Kodak plans to open 100 stores by 2012

Imaging and printing solutions provider, Kodak India plans to open 100 Kodak Express stores in the country over the next two years, with an estimated investment of Rs 15 crore, a company official said.

"We plan to open 100 Kodak Express stores by 2012 with an investment of Rs 15 lakh per store. Our main focus will be major metros and tier II cities," Kodak India's Vice-President (Marketing) P N Raghuvir said here.

Presently, Kodak has 12 such stores in the country.

Kodak is the market leader in retail printing and recently became the second largest player in digital cameras category with 21 per cent market share in India, he said.

He pegged the total digital camera market in India at 1.5 million units.

Kodak, whose C140 was the highest selling model in 2009, saw a 35 per cent year-on-year growth last year. It hopes to continue the growth momentum this year as well, Raghuvir said.

Kodak enjoys a 29 per cent market share in the digicam segment, priced below Rs 10,000, which has been the major driver for its growth in the country, Raghuvir said.

The company also launched its solar chargers and a pocket size Digital Video Camcorder Zi8, which has a built-in USB arm that can be connected to personal computers directly without any cables, he said.