R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, OCT 7
Sai Silks (Kalamandir) Limited (SSKL), a leading retailer offering ethnic apparels, particularly sarees, in South India has opened its Golden Jubilee (50th store) under its flagship brand ‘VaraMahalakshmi Silks’ in Chennai on Friday.
The store is ideally situated at a prime location – 3rd Main Road, near Anna Nagar Round Taana – and spreads over 4,000 square feet in two floors. It was inaugurated by actresses Radhikaa Sarathkumar and Khushbu Sundar.
The new VaraMahalakshmi store is the third such store in Tamil Nadu – other two being located at Mylapore, Chennai and Gandhi Road, Kanchipuram.
- The store was jointly inaugurated by actresses Radikaa Sarathkumar and Kushboo Sundar
- VaraMahalakshmi sarees retail price is in the range of approximately Rs 4,000 to Rs 2,50,000.
- The store houses premium product offerings, including a variety of sarees, such as Banarasi, Patola, Kota, Kanchipuram, Paithani, Organza and Kuppadam, ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5 lakhs.
- We intend to open 25 additional stores across South India and these are planned over the course of next two fiscals: R Nagakanaka Durga Prasad Chalavadi, Managing Director, Sai Silks (Kalamandir)
- SSKL is one of the leading stores having its own looms in Kanchipuram to offer quality products at wholesale price to its customers for over a decade: Gopinath, Director, Sai Silks (Kalamandir)
It houses premium product offerings, including a variety of sarees such as Banarasi, Patola, Kota, Kanchipuram, Paithani, Organza, Kuppadam, etc., with major focus on handlooms such as Kanchipuram silk sarees.
SSKL’s stores are focussed on spreading India’s vibrant culture, traditions and heritage by offering a diverse range of products which includes various types of ultra-premium and premium sarees and ethnic wear, including value fashion products. The premium ethnic silk sarees and handlooms targets, inter alia, wedding and occasional wear.
VaraMahalakshmi sarees retail price is in the range of approximately Rs 4,000 to Rs 2,50,000.
Commenting on the launch, R Nagakanaka Durga Prasad Chalavadi, Managing Director, Sai Silks (Kalamandir), said, “Tamil Nadu has always been an important market for us. We are delighted that our third store in the state is coinciding with Sai Silks crossing a major milestone of 50 stores across India. The VaraMahalakshmi format store offers our entire range of premium silk sarees and Kanchipuram sarees. The new store, which is strategically located in a prime area, is part of our cluster-based approach.”
On company’s expansion plans, Chalavadi said, “We believe our VaraMahalakshmi stores provide a unique experience and customer service, which combined with our inventory and variety of SKUs that we offer, enables us to attract and retain a growing customer base. From here on, we intend to open 25 additional stores across South India and these are planned over the course of next two fiscals.”
The VaraMahalakshmi retail brand format was established in 2011 with the first store opening in Chickpet, Bengaluru, and has been further scaled in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Vijayawada, Nellore etc. as of May 31, 2022.
VaraMahalakshmi stores are more traditionally decorated and reflects the brand’s roots in the Kancheepuram culture. It was conceived as a brand which would reinvent the handloom saree business and offers Kanchipuram silk sarees and other handloom and occasion-wear sarees under one roof.
Sai Silks has four store formats, including Kalamandir, VaraMahalakshmi Silks, Mandir, and KLM Fashion Mall, offering products to various segments of the market that include premium ethnic fashion, ethnic fashion for middle income and value-fashion, with a variety of products across different price points, thereby catering to customers across all market segments.
Speaking to reporters Gopinath, Director, Sai Silks (Kalamandir) said, ‘’SSKL is one of the leading stores having its own looms in Kanchipuram to offer quality products at wholesale price to its customers for over a decade. We are the front runner in offering quality products at an affordable and wholesale rate to the retail customers. SSKL is on the expansion-spree will open another four stores in the next four months in Tamil Nadu’’ he added.
When asked about the brand ambassador, Gopinath said that SSKL already has actress Shruti Hassan as its brand ambassador.
