Staples has become the first stationery chain to launch in India following the debut of a Staples Future Office store as part of a joint venture with Future Group.

The 15,070 sq ft store, which opened earlier this month, is in Marathalli, Bangalore, dubbed the IT capital of India.

The store will capitalise on the US$10 billion (£4.88 billion) Indian technology and office supplies market, which is growing at 15 per cent a year.

A Future spokesman said the store, which sells more than 700 products, is focused on office IT requirements, alongside its core stationery offer.

The retailer plans to open 50 standalone stores and 100 shop-in-shops in India over the next four years. The shop-in-shops will be introduced in Future’s hypermarket chain Big Bazaar and its Central chain of malls. In the next two months, the retailer will open three more standalone stores in Bangalore and one in Noida, a Delhi suburb.

The debut store features a Make Your PC zone, allowing customers to build and customise their computer; an Easytech section, which offers maintenance and repair services; and a print centre. The store also includes an exclusive Apple area, which sells Apple products such as Macs, iPods and accessories.

Future Retail chief executive Rakesh Biyani said: “Through our partnership with Staples, we expect to leverage its sourcing and supply chain strength and create a strong value proposition of ease and convenience to our customer.”

Staples Future Office co-chief executive Shailesh Karwa said: “We want to dominate the office products market, both in corporate and retail space.”

Planet Retail analyst Robert Gregory said: “There are no other large office retailers in the market. Staples has got a major opportunity for growth in India, it can corner a big part of the market.”

However, he warned that India is still a relatively poor country and the venture could also face opposition from local retailers, if the group expands rapidly.

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