Calcutta: Trent Ltd, the Tata firm that operates Westside, will add more stores this fiscal than it did in any single year of its two decade-old existence as the fashion retailer prepares to take on the might of Walmart-Flipkart and Amazon.

The company, which also sells groceries and green vegetable under the Star Bazaar format in a joint venture with Tesco, will also significantly expand, albeit in a different avatar, focusing on smaller stores and reaching out to the neighbourhoods.

"India has the demography and economy going for it. We plan to open at least 30 stores, with 10 in the east where we are under-represented," Philip Auld, managing director of Trent, said. The company had 125 stores at the end of March 31, 2018.

e-retail threat

According to Auld, Westside can weather the onslaught of e-retailers by offering convenience and choice to customers.

"Westside products are exclusive to the company and, hence, not available in any online platform. The prices in our website is the same that a customer finds in the store. Our online platform is a means to offer choice to the customers," he explained.

The MD, who was in Calcutta to inaugurate its flagship Westside store spreading over 30,000 square feet, ruled out the immediate entry of the Star formats in the eastern region and Calcutta right now, saying it would first consolidate in the southern and western markets.

The company plans to open around 20 Starmarket stores this year. The focus would be on smaller store sizes of 5,000-10,000 sq ft rather than large hypermarts. The company has 24 Starmarkets and 12 hypermarket formats.

"The idea would be to enter the neighbourhood areas. The opportunity is huge," he said.

Zara stores

Auld also declined to provide a definite timeframe when Zara, the premium fashion retailer, will come to Calcutta.

Trent has a joint venture with Spain's Inditex operating 20 stores in India. However, last year, the JV could open only two stores.

Auld said finding the right real estate had been a challenge. However, real estate sources said Zara could open a store in South City mall before the festive season.

The company said its mass fashion offering Zudio would expand in the east.

Trent's standalone net profit of Rs 11.66 crore in the fourth quarter was down from Rs 25.26 crore in the year-ago period, while revenue from operations were Rs 528.72 crore, up from Rs 448.36 crore.

However, Edelweiss in a note maintained buy on the Trent stock with potential turnaround for the JVs. It cited that Trent provides unique opportunity to invest in three power brands: Westside, Star Bazar and Zara.