New Delhi: Aiming to touch a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in the next three years, consumer electronics chain NEXT Retail India plans to open 3,500 new outlets by 2010,including exclusive stores for IT products. "The aim is to have 15,00 NEXT outlets by 2010,covering 200 cities across India and for products such as computers, gaming consoles, mobile phones and others. We shall open 2,000 exclusive TIG (telecom, imaging, gaming) stores," Next India Pvt Limited Assistant General Manager Sales and Marketing Narendra Agarwal said.

He said company would open another 100 stores before Diwali this year and expects sales of Rs 1,600 crore by March next year. "Eventually we are aiming at Rs 10,000 crore turnover by 2010," he added. However, Agarwal declined to divulge details and said, "the amount of money to be invested would entirely depend on the store format and the availability of desired locations across India."

Of the planned stores, those in metros and A class cities would be company owned, while those in B and C class cities would be through franchising route, he added. Agarwal said the store space could vary from 3,000 to 10,000 square feet in a metro city and would cost Rs 22 lakh per 1,000 square feet, while Rs 18 lakh and Rs 15 lakh per 1,000 square feet inclusive stores for IT products.

NEXT sells ACs, TVs, home theatre systems, washing machines, refrigerators, microwaves from Electrolux, HCL, Hyundai, Kelvinator, Kenstar, LG, Nokia, Onida, Philips, Sahara, Samsung, Sansui, Toshiba, Videocon and own brand Next. With an eye on the lifestyle category, the company has plans to open 2,000 TIG stores targetting consumers of the mobile era and computer age.