Retail Analysis of CROSSWORD BOOK STORE,

ICC Trade Towers, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune

 HISTORY

In the late-1980 s, a college student threw caution and a destined engineering

degree to the winds and landed a job with the Landmark bookstore in Madras.
He thought he would last there for all of three months. But as the line goes
‗Life is what happens to you while you‘re busy making other plans‘ , and he
went on to build one of India‘s most successful bookstore chains. In the case
of R Sriram, the former founder CEO of Crossword, fact is stranger than the
fiction that lines the bookshelves at Crossword.
Today, the chain that he helped set up is perhaps India‘s biggest book retailer .
Before Crossword, there were well known bookshops — Higgin Bothams in
Bangalore, Strand in Mumbai, Om in Delhi to name but a few. However none
of them had a national presence.
The chain was born from the recognition of the fact that like many other
categories in those days, even this had plenty of potential. Book retailing had
served, underserved and unserved customers. There was a huge opportunity in
the underserved and unserved segments. Today that goal has been achieved
and standardisation is one of the biggest reasons for their success.
Sivaraman Balakrishnan, marketing head, Crossword points out that today a
consumer irrespective of the city that he visits will be treated to the same
shopping experience . He says, ―Across formats our brand experience of
educate, entertain and enlighten are the same.‖

Back then, though, in a scenario where books were sold through outlets that
were tiny and consumers bought them much like they bought medicines at
drugstores (going with a prescription), there was a lot of ground to be covered.
Attractive display was a far-fetched concept and the only bookstores that gave
customers room to free their arms were the ones in five star hotels.
To be successful, therefore, a national chain would have to reinvent and
remarket the very idea of a bookshop as consumers saw it. Luckily for Sriram,
he found a backer for the concept in publishers India Book House putting the
seed capital and more importantly give him real estate in the form of their
vacant first floor office space in Mumbai at Mahalaxmi.
The name was supposed to be Crosswords , because it signifies fun and
learning. However legend has it that a numerologist said that the name was
unlucky and there was talk of a name change. Sriram though intervened and
suggested the dropping of the ‗s‘ , and so the name Crossword came into being.
The store was launched on August 15 in 1992.
In many ways, right from its inception the chain broke the rules. The property
was not on the ground floor, not easily accessible, no parking space and was a
‗U‘ shaped space with many pillars. The entrepreneurs decided to look at the
advantages rather than moan about the deficiencies . It was on the same street
that housed iconic Mumbai stores like Amarsons and Benzer and hence likely
to attract upmarket shoppers. It was decided that consumers would be treated
to unique shopping experience in a shop that was trendy and hip. The
bookstore decided to appeal to mothers and children.

INTRODUCTION
In India, shopping for books has always been thought of as a
book-lover's hobby. The traditional bookstores, with their
dreary, dusty and browser-unfriendly atmosphere, have
discouraged all but the serious book-buyers.

Crossword's Positioning
Crossword, positioned as a lifestyle bookstore, has been
able to change this by designing large, spacious, well laid
out stores, with bright cheerful interiors that encourage
people to stay and browse. Simple innovations such as
methodical classifications, clear signage, a dedicated
enquiry /orders desk, electronic POS and inventory
control systems and attractive displays make looking for
books a much more pleasurable experience. A welcoming
café, reading tables and chairs and toilets within the
store, (some of the innovations pioneered by Crossword
in India) help to ensure that customers are able to browse
in comfort for several hours without having to leave.

Why the name Crossword

While we do crossword puzzles for fun, they are also a
learning experience. The name Crossword was therefore
chosen to reflect the dual fun and learning experience of
a visit to Crossword. The name embodies our vision of
Crossword as a place and space for people who seek
information, knowledge or just the pleasure of reading.

Products and Services

Crossword also addresses a wider audience than existing
stores with its unique product mix. There is of course, the
widest range of books for the young and old alike, along
with magazines, CD-ROMs, music, stationery and toys.
With its large children's section and its focus on making
the store a friendly, safe, fun-filled place, Crossword
attracts many families who normally don't think of visiting
bookstores. Services like Dial-a-book, Fax-a-book and
Email-a-book enable customers to shop from their homes;
and when they come to the store, the unobtrusively
helpful staffs assist them in finding the right book, the
right CD or the right gift for the right occasion. Facilities
like the Crossword Gift Vouchers, the friendly 'Return,
Exchange & Refunds' policy, the Cafes within the stores
and the unique store experience make it easy and
enjoyable for customers to shop at Crossword. Over
1,00,000 loyal customers are rewarded through the
Crossword Book Rewards Program with points,
discounts, promotional offers and more. 'eWords', a
monthly e-newsletter with reviews of new books, news
about in store events and bestseller lists, is currently
mailed to these Members.
Crossword as a center for the community
Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social
interaction where authors and poets hold court, where
children are regaled, where people gravitate to be
informed, to be entertained, even enlightened. There are
regular readings, discussions and debates on varied
subjects from literature and art to child sexual abuse, war
and peace, business and management, travel, parenting
and health.

Among the numerous writers who have visited the store

are Sir V S Naipaul, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Chandra,
Vikram Seth, Kiran Nagarkar, Andrew Motion, Michele
Roberts, Shashi Tharoor, Shobhaa De, Charles Handy,
Ricardo Semler and Jack Canfield. Promotional events
include pictionary contests, quizzes, slide shows and the
annual affair with Santa and his elves. Ian Anderson of
Jethro Tull came for a signing, so did Macho Man Randy
Savage, the WWF champion.

Promoting books, writers and the reading habit

Crossword launched the Crossword Book Award in 1998 to

recognise and reward the best of Indian writing. There was one
cash prize of Rs 200,000 in 1998 for the best original work of
fiction in English by an Indian author, and it was won by Allan
Sealy for The Everest Hotel.

In 1999 they added a new category: Indian Language Fiction

Translation into English and we also increased the cash prize to
Rs.300,000 for each category. The 1999 prize for the best work
in English Fiction went to Vikram Seth for An Equal Music. The
prize for the best work in the Indian Language Fiction
Translation category was won by the author M. Mukundan and
the translator Gita Krishnankutty, for On the Banks of the
Mayyazhi.

The 2000 prize for the best work in English Fiction went to
Jamyang Norbu for The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. The
prize for the best work in the Indian Language Fiction
Translation category was won by the author Bama and the
translator Lakshmi Holmstrom, for Karukku.
The Hutch Crossword Book Award 2004 for the best work in
English Fiction went to Amitav Ghosh for The Hungry Tide. The
prize for the best work in the Indian Language Fiction
Translation category was won by the author Chandrasekhar
Rath and the translator Jatindra Kumar Nayak for Astride the
Wheel: Yantrarudha.

The Hutch Crossword Book Award 2005 for the best work in
English Fiction went to Salman Rushdie for Shalimar the
Clown. The prize for the best work in the Indian Language
Fiction Translation category was won by the author Krishna
Sobti and the translators Reema Anand & Meenakshi Swami
for The Heart has its Reasons. The prize for the best work in
the English Non-Fiction category was won by the author Suketu
Mehta for Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found.

The Hutch Crossword Book Award 2006 for the best work in
English Fiction went to Vikram Chandra for Sacred Games. The
prize for the best work in the Indian Language Fiction
Translation category was jointly won by the author C.S.
Lakshmi (Ambai) and the translator Lakshmi Holmstrom for In a
Forest, A Deer and the author M.Mukundan and the translator
A.J. Thomas for 'Kesavan's Lamentations'. The prize for the
best work in the English Non-Fiction category was won by the
author Vikram Seth for Two Lives.
Recognition

Since its inception in 15th October 1992, Crossword has

received wide recognition for its achievements; articles on
retailing in India invariably feature Crossword. It has been
featured in Advertising Age International, USA, as one of the
Marketing Superstars for 1994. The Bookseller, UK, has also
described it as 'being on the cutting edge of retailing' in India.

Crossword won the Retailer of the Year Award - Leisure

(Books, Music and Gifts Category) at the Images Retail
Awards 2007 and 2005.

Crossword was ranked the 6th most admired retailer in India

by Businessworld for the year 2006; it was the only book
retailer in the top 10.

Crossword won the Reid & Taylor Award for Best Retailer of
the year - Leisure & Specialty at the India Retail Summit 2005

Crossword received the Federation of Indian Publishers

Award for excellence in Publishing for the year 2004 on 18th
June 2005 at the hands of Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human
Resource Development.

The Promoters
Crossword Bookstores Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary
Company of Shopper's Stop Ltd - India's leading
department store chain. The Holding Company inter-alia
also acts as a Master Franchisee of the Company.
 1. LOCATION ANALYSIS
1. CURRENT LOCATION OF THE STORE

The Crosswords Store is located in the Business Centre .It is Showroom No. 1
in the premises of ICC Trade Tower, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune-411016. It
also has other branches in Pune like in Sohrab Hall (Bund Garden Road).

2. THE SUITABILITY OF THE STORE LOCATION WITH RESPECT

TO TARGET CUSTOMERS.

Crossword‘s target customers consist of students, corporates, management

students, movie and music lovers etc.

It is located near residential areas as well as IT companies, and SIU campuses.

Thus, we feel that the location is very suitable with respect to its target
customers.

3. HAS THE STORE PROVIDED PARKING FACILITY?

Parking is provided at the parking lot of the business centre and it is a Pay and
Park facility.

4. ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION IN THE AREA

There is no book store in close vicinity which provides all features of providing
books, movies, music, CD-ROM, toys, stationary and a book café – All in one.
Hence Competition per-se is not there for this Crosswords store.

5. ANALYZE TRADING AREA COVERED BY THE STORE

The trading area covered by the store is – ICC (International Convention

Centre), Pune, MCCIA Trade Tower - A corporate hub and business centre,
SIU Campuses, residential area – Senapati Bapat Road etc.
 2. PRODUCT ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCT MIX

PRODUCT CATEGORIES: It has broadly the following product categories:-

1. Books and Magazines – Young Fiction, Reference, Quiz/Puzzles,

Fairy tales, Comics, Workbooks, Business Management, Psychology, Books
on Parenting & Childcare, Health & Fitness, Food care, Art & Design,
Cinema, Indian Fiction, Fiction , Romance, Classics, Non-Fiction,
Architecture, Astrology & Occult, Religion, Mythology, Travel, Animal
World, Humor, Food & Drinks, Books on India.

2. Movies – VCD‘s and DVD‘s of Hindi, English movies as well as

regional movies
3. Music – Music CD‘s of English, Hindi and Regional languages
4. CD-ROM – PC Games
5. Toys – Soft toys, Games
6. Stationary – Wrapping paper, Writing instruments, Gift Bags, Gifts,
7. Book café – Brio at level-1 providing movie, music and cafe facilities.

3. PRICING ANALYSIS
The pricing strategy followed by the store is in sync with the product range and
variety it offers. Books, magazines, stationary, toys, music, movie
DVD‘s/VCD‘s etc were priced as per the price printed on the cover. As a sale
was going on during the survey, the prices of some selected products were
much less than the printed price.

But the items offered at the Brio café are a little overpriced and are not even
extremely delicious to account for such a pricing. Therefore, most customers
are disinclined to buy more than a cup of coffee there.
 4. PROMOTION ANALYSIS

As we enter the Crosswords Store, the first thing that catches the eye is the
display of Books of the month on the immediate right of the entry. This is a
sales promotion and advertising strategy for the books.

Indoor advertising & sales promotion – It is an internal office decision and

consists of following current offers :
1. Buy 2, get 1 free DVD
2. Buy 1, get 2 free VCD
3. Buy 2, get 1 free books
4. Buy 1, get 1 free DVD/VCD
5. 50% off and 60% on some books.

Outdoor Advertising & Sales promotion: There is a big advertisement

outside the crosswords store which displays a photograph of a girl reading a
book inside crosswords store and has a tagline written below displaying: books,
movies, music, CD-ROM, toys, stationary and a book café..
 5. STORE ATMOSPHERICS
LAYOUT OF THE STORE :
 There is only a single entry on the front side in the centre.
 There are 2 Floors – a large ground floor & a smaller upper floor.

Ground Floor
 As soon as you enter the store , on the right hand side is the baggage
counter where you can keep your bags & other outside material.
 On the left hand side , there is the STATIONERY column.
 On the right hand side (beyond the baggage counter) there is the
BOOKS section which contains various types of books.
 On the extreme right there is the MAGAZINE section.
 In the centre there is the ENQUIRY & BILLING COUNTER.

Upper Floor
 The staircase goes from behind the billing & enquiry counter on the
ground floor.
 Here you have the BRIO CAFÉ, which serves the following :
 There is a very well maintained LOUNGE for sitting comfortably &
reading.

AMBIENCE OF THE STORE :

 Marble flooring
 Bright yellow light
 Smooth wooden racks
 Cream colored distempered walls
 Light instrumental music in low volume
 Centrally air conditioned
DISPLAY OF THE PRODUCTS :
 STATIONERY CONTENTS :
o Files & folders
o Pens & pencils
o Crayons, sketch pens & pencil colors
o Gift items
o Painting colors & canvas
o Notepads
o Laptop bags & accessories
o CDs & DVDs
 All are meticulously arranged in wooden racks
 Good visibility of all products
 Well categorized

 MAGAZINES :
o Filmfare
o Stardust
o Femina
o Health
o Maxim
o Vogue
o Cosmopolitan
o News magazines like India Today & Frontline
o Business standard
o Business world
o Autocar
o Overdrive
 All meticulously arranged in wooden racks
 Good visibility of all products
 Well categorized

 BOOKS CATEGORIES :
o Management
o Fiction
o Astrology
o Science
o Religious
o History
 A separate section for CROSSWORD
RECOMMENDED books.
  All meticulously arranged in wooden racks
 Good visibility of all products
 Well categorized

MODE OF PROVIDING INFORMATION :

 Complete information is provided by the central billing & enquiry
counter on the ground floor.
 Excellent & relevant signages & boards regarding categories.

6. EMPLOYEE ANALYSIS
The employees are in uniform, neatly dressed and courteous.
Uniform – Jeans and a black T-shirt which has ―crosswords‖ written in the left
side.
Two Enquiry centers have been provided for more assistance and suggestions.
The employees are very friendly & cooperative.

SUGGESTIONS:
Customer‘s complaint is that the staff is not well versed with good authors or
USP‘s of books. Hence, employees should be trained to attend to the
customers and help them in making purchases by giving them full knowledge
of the product.
 7. CUSTOMER SERVICE ANALYSIS
THE VARIOUS VALUE ADDED SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE STORE.

 Dial-a-book
 Fax-a-book
 Email-a-book
 Book Rewards
 Book Reading Sessions ( CROSSWORD Events)
 Home delivery of products
 Buy and present gift vouchers
 Offer value added services to corporate customers, educational institutions,
clubs etc. and offer attractive discounts for bulk purchases.
 Café Brio – at level 1
The billing counter experience is mostly hassle free and one does not have to
wait too much. Even when there is a great demand for the books .eg. the last
edition of the Harry Potter books, there was a very organized system where
coupons were issued according to the buying date and time and customers
could collect the books without any hassle.

Mostly, customers feel that the level of knowledge of the staff about the
authors should increase so as to address specific demands but other than that,
the handling of enquiries is performed smoothly.