Refeel To Set Up 80 Stores
REFEEL
Cartridge, a Kolkata-based chain of refillers for printer cartridges,
plans to set up 80 new stores over the next 18 months.
November
2008 India — REFEEL Cartridge, a Kolkata-based chain of refillers for
printer cartridges, plans to set up 80 new stores over the next 18
months. The company intends to roll out these stores under the
franchisee model and expects this will translate into a turnover of
some Rs 20 crore by March 2010.It operates 20 franchisee stores across
the country in Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmadabad and
Pune. “A lot of the proposed 80 new stores will come up in smaller town
and cities. Typically, a franchisee partner needs to invest around Rs
15-20 lakh for these outlets,” Refeel Cartridge Engineering CEO Alkesh
Agarwal said.
The company also plans to set up an online store
for its venture. “Customers will be able to order for printer
cartridges online. This will further help us to penetrate the market.
While the online venture will come into shape once the 100 stores start
operation, we plan to start trials in some six months,” said Mr
Agarwal.Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL), publishers of ‘The Times
of India’ and ‘The Economic Times’, have recently completed a private
treaty deal with Refeel Cartridge. As part of the deal, BCCL has
invested around Rs 15 crore in the company.
Refeel Cartridge was
floated in February 2007 but the first store was set up in August 2007.
The company claims refilling inkjet cartridges at their store will
enable price saving of 75% than buying an OEM cartridge and 60% for
laser cartridges. Little wonder, the company has more than 50 corporate
clients.“Refilling printer cartridges is a way by which companies can
cut their printing costs by at least 50-60%. Typically, a large
organisation has a printing budget of around Rs 5-7 lakh per month.
Around 40% of our revenue is expected from the enterprise segment and
the balance from the small office home office (SOHO) and retail
customers,” Mr Agarwal said.The domestic market for printer cartridge
refilling and re-manufacturing has been estimated at Rs 3,000 crore,
growing at 30% annually. The cartridge refilling segment in India is
highly fragmented with almost 40,000 small refillers.