Lan Mark, a home appliances retail chain operating by franchisees, is on a rebranding exercise. Its 195 stores in the state will be renamed as White Mart on December 6. “We are planning to grow White Mart into a national brand with global ambitions,” said Jerry Mathew, MD of the company.

“Following an extensive market survey, we have identified more small and medium-sized towns in Kerala where we hope to appoint franchisees in the next 12 months. With that work already under way, more than 13 new White Mart showrooms are being opened in Kerala this month to mark the name change,” he noted.

Lan Mark started its Tamil Nadu operations earlier this year and has opened 25 showrooms in Chennai under the brand White Mart. The company is planning to double the number of showrooms in Chennai by next March, said Mathew.

“Compared to Kerala, the Tamil Nadu market is four times bigger. After venturing into the rest of Chennai, we will open shops in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka,” he added.

Founded in 2005 with a 1,600 square ft warehouse in Kochi, the company has grown significantly in the recent past. The company survived in an environment where independent home equipment retailers had a tough operating arena with highly competitive market dominated by large players. Grouping under an umbrella brand gave competitive advantages to small shops. “We impart training to the sales staff and provide accounting software to the individual stores,” Mathew said.

During the fiscal 2011-2012, the combined revenues of all Lan Mark stores touched Rs 108 crore, and the company is targeting Rs 140 crore for this fiscal. Mathew also plans to expand the network to 500 shops in south India over the next three years.

“Along with a sector-specific branding for its home appliances business, Lan Mark is also exploring the feasibility of entering other retail verticals such as fast-moving consumer goods and convenience stores, to become a retail power house in the country,” Mathew said.