. Complete Customer Satisfaction

2. To aspire to be the No. 1 in each field of Operations

3. International Standards

4. Research & Development

5. Manpower Development and Training

6. Total Quality Approach

7. Cost Control

8. Speed & Simplicity

9. Transparency

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The Landmark group, Dubai, incorporated lifestyle Stores- Lifestyle International (P) Ltd

in India in 1998. The company opened its first Lifestyle store in Chennai in 1999.

The Landmark Group has expanded exponentially today with more than 170 Landmark

Stores in the Gulf, Middle East and Cyprus.

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The five concepts of Landmark Stores are:

BABY SHOP

The Baby Shop houses a complete range of products for children from 0-12 years. This

includes children’s clothing, toiletries, nursery furniture, toys, stationary, baby’s shoes &

socks. The Baby Shop stocks leading national and international brands along with its in-

house brands.

SPLASH

Splash is a branded fashion garment chain catering to both, the formal & casual needs

of the young & trendy. Splash houses a wide collection of ethnic & western wear for

men, women, & children for all occasions. Splash retails several well known brands like

Lee Cooper, Levi’s, Arrow, etc and also its in-house brands like Nexus, Retro etc.

SHOE MART

Shoe Mart has consolidated its position as the largest footwear retailer in the Gulf. The

store offers a wide range of shoes including established brands like Nike, Reebok, and

Lee Cooper etc. At every Shoe Mart, in order to compliment the display of footwear are

accessories like handbags, belts and luggage.

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HOME CENTRE

Home Centre is the chain of house ware & furniture stores. It stocks furniture,

accessories, utility & decorative items, crockery, cutlery, fitting & furnishing in a wide

range of colors, styles & designs to suit varied customers. Besides stocking choices of

accessories & decorative items from around the world, the Home Centre also retails its

in-house brand of household linen; ‘Home Classics’.

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle offers a range of health, beauty, perfume & cosmetic products, as well as a

selection of jewellery. Also housed are gifts for adults & teenagers, and accessories like

watches and sunglasses. At many stores, it also houses a selection of aromatherapy,

colors therapy, bath salts, crystals, & oils sourced from around the world

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Departments in Baby Shop concept

1. Clothing

2. Infant Basic

3. Nursery

4. Toys

5. School and Stationeries

6. Accessories

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Research Methodology

Primary information

Company Personnel – CSR, Assistance Concept manager, Concept manager and

Business manager.

Visiting 15 retail Stores near Noida & South & East Delhi

Secondary Information

Website

E-mail

Basic marketing - by Kotler

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A. RESEARCH : EXPLORATORY

Desk Research:

The aim is to do a complete market survey of the areas in and around Noida and

research upon prospective primary and secondary customers, possible catchment's

areas, consumer need requirements and position of Lifestyle vis-à-vis competitors. The

Sources of secondary data included various magazines, journals, newspapers and

Internet web sites.

B. DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH:

Competitors Scan through observation technique to observe the layout, retail space

allocated to brands, themes, promotions, customer loyalty programs etc. Consumer

survey through structured and non-disguised questionnaire.

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Data collection tools

For Primary research

Discussion guidelines

Questionnaire

For secondary research

Internet search engines were used and in total 220 respondents were interviewed. A

complete structured questionnaire was used to receive customer feedback as a part of

exploratory research.

Excel software Microsoft Office has been used for the analysis of the questionnaire.

Stores covered

In Gurgaon- Shoppers Stop, Pantaloon

In South Ex and Lajpat Nagar -Shoppers Stop, Pantaloon, Westside, and Ebony

In Noida -Shipra mall, Shoppers Stop, Pantaloon , Ebony.

In East Delhi- EDM , Pacific.

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Objective

To do a complete market survey of the areas in and around NOIDA for the

Upcoming Lifestyle Store in Unitech’s The Great India Place Mall at Sector 18, for Baby

Shop Concept.

Sub- ObjectivesSub- Objectives

Profiling of the primary and secondary consumers who will visit our store in

Noida.

Possible catchments areas.

Consumer’s needs/ requirements- any major peculiarities?

Idea product mix down to the departmental level in the concept.

SWOT of our location vis-à-vis competitive locations.

SWOT of our concepts vis-à-vis competition.

Profiling of the current competition as it exist in NOIDA.

Any must have/ must not have in the NOIDA store, with reasons?

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Limitations of the Project

The study is limited by money and manpower and due to time constraints. The

views/opinions stated by different people surveyed seemed to be contradictory at few

instances. Although a complete precaution has been taken in getting the correct views

of consumers, but there still might be small element of error present.

Non Probability Judgmental Sampling, which has been used in the research, has its own

sets of limitations, though an effort was made to be as rational as possible while

pursuing this research. The sample size chosen for customer survey (220

questionnaires of men and women) is small to represent the entire population of Delhi

and NCR.

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6) For almost 62 Percent of the Shopper’s Gurgaon malls is Too Far and it is definitely a

problem that affects their frequency. Most of the respondents gave their preference of

Shopping in neighborhood malls. For most of them traffic jam, traveling time and

Traveling cost is an issue. It has been found that for Gurgaon malls Parking is not an

Issue as only 10.5 Percent said Parking is an issue for them.

7) The Customer loyalty card holders number was not satisfactory. As almost 61

Percent were not having that in given particular stores .The number stands out to yes

were 72 , which stands out to 39 Percent .The Shopper’s Stop stands to have maximum

accounting for a share of 55 Percent. Lifestyle stands with 26 Percent and other 19

Percent were of Pantaloons. Some of the respondents were loyalty members in some

other stores. The Shopper’s Stop is getting the benefit of its presence in both Gurgaon

and Delhi.

8) The number of Shopper’s coming to Gurgaon malls gave an interesting result. The

respondents who were asked in Gurgaon malls were from different regions. The major

share of 39 Percent were South Delhi residents and following it were Gurgaon residents.

There were Shopper’s from some parts of Haryana .The Presence of East Delhi, North

Delhi, Gaziabad and Noide people was too low. The response of West Delhi people

towards preference for Gurgaon malls was Good, but I didn’t find much of them during

survey.

9) The respondents in other malls including Centerstage Noida were residents of East

Delhi ,South Delhi and Noida itself. The Centerstage has a huge retail space and there

is a Five Star Hotel near too it. The Ansal’s Plaza in Delhi is attracting a huge crowd

during weekends, as it is South Delhi, it is getting the benefit of its location accessibility.

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The rise in number of corporate offices in Gurgaon and growing interest of People to

avail housing in National Capital region will definitely make Gurgaon Grow in near

future.

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ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

The data’s collected through survey from two sets of Questionnaire’s .The sample size

covered was 200. The first set of 100 Questionnaire was asked to Shopper’s in Delhi

and nearby regions. The second sets of Questionnaire were asked to Shopper’s in

Gurgaon malls.

The data’s were analyzed through tabulating the numbers and drawing out the

percentage of responses. The data has been shown here with the help of bar graphs

and pie charts for easy comprehension of figures.

The percentage is drawn excluding the number of respondents who have not visited

Gurgaon in some parts of analysis (total sample 183/200)

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GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

Profile of the Respondents

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Age

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Occupations

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Monthly Household Incomes

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Frequency of Purchases

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Choice of Stores

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Reasons for Purchases

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Preferred Price Ranges

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Importance of Attributes

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Boy’s Tops

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Boy’s Bottoms

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Girls Tops

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Girls Bottoms

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Preferred Value Additions

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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths

Customers are highly satisfied with the clothing section in Baby Shop.

All the stores of the Lifestyle are centrally located.

The store has everything under one roof.

The store has experience of almost 30 years.

Strong backing of landmark group.

Having a good International market exposure.

In house labels-Juniors: Have an exclusive in store label.

Large number of brands: The Baby Shop has a large number of brands catering

to all the kids’ categories.

High quality standards: The Baby shop offers quality merchandise in its store,

which is appreciated by the customers as well.

High brand equity-Customers see it as ‘LIFESTYLE’.

Growing awareness of the store International Appeal.

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Analysis:

Well slated to exploit the opportunities through experience of the Landmark groups.

Satisfaction with the most important section (clothing) would help in retaining and

attracting customers. Further, Baby Shop can exploit the fact that competition from large

store is not strong in maternity products, nursery furniture and infantile rise.

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WeaknessesWeaknesses

Perceived to be expensive in clothing and non-clothing items.

Some customers perceived that there are lacks of varieties in some of the

department.

Very less varieties are there for the age bracket14-16 years

Lack of daily wear expensive clothing: The starting range in t- shirts in the Baby

Shop is higher as compared to the competing stores like Shoppers "Stop and

Westside.

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Analysis:

Lack of differentiation and customer dissatisfaction may result in revenue deflection to

the competition. Thus, some opportunities may remain unattended. This is more

important for Baby Shop, since as the kids grow their requirements keep changing and

hence life-time of each association is very high.

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Opportunities

Growing population can be seen as a good opportunity for upcoming markets.

Increasing incomes make the middle class people to shop more as the price suits

them..

Competition has left a gap in maternity products, nursery furniture.

Growing Market for Kids branded Apparel: Rs. 500 Crore market , growing at the

rate of 15% annually.

Increasing demand for kids items due to growing awareness amongst the parents

and kids.

Increase in market share by

Adding more variety at a lower price in kid’s Apparel

Having a more attractive marketing program

By making customers aware of its offering

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Threats

Competition from Shopper’s Stop etc thus lifestyle should continuously keep

formulating new strategies to fight the competition.

Competition from local market, thus lifestyle should try to get the customers who

still prefer to shop at local market.

Perception of being over-priced of the clothing and non clothing items

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Analysis

Threats from competitors like Shopper's Stop are countered by the backing of

Landmark group. Threats from local market, however, are more due to reasons of

pricing and varieties. Improved supply chain efficiency in terms of cost and inventory

control would be required.

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Some Features, which respondents don’t like in a Store

Congestion at billing counters.

Lack of parking space.

Right now only English jingles are played Hindi songs should also be played.

There is less space between Gondolas; a little more space is required.

Staff follows the customer everywhere the customer goes, and the store looks

overcrowded with the staff.

No space for kid’s in the store where they can play when the parents/relatives are

busy with kid’s shopping.

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Key Observations

Cotton in fabric is preferred choice of most of the customers. Most respondents

purchase due to child outgrows, followed by during sales and promotions and during

festival and so on. Product fabric and product variety are the key motivators for

purchase.

The parent approximately spends 1000-2000 on a single trip of shopping. Most

respondent’s purchase as per variety, proximity to home, followed by exclusive

merchandise.

Window display is not a major factor for most respondents as far as store selection is

concern.

Majority of the respondent buy kids wear at every three months, Once in fortnight,

followed by Once in month.

In Boy’s tops, the most preferred pattern is crew neck in T-Shirt followed by shirts, v-

neck then polo neck

In Boy’s bottoms, the most preferred bottoms are jeans, shorts, trousers and Bermudas.

In Girl’s tops, the most preferred pattern in T-shirts is again shirts and v-neck then follow

crew neck.

Among various cartoons, the most favorite ones is Power Puff Girls (PPG) and

Pokemon.

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Conclusion

On basis of findings and competitor scan, certain recommendations were made to

enhance the performance was of Baby shop department. They are as follows.

Customers are assets, they need to any how encourage for shopping and stick towards

our store, for that there is a need to frame customer loyalty programmed.

There should be some focal point, which helps in attracting customers for entering in the

Baby shop concept.

There should be some good display on mannequins near staircases

West Bengal is having a good hub for investment, so company needs to plane to open

store in that area.

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Recommendations for Baby shop

Boy’s outerwear

National Brands (except Ruff) are absent only in-house brands are available on a

regular basis, thus more national brands should be kept in the store.

Keep variety in accessories like belts as it is an impulsive item and helps in

increase sales.

There is a difference between type of size labels used in in-house and national

brands thus creating unnecessary confusion for the customer who is shopping for

the first time.

Space for focal points should be increased as they catch the attention of the

customer and make them explore more in the store.

Separate space for accessories should be provided as these are the impulsive

items which should be focused properly as it enhances the sales.

At least one international brand like Reebok, Adidas should be present in the

store.

Size bigger than 14 yrs kid in in-house brand on regular basis is needed (30% of

the customers demand this )

Stocks should be always in balance (like shirts have’ 0 ‘categories)

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Girl’s Outerwear

Party frocks having a age group 4-14 yrs should have a price range of Rs600/- or

more.

Basic T-shirt / plain T- shirt having the price Rs.200/- above are demanded the

most.

Basic trouser or jeans should have the price range of Rs.500/- or more.

Night suit in good stuffs (need woven as hosiery look) like basic T-shirt is needed.

Need more fancy tops.

Sporty dress need more options.

Need more Barbie, power puff girls, lilliputs.

Cycling shorts needed.

Should be varieties in the colors of vests .

Age bracket should be more (4-8yrs, 8-12 yrs, 12-14 yrs)

Improve the brand of accessories.

Mannequins need more accessories.

Demand of party wear is enormous, so advisable to keep.

Quality of stand should be improved.

Woven cotton night suit is needed

Signage should be according to theme and stuffs as well.

Some mannequins with complete set display should be there like HOME

CENTRE has.

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Infant Wear

More stock in trouser for boys is needed.

More stock in sleeveless T-shirt for boys is needed.

Girls full trousers needed in denim and non-denim (right now only cotton fabric is

available).

Required more space for both boys and girls.

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Infant Basic

Need the most famous brands like Tolly joy, Camera etc in infant accessories.

Bibs should be of cloth, plastic as well as both is needed.

Food container should be in different quality.

Plastic mats should be in different sizes like single bed and double bed both.

Max number of crockery should be Microwave safe and unbreakable.

In toiletries every brand should have all categories so the customer can compare

like Johnson & Johnson is not having nappy rash cream, liquid soap, baby sun

cream.

Mother care is not having nappy rash, ear buds, gift box etc.

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Toys

Junior needs same box height as maintain by Fisher Price.

Lower shelf should be more visible.

Product which is placed at the top of the shelf should not block back light.

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References

Ghoshal N., off the beaten Track, IMAGES Retail, Feb 2004.

India's Best Cities For Business, 2001, Business Today, Dec 23, 2001

Krishnan S., Creating awareness will expand the market, Hindu Business Line,

July 07, 2002

Menon S., Indian Retail's New Face, Retailbiz, Apr 7, 2004

Modi Revlon to Launch Street Wear, www.domain-b.com, Dec 19, 2002

Porter M., Competitive Strategy, The Free Press, New York, 1980

Porter M., What is Strategy?, Harvard Business Review, 1996

Prahalad C. K. and Hamel G.., The Core Competence of the Corporation,

Harvard Business Review, 1990

Re-tale of Twin Cities, The Economic Times, Aug 8, 2001

Sen T., Adolescent aspirations, IMAGES Retail, Aug 2003

Stalk G., Evans P., and Shulman L., Competing on Capabilities, Harvard

Business Review, 1992

Walters D. and Hanrahan J., Retail Strategy, MacMillan, 2000

Wilson D. and Purushothaman R., Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050,

Goldman Sachs, Global Economics Paper No. 99, Oct 2003

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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www.google.com

www.en.wikipedia.com

www.yahoo.com

www.lifestyleinternational.com

company Brocher

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