outlets in the next two years.

At present, the company has 432 stores in the country.

Similarly, MobileStore - Essar Group's handset and telecom services retailing firm plans to launch 2,500 stores by March 2010 in the next  three years.

This is almost double of the company's 1,300 stores in the country. It's also planning to increase presence to around 500 cities, with thrust on major 'B' and 'C' towns, from the present 200 cities by 2010.

"Mobile phones are no more a luxury, but a necessity. Most customers like to upgrade their phones once in 6-8 months leading to continuous demand. We are seeing negligible impact on the telecom industry - both handsets and new connections - due to the economic slowdown," said MobileStore CEO Rajiv Agarwal.

Rajesh S Kurup in Mumbai
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