Rediff Mumbai : Trendy



Home > Mumbai > Trendy Mumbai	Feedback \| Disclaimer

M&S launch turns fashion fad damper

At Crossroads, the store opens onto the atrium. Dimension-wise, it’s much smaller than that of its counterpart in the UK. Look beyond its size, and you’d be disappointed with most of the products on display, coz they fall short on quality and are prohibitively expensive. The printed tops for women, all moderate cotton blends, are priced around Rs 1950 and the cotton-knit at around Rs 2,350. Shirts for men, largely cotton blends, are priced anywhere between Rs 1,450 and 2,350.

The signboard Marks & Spencer 'Opening shortly at Crossroads' built high expectations among shopoholics. For many it spelt relief — of not having to spend foreign exchange at Marks the next time you travel abroad.

So when Marks opened its doors to the India shopper, it was only natural that hordes of women and even some men would be directing their chauffeurs towards Crossroads at Tardeo. But what we get now is a far cry from the five-storey M&S at Marble Arch.

The prices of tweed coats (new wool) for men between range from Rs 4,450 to Rs 9,950, staid chiffon shirts for women are priced at Rs 2,650. Why would anyone spend that kind of money on last season's non-stylish cotton shirt?

The women's wear section houses skirts and trousers in suede too, but why spend Rs 2,950 on a M&S skirt when you can buy a more stylish leather skirt from Mango (also at Crossroads) for almost the same amount? It is difficult to know who the store is catering to -- the merchandise suggests upper middle class, but the prices do not.

Marks & Spencer is bleeding as a group worldwide, except in London and Hongkong, we know. So what makes India a viable option? A disappointed shopper was heard suggesting that they are using these outlets to dump all the stuff that was left on the shelves abroad the previous season.

Having said that, there is surely scope for improvement. If fresh products are sold in India, many of us would not leave the store with chalky white patches (from the testers in the Cocoa Butter spray section that materialise on the wrist a full 10 minutes after the spray has dried off).

To be fair there are some appealing aspects to the store -- the toiletry section for instance, which has a wide array of bath and body products that range from Rs 300 to Rs 650. The lingerie section does not have a huge variety but does have the basic and most preferred styles minimisers, T-shirt, extra cleavage, thigh slimmer, smoothline seamless. Most of these are priced at Rs 1,650 here and cost about 20-23 pounds in the UK (so you do end up paying a couple of extra hundred rupees without the VAT refund advantage).

The ladies bags are well priced at around Rs 1,900 and available in nine different styles. The shoes, however, leave much to be desired. Priced between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 (for women) and Rs 4,500 (for men) the finish is worth examining.

The M&S group does have a special policy for Asia, yet the management needs to realise that the Indian middle class is more aware today and the upper class is hard to please. Everyone wants value for money, right?

Investor Information - Disclaimer - To advertise on Rediff.com