The facade of Westside, Camac Street, and (below) shoppers at the store. A Telegraph file picture

The Westside story is set for a fresh twist. From a marked well-heeled, upper-crust clientele at 22 Camac Street, the Trent lifestyle apparel chain is swivelling its focus to the “core middle-class shopper” when it unveils its second Calcutta store at Gariahat next week. The store came to Camac Street in 2001.

“The response to Westside in Calcutta has surpassed all our expectations, and 22 Camac Street ranks among our top four stores alongside Bangalore Forum, Lajpatnagar and Hughes Road in south Mumbai. We feel the time is now ripe to reach out to a wider audience,” says Trent general manager Himanshu Chakrawarti from Mumbai.

The 23,000 sq ft outlet anchoring the Gariahaat Mall set to open on September 22, will have a rack range designed to cater largely to the Bengali middle-income family, the essential fabric of consumers raiding the Gariahat shopping district.

“The product-mix will be a touch different from Camac Street, including more lower price point items, with a defined emphasis on Indian wear for women, while the western wear will focus more on the college crowd,” Chakrawarti explains.

The trek into Bengali homes had started with the “hugely successful” Styler Kotha co-branding campaign with Anandabazar Patrika launched at the Camac Street store. “We are keen to carry the story forward at Gariahat, which boasts a large traditional hinterland of Bengali shoppers. From the store ambience, which is more colourful and vibrant, to in-store activities, everything will be geared to attract this core group and make it feel comfortable,” says Chakrawarti.

Even the launch party, with brand ambassador Raima Sen the centre of attention, will have a “quintessentially Bengali feel”, complete with a conventional Bengali feast and families walking the ramp instead of only models.

While the kids’ section will be stronger, many other categories will more or less remain similar. “Gariahat will be a blend of the traditional and the contemporary. Before the Camac Street store was launched, there was an apprehension whether women’s western wear would do well in Calcutta. But the city has buried all doubts and this inclusive streak gives us so much more leverage,” feels Chakrawarti.

So has Westside finally emerged from the Pantaloons shadow? “I think there are defined areas of strength for both the stores, which divide loyalty. If they have more footfalls, we have more return visits and Calcutta offers room for both the chains to grow. We are extremely bullish on Calcutta,” insists Chakrawarti.

The buoyancy is borne out by figures as well. While business has grown by 20-30 per cent year-on-year since June 2001, footfall has also swelled by “15 to 22 per cent”.

And even as the Gariahaat Mall address gets the finishing touches, Trent is close to finalising the property for a third store “in north Calcutta”, about the “same size as Gariahat and of similar profile”.