Aircel targets to open 1,000 Xpress Stores by Q1 2016, to follow FOFO model

Mobile service provider Aircel will expand its retail footprint across the country and aims to have more than 1,000 'Aircel Xpress Stores' in its chain by the first quarter of 2016.

"We have been able to achieve our previous target of 500 Xpress Stores ahead of time in March 2015, resulting in a trend of opening one store every day," Aircel National Head (Operations and Customer Support) Vipul Saurabh told PTI.

"We continue with that approach, and expect to expand our chain to over 1,000 stores by Q1 2016, and eventually to more than 2,000 stores by exit 2017," he added.

Launched last year, Aircel Xpress Stores are based on the low-cost FOFO (Franchisee-Owned-Franchisee-Operated) model with a presence spaced between every 3-4 kilometers in most cities across the country. The stores offer one-stop convenience to access Aircel's range of products and services and will be opened in circles including Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan, North East and Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, among others.

The Xpress Stores will have especially designed experience zones for customers to familiarise them with the mobile internet technology and services being offered by Aircel.