Canon set to rev up its retail landscape

Buoyed by the success of the retail segment in the country,
Canon India is embarking on a strategy to further enhance its focus towards this
segment. Billing this initiative as 'Canon Experience', it will soon have
its exclusive showrooms in all the bustling metros.

ALOK BHARADWAJ: Trying to create exclusive Canon showrooms in the form of 'Canon Experience'

"The retail segment is doing pretty well for us. We
already have our focus towards this segment in terms of our DigiClick Zones for
cameras and IT Imaging Zones for printers. Now we are trying to create exclusive
Canon showrooms in the form of 'Canon Experience'. We would be targeting
places like shopping malls, and here all our products will be showcased,"
said Alok Bharadwaj, VP, Canon India.

Canon has recently inaugurated its first Canon Experience
showroom in a Gurgaon shopping mall and hopes to have 12 such showrooms in all
the metros. Keeping its focus towards the camera and printer segments,
presently, the company has 28 DigiClick Zones and 140 IT Imaging Zones within
India.

"Retail is very important to us. These are the places
where an end-customer can walk in and get a feel of our products and offerings.
We are planning to increase the number of DigiClick Zones to 100 and IT Imaging
Zones to 300 by the end of this year," he added.

With an employee strength of 440, Canon India generated
revenue of Rs 306 crore in 2005 and this fiscal it is targeting the Rs 400 crore
in revenues.

ZIA ASKARI