MUMBAI: Tablez, a leading organized retail group, has partnered with the French global sporting retailer, GO Sport, to open the first sports superstore in India at Seawoods Grand Central Mall, Navi Mumbai. The brand will host a multitude of sports brands under one roof, making it the first multi-sport and multi-brand destination for sports enthusiasts. The store was inaugurated by cricketers Surya Kumar Yadav and Aditya Tare.
Tablez will be opening one more similar store in Bengaluru. On expansion, the managing director, Adeeb Ahamed, said that in 2020 they are aiming to open in some more key markets such as Hyderabad and Chennai. While the Navi Mumbai store is spread across 14,000 sq.ft, he said the ideal size they would be aiming for is in the region of 10,000 sq.ft.
Apart from the well-known international sports brands, the focus will also be on providing homegrown brands an opportunity to reach out to a new set of consumers. Indian brands would comprise about 20 per cent of the total portfolio, Ahamed said.
Samuel Jodeau, GO Sport’s Franchise Director, France and International said, “We are delighted with GO Sport’s introduction in India which illustrates our ability to seize opportunities in booming markets. With a population of more than one billion people, a growing middle class and youth, India represents a strategic area of development for the brand. GO Sport’s offer and positioning meet these needs.”
Go Sport has five private labels and that will also be stocked in the Indian market, along with 70+ brands and labels. GO Sport will be a specialist curator, working closely with sportspeople, experts and brands to create and showcase products that specifically enable enthusiasts to up their game and push their limits, whether they happen to be a beginner or a pro, Jodeau added.
GO Sport’s offerings will range across apparel, accessories, footwear, and equipment in the categories of running, cycling, fitness, outdoor like hiking, trekking and camping along with racquet sports (badminton, tennis), team sports (football, cricket, basketball, volleyball), and swimming. Besides these, GO Sport will service the ‘family of sports lovers’ concept specifically through its Go Man, Miss Go, and Go Kids categories. GO Sport Superstore will also offer services related to different sports like racquet gutting, gait analysis for running, jersey customisation, and cycle workshop.
Tablez, which has introduced leading global brands in F&B, toys, lifestyle, and apparel to India, is looking to cross the Rs 200-crore mark in the current year, and double it in 2020. Some of the brands brought in by Tablez include Springfield, Women’secret, Toys’R’Us, Babies’R’Us, and Build-A-Bear. Tablez currently operates more than 60 outlets globally and plans to expand to 300 outlets by 2020.
