Pepperfry, India’s No.1 furniture and home products marketplace, announced the launch of its first Studio in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The offline expansion is in line with the company’s aim to penetrate niche markets and build the largest omni-channel business in the furniture and home products segment in India. Pepperfry, which launched its first Studio in 2014, currently has more than 100 Studios across 50+ cities in the country. Maharashtra, which forms the second biggest market for Pepperfry and contributes 23 percent to the overall business, houses 20+ Studios across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, Pune and Kolhapur.
The Studio, which is launched in partnership with Earth Worth, is situated in a prime location at Law College Square in Nagpur, spanning a carpet area of 400 sq.ft. It offers customers a first-hand experience of a curated range of furniture and décor, which is carefully selected from the differentiated portfolio of more than 1 lakh products available on Pepperfry’s website. These Studios provide the touch and feel experience for consumers to understand wood finishes and quality of these big-ticket items before purchasing them. It also houses design experts that offer complementary design consultancy thereby aiding consumers in creating their dream homes.
Building on their omni-channel network, in 2017, Pepperfry introduced a unique franchise model and in a very short span they launched 58 FOFO Studios across metros, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets like Lucknow, Pathankot, Trivandrum, Patna, Bengaluru, Indore, Chennai, Guwahati and Coimbatore. For these Franchise Studios, Pepperfry decided to partner with the finest local entrepreneurs who are well versed with hyperlocal demand cycles and trends. The company revised this franchise model in 2020 to make it more lucrative for both existing and potential franchise partners. It now offers a reward structure wherein the franchise owners can benefit by earning commission of 15% (previous model: 10%) on each online transaction made via the franchise studio.
In June 2021, Pepperfry launched the Pepperfry Accelerator Program with an aim to establish over 200 Studios in one year. The objective of this newly crafted program is to exponentially expand Pepperfry’s offline footprint by adding one entrepreneur a day for the rest of the year. However, the big differentiator of the new program is the Capex required by franchise partners, which is around INR 15 lakhs – one-third as compared to the existing franchise program.
Both the models are based on 100% price parity and does not require the partner to hold product inventory, making it a mutually beneficial business association.
Speaking of the launch Amruta Gupta, Business Head, Pepperfry said, “We are delighted to expand our omni-channel footprint by launching our first Studio in Nagpur in partnership with Earth Worth. At Pepperfry, our aim is to be available to our customers through as many touchpoints as possible, offering great variety at great price points. Thus, in the current times where individuals have become more conscious towards their home-environment and are investing behind creating a space that is functional and aesthetic, we believe our Studios will aid consumers in creating an ideal home.”
Smita Bhabra, Owner, Earth Worth (franchise partner) said, “We are happy to partner with India’s leading home and furniture marketplace. Pepperfry has pioneered a truly differentiated omnichannel business and we are looking forward to participate in their journey to create the largest omnichannel home and furniture business.”
About Pepperfry.com
Pepperfry is India’s leading Furniture and Home products marketplace, offering customers an unparalleled selection of amazingly priced Home products and a consistently great shopping experience. The Pepperfry managed marketplace helps thousands of entrepreneurs and merchants sell to millions of discerning customers across India and the world.
