Bollywood musclemen to launch eyewear chain

Bollywood musclemen Suniel Shetty and Sanjay Dutt are joining hands -- not to produce movies but to launch a nationwide retail chain for eyewear brands.

Christened Shades, the units will showcase top of the line brands such as Armani, Dior, Versace, Gucci and Hugo Boss, among others.

Shetty, who will be the chairman of the company Shades Enterprise, says: "We plan to open around 15-20 odd outlets in the first year, and scale it up to 200 by the end of the second year." He said the outlets will sell around 150 international brands.

The retail chain will function through a franchisee network, with most of the master franchisees already in place, Shetty said.

The first showroom will be launched in Hyderabad on April 10, followed by another in Pune, and then move on to tap the large markets in Mumbai, Delhi and other metros.

Film producer Nitin Manmohan, who is a co-promoter of the venture, said: "We have an advertisement budget of around Rs 2.5 crore (Rs 25 million) a year. Whenever we open a retail outlet, we wish to do it with a big bang locally."

Shades Enterprises managing director Hameed Saberi said: "Research shows that though the eyewear to the optical wear market stands at a 30:70 ratio, the Indian fashion market is growing at a phenomenal pace. Hence, Shades as a business opportunity is very attractive."

Shetty said the company is working towards introducing a signature line of eyecare products, at affordable rates. "Sanjay Dutt and I will also act as the brand ambassadors and in future will bring in personalities from different walks of life to endorse the brand," he said.