Just Herbs forays into offline retail with its first outlet in Chandigarh

Homegrown bespoke ayurvedic beauty brand Just Herbs, which was launched in November 2013 as an online venture, has entered the offline retail space with the launch of its first company-owned outlet in Chandigarh spanning over 200 sq ft. The brand with a strong customer base in India and international market, has achieved a growth of 144% in the last fiscal, and will be launching its second retail store in a mall kiosk Ludhiana later this month. The brand is also targeting 3-4 stores annually across India.

At the store launch, Arush Chopra, CEO, Just Herbs, explained, “Initially, we adopted a lean start-up strategy and entered the market as on online-first venture through our e-store. The customer response has been phenomenal since then. The omni-channel is the way forward and that is why we have decided to venture into the offline retail space as well. Basis the customer response to the first two stores, we plan to launch at least 3-4 stores annually so as to gradually expand our offline reach in all major cities of India.”

Explaining the reason for choosing Chandigarh as the location for the first store, Chopra told to Retail4growth, “Due to its small size and homogeneity in its population, Chandigarh is a reliable test market and gives a very good microcosm of what is going to happen in the bigger cities. Therefore, we decided to start from here, even though our data informs us that our bigger markets are the metros.” The maiden retail store of this PETA-certified brand is located in the high street Sector 9 Market of Chandigarh while the Ludhiana outlet will be a kiosk at the Pavilion Mall. “We plan to focus on the small outlet format and all our stores will be in the sub 500 sqft category. The first two stores are company owned but going forward, we are also contemplating taking the franchise route”, Chopra added. As per the brand ethos, eco-friendly materials such as marble, glass and wood have been used in the stores’ interiors.

Executing the store design identity, Harsimran Singh and Mohit Vij of Mohali-based Arch Lab told Retail4growth, “The idea was to translate three elements that the brand stands for – purity, honesty and safety. Each and every material in the store is bio-degradable. The ceilings and lights are made of wood while the walls and shelves teathered marble and hand-tempered marble and pedestals are made of blown glasses. Though the store size is small, we executed it as a complete boutique project and it was indeed challenging to customize all eco-friendly materials.”