New Delhi: Fabindia is expanding its furniture business and entering turnkey projects as the retailer looks to build on its home and gifting categories, while preparing for a crucial festive season with positive demand trends and an expanding store network.
“We are looking at furniture as a category. We are getting into turnkey projects,” said Ajay Kapoor, president – retail, Fabindia. The projects involve offering customers furniture and different options, including modular solutions. The company began this initiative this year and is seeing good traction, he said.
The move builds on Fabindia’s broader product portfolio beyond apparel, which includes home furnishings, bed linen, upholstery, curtains, table linen, giftware and home decor. Kapoor said these categories contribute significantly to overall sales, with gifting playing a particularly important role during Diwali.
On festive demand, Kapoor said the indications so far had been positive. Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi had seen decent growth, while Navratri sales had been encouraging in Gujarat and other regions where the festival is celebrated widely.
Fabindia had 361 stores at the time of the interview. It opened around 20 stores till September and planned to open another 14 during October, of which around seven had already opened.
The retailer is also opening stores in high-footfall tourist destinations, including locations near Udaipur Palace and the Taj Mahal’s east gate in Agra. Kapoor said these stores may be smaller in size but are expected to see high customer throughput.
The company is also expanding its presence across quick-commerce platforms, including Blinkit and Myntra’s M-Now, which is connected to its stores. Kapoor said Fabindia was placing more stock on these platforms and fulfilling orders through physical stores as well as dark stores.
However, he does not see quick commerce replacing offline retail or conventional e-commerce for festive purchases. Physical shopping remains the first priority, while quick commerce caters largely to last-minute requirements.
The retailer is tailoring its assortment to the channel. While it maintains price parity between stores and quick-commerce platforms, certain product lines may differ. Kapoor cited a Rs 1,499 kurta available in four colours on a quick-commerce platform that may not be available in stores. Consumers on these platforms tend to be more price-conscious, he said, prompting the company to use data gathered over the past couple of years to identify products likely to sell well.
Sumit Handa, chief marketing officer, Fabindia, said festive shopping behaviour had shifted towards browsing over a longer period, with purchases increasingly concentrated closer to the event.
Fabindia is shifting relatively more of its marketing investment towards digital channels, including targeted and hyperlocal campaigns. Handa said the company was moving towards a mix of digital and more targeted outdoor advertising solutions.
On influencer marketing, Handa said Fabindia was focusing more on engagement quality than reach alone. The company tracks shares, comments and reposts rather than likes, and works with regional, micro and mid-scale creators, including those producing vernacular content.
The company does not typically use influencer-led coupons and discounts, he said, as it believes such promotions could weaken the brand’s positioning around craft and handiwork. Instead, it favours repeat collaborations with selected creators and referral programmes.
