Cartridge World plans major retail expansion

Cartridge World , an Australian retail chain offering printers and consumables, has announced its move to triple retail stores in the country by the end of the year.

The $450-million retail chain with 1,600-plus stores across the globe and 33 in India, is also evaluating the prospect of offering facilities to service printers in stores, in addition to selling and refilling cartridges.

The Chief Executive Officer of Cartridge World, Mr Naveen Rakhecha, said that the company has commissioned its 33rd store and expects to close this year with about 100 stores, all of them through the franchisee route.

Logistics and supply chain company, AFL, is the Indian representative for Cartridge World business services franchise.

“The Indian market for cartridges is now estimated at Rs 2,500 crore and projected to touch Rs 3,000 crore this year. It is growing at an average rate of about 30 per cent per annum. We are looking at garnering about 10 per cent of the total market in India.” He said.

Addressing a press conference recently, Mr Naveen said the retail franchise chain expects to enhance it presence in both tier-I cities and tier-II cities.

As the popularity of multifunction printers increases, consumers are being presented with more opportunities to print, fax, copy and scan. With the advent of e-transactions, including e-ticketing, and options for printing pictures at home, the market for printers and consumables is poised for growth.

Mr Naveen said that Cartridge World offer cartridge refills at half the cost of new cartridges. This will ensure that about 70 per cent of people who dispose of their cartridges after use will consider reuse by refilling.