Lifestyle and Home Centre opens second showroom

Residents of hi-tech city and surrounding areas need not travel anymore to central parts of twin cities for international shopping experience. On Thursday, the second exclusive showroom of Lifestyle and Home Centre were inaugurated at Inorbit Mall, hi-tech city, to make its products accessible to local residents.
The showrooms are spread over three floors encompassing 85, 000 feet and offer one stop shopping experience with wide range of product categories for everybody.
The Home Centre has several concept rooms as display models for customers to have practical idea of how furniture would look in a particular room.
“We have 1.5 lakh loyal customers here and we hope that the new showrooms will also become a preferred shopping destination for customers of hi-tech city region,” said executive director of Lifestyle International (P) Ltd Kabir Lumba.
To coincide with the inaugural event, special offers are up for grabs.
Seven lucky couples, who shop for more than Rs. 3, 000 worth of merchandise, will be eligible for a lucky draw to an all expenses paid trip to Dubai.
Customers purchasing products of more than Rs. 7, 000 will get a gift voucher worth Rs. 750 and upto 25 per cent discounts.

What’s in your gift bag?

Danseuse Deepika Reddy loves to visit the chudi bazaar near Charminar to buy colourful lac bangles by the dozen. Shopping isn’t a bad idea when there’s a wedding and a sari-tying ceremony in the family and a line-up of festivals during Sravanamasam. “There’s an emphasis on puja thalis and return gifts given as thamboolam these days. My gifts are not lavish, but they are carefully chosen and artistically gift wrapped. There’s a touch of Andhra tradition to it and I like the gifts to reflect my personality. I like to give away the gifts in Kalamkari or Pochampalli cloth bags,” she explains. The art of gifting for the sake of custom has transformed into gifting a utility item, she points out. How about multi-coloured lac bangles with stones that women can match with any outfit? The idea is to make people cherish the gift.
Goodies galore

Puja thalis were traditionally sourced from wholesale dealers and retailers in set patterns. In recent years, puja thalis have a designer feel to them. The customary thamboolam included a blouse piece, betel leaves, haldi-kumkum packets and bananas. The new additions include made-to-order chocolates, saris, dry fruits, imported apples or pears, silver coins and custom-made kumkum-akshantalu boxes.

Larger stores and designers are ready with fresh stocks of Indian wear, jewellery and puja thalis. Smaller stores in General Bazaar, R.P. Road, Monda Market, Begum Bazaar and Koti stock small pouches or cloth potlis for gifts. The prices begin at Rs. 20. Women specialising in gift wrapping, home-made chocolates and traditional Andhra cuisine have orders to meet.

Neighbourhood chains of stores like Swagruha see brisk sale of traditional sweets and savouries. Freshly-made pulihora and bobbatlu are available on festive occasions. Working women have turned to caterers to organise traditional lunches during pujas. “Even for traditional occasions, people incorporate a few North Indian or continental snacks to cater to North Indian and Marwari friends invited to these festivals. While Kakinada kajas, kajjikayalu and bobbatlus are in demand, they also order Bengali sweets for the calorie conscious,” says Atul Mehta of Atul Caterers.

Rakhi is big business with the festival being celebrated by South Indian families as well. Jewellery designer Suhani Pittie has orders for rakhi/puja thalis and silver gift objects. She says, “People don’t mind spending more. Instead of the regular round puja thalis, they like square or oval thalis. Use of opaque stones or cut stones is also appreciated. There are new designs in silver coins and kumkum-akshantalu boxes, agarbathi and dhoop stands.” Does all this mean business is back to usual? “People were careful with their expenditure and bought only what they want. Things are looking up this month with more weddings and festivals,” she says. To cater to clientele that had veered away from designer ware due to recession blues, designers are exploring different price segments. A puja thali that would, for example, Rs. 600 at a regular silver store, would cost Rs. 750 at a designer store.

When there’s an urge to splurge, who’s complaining?

The perks of shopping

Now, shopping isn't just about, well, shopping. It's also about the add-ons.

It's the perks - the croissants and muffins, mocktails and chocolates, and even the mini-spa treatments - that make the shopping experience that much more enjoyable.

Spa-ed out

Anushka Patodia, a media professional, went for an 'Invitees Only' accessories sale at Aza, a designer boutique in Mumbai. There, she said she enjoyed the shopping as much as getting a foot massage.

"I loved it! Mostly because you can relax and rejuvenate while shopping," said the 24-year-old. Her friend, she added, enjoyed being pampered at the nail bar.

"Unfortunately we didn't have too much time. I wanted to try some colour therapy - it's basically where a colour therapist asks you questions and interprets your nature and all according to it. She tells you which colours are good for you and which aren't."

Pampered, completely

At Zoya, a luxury diamond jewellery chain with boutiques in Mumbai and Delhi, the emphasis is on sumptuous pampering. From the moment a shopper walks in, till she leaves, she is treated like royalty.

"Our customers are welcomed by a greeter, whose specific job is to receive them. He then directs the customer to a Retail Service Officer," said Arif Padiath, marketing and merchandising manager at Zoya.

The boutique offers Italian coffees, teas, finger food and mocktails to shoppers. "This is all part of the brand experience," added Padiath.

"We want our customers to unwind and relax while shopping, at the same time there's no pressure on the client to buy anything."

Coffee and croissants

Even the sales have something extra for shoppers. Mango, which has outlets nation-wide, has been holding breakfast sales every season for the last year.

"On the first day of the sale, a lot of our regular customers come in early to shop. So we serve them breakfast," said Kamal Kotak, director of Major Brands, which owns Mango.

And the customers seem to love the "small variety" of coffee, hot chocolate, muffins, croissants, which are served up.

"Our customers love it! In fact, a lot of them look forward to out breakfast sales. Because they shop and then head off to work. So they love picking up something on their way out," he added.

With perks like this, who wouldn't love to shop? Do we really need another excuse to shop? Leave a comment and tell us about it!+


courtesy:idiva

It's raining sales

My phone has been buzzing with sale alerts - a distraction that I won't be able to resist for long.

'Tis the season of sales…yippee!!! I am either making plans to leave work early or come in late and hit the stores before anyone else does. (For all those who went "tsk,tsk", do you realise how much money I'm saving?")

Now, methinks every girl should know what the season has in store for you. So, here goes:

Pick these to be trendy

The recession has hit our wallets hard enough to realise that we've got to be thrifty with our money. So, know the trend before you spend.

The ruling trend is timelessness, meaning look out for basics like - a classic white shirt, a good fitted pair of jeans, a must-have little black dress and white dress, a very good pair of shoes, and (not to forget) comfy lingerie. Don't deprive your shopping list from bubbly accessories and a sturdy versatile handbag that can combat the rains!

A jacket made of linen or cotton, jumpsuits, a roomy pair of harem pants, and statement neck pieces are the other essentials of the season.

The special offers

It seems shops and brands will do anything to woo customers. Imagine, I got a message from one of them that read something like - Enjoy shopping offers in Mango along with breakfast. I wonder who will have the time to sip tea when you've got to grab the best dress!

Now, will beauty stores offer special massages along with a bumper sale? Are you listening Body Shop?

What's on sale?

Aha, good question! Here's the long scroll of temptation -

1. Westside - Sale started on 3rd July. Upto 50% off on all their stock

2. Globus - Sale will start end of July. Upto 50% off on clothes and accessories.

3. Shoppers' Stop - Sale will start towards the end of July. Upto 50% off on clothes and accessories. Even their home furnishings will be up for grabs.

4. Lifestyle - Anytime soon in July. Upto 50% off on clothes and accessories

5. Pantaloons - Watch out for their sale offers in July.

6. Mango - Sale started on 3rd July. Upto 30% off on tops, dresses, skirts, denims, and pants.

7. La Senza - Sale started on 25 June. Upto 50% off on lingerie, luxury wear, robes, beach wear and lounge wear.

8. Nine West - Sale started on 25 June. Special discounts on shoes and bags

9. Aldo - Sale started on 3rd July on fashionable shoes and accessories.

Almost all these places will be on sale for another three to four weeks. If you want better deals you can wait till the end of the sale season when discounts are brought up to 70%!

This is just a list of the biggies. Don't miss out on little shops in the bylanes of your city that'll soon follow suit.

So, make hay while the sales shine and rush to these stores.



http://www.idiva.com

It’s time to go on shopping spree

‘Ashadam’ is the month that is considered lean for business. But times have changed. ‘Ashadam’ coincides with the peak monsoon activity and the predominantly rural economy is generally preoccupied with agricultural work. Besides, commuting was difficult in the past with bad connectivity, poor transport facility etc. But “Ashadam” called ‘Soonyamasam’ is considered a good time to buy gold as the prices used to be low.

Jewellers are also offering discount on every gram of gold ornaments purchased and the price also has shown some decrease.

Gold prices are ruled by international trends and ‘Ashadam’ is a local tradition, says a leading jeweller. However, recently there has been a drop of Rs.200 to Rs.300 per 10 grams of gold.

But there is a world of change the way people save, spend and shop. Gone are the days when shops used to resign themselves to lean business and wait for Sravanam to herald good business. People’s shopping clock now does not only tick by need but what the shops offer to make him buy.

‘Ashadam’ in today’s times is turned into monsoon ‘hangama’ or ‘magic.’ Malls and big showrooms changed the way people look at intermittent rain as a sort of inconvenience that makes shop hopping difficult. With improved personal transport, if one gets into a mall or big showroom, it consumes considerable time. And sometimes tempting needs raise their pleasant head once an on-the-spot offer is made. Men plump for shirts or trousers or children’s wear and women for whatever the home requires, besides what they consider must for themselves. ‘Ashadam’ is also the time to spruce up the place for the big sale ahead in Sravanam, the month that sees women go for ritual ‘poojas’ on Tuesdays and Fridays and the auspicious occasion of Varalakshmi Pooja. Buying gold again is considered propitious and it’s a habit to buy every year at this time to have a personal collection.

And the freebies are raining with some offering umbrellas with purchases. Others a 50 per cent off on clothes, or ‘buy two get one free.’ A mall in the city has quite a few offers in the low-priced men’s dresses and one is sure to be tempted to buy a little more than what he really required. Another mall has lined up economy shirts with the ‘1+1’ offer.

People no longer seem to wait for an occasion to shop. Shopping itself is an occasion.

Travel in style

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Why we recommend

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Samsonite in collaboration with designer Alexander McQueen has introduced a range of travel bags for the style conscious. So, there's something for everyone. Take your pick!

Price: Rs 17000 onwards

Buy at: In Mumbai, Samsonite store at the Grand Hyatt, Santacruz East and Atria Mall in Worli. In Hyderabad, Sidhu Sri Vaishnavi Arcade, Banjara Hills


Courtesy:idiva