Signage players in India have the right reason to rejoice today! Retail sector, which is considerably one of the up-market domains where PSPs can reap pretty good amounts of indoor or in-shop signage and display projects, has been magnified to a new dimension following the government allowing 51 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retails. Beneficiaries of such FDI boom in retail would not only be the PSPs but also other players in the industry, including sign makers, materials suppliers, in-shop/in-store branding companies… let’s say almost everyone!
Taking into the account of the fact that the FDI in retail which would bring fresh business opportunities for the signage players who involve into activities around the parameters of in-shop/in-store displays, branding and designs, it would also be a new challenge for them as they will need to enhance their capabilities in terms of infrastructure and service to meet the demands and requirements of those MNCs. In this context, our market is now resilient enough to provide all products and technologies at world-class levels. As it has been known to every PSP that flatbed printers would be the ultimate tool to be used to tap the surging business opportunities in the retail landscape, we have a good number of companies (manufacturers/distributors) offering choices of flatbed printers in different price range and capabilities.
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Keeping this new aspect of FDI in mind, India Sign + Digital (ISD) 2012 has set a strategic platform for flatbed printers where a number of eminent exhibitors like Hewlett Packard (HP), Fujifilm, Dilli, A-Jet, Caldron Graphics, Infinity Digital, Roland, Canon/Oce, Monotech, among others would be showcasing new and innovative lines of flatbed printers which would help PSPs find numerous options to choose from. As of now, retail sector is not a typical area where every PSP or signage player could have been dwelled all the time. So, opening of FDI in the sector would encourage new players to enter and try their luck.
Our ‘Region Exclusive’ column in this issue carries an interesting story about Bareilly – a small north Indian town in the state of Uttar Pradesh. We particularly choose this town because the backgrounds of almost every signage player in the region revolve around deep rooted histories linked to decades of signage activities which they or their older generations started long time back when they were just keeping traditions of hand-painted signboards. But the onset of digital large-format technologies has eliminated the age-old tradition and most of them look forward to catch up with the new market trends by diversifying their activities into new business domains. Quite an impressive pursuit!
Once again, I would like to further encourage those fellow players who have been taping new opportunities in the retail sector. And in the same time, those who have never been to this sector should get prepared soon to hit the road to success in retail!
