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Melissa Payner-Gregor on the board of directors of Destination Maternity

Written by: Dhawal Shah

Article Overview: Destination Maternity Corporation, the US based retailer of designer maternity wear, has elected Ms. Mellisa Payner-Gregor, the CEO of Bluely, to its Board of Directors.

Melissa Payner-Gregor on the board of directors of Destination Maternity

Destination Maternity Corporation, the US based retailer of designer maternity wear, has elected Ms. Mellisa Payner-Gregor, the CEO of Bluely, to its Board of Directors. The news comes in wake of its foray into the Indian markets with a deal with Mahindra Retail, the retail chain floated by the automobile giant Mahindra$Mahindra.

It will be working with the Mahindra Group under the labels Motherhood Maternity, Destination Maternity and A Pea in the Pod. These brands from destination maternity will be available at Mahindra Retail’s new store Mom & Me, the one stop destination for the things and merchandise required by the expecting mothers and the toddler products.

The products will include maternity wear, infants and kids’ fashion, educational & activity toys and games, wellness products for mothers and babies, nursery furniture and furnishings, travel and safety products and much more.

It is a multi-year contract wherein Mahindra Retail will be selling the products of Destination Maternity through its franchise store Mom&Me by purchasing exclusive maternity and nursing merchandise from the Maternity Destination or the suppliers designated by it.

Ed Krell, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Maternity, commented, "We are very excited to announce our expansion into India. Through our partnership with Mahindra Retail, with their breadth of experience and strong reputation in India, we will be able to bring our brands into this rapidly emerging market. We are thrilled to introduce our brands to the growing population of new moms-to-be in India who love to shop and have an ever increasing need for high-quality, fashionable maternity apparel.”

K. Venkataraman, Managing Director of Mahindra Retail is equally excited about the deal. The Mom&Me stores range from 5000 to 12000 sq feet in size and currently operational in six cities in India. Mahindra Group plans to extend its market share by setting more and more franchise stores of it across the country.

According to way2franchise.com, there are 500+ franchise brands in India and the retail and apparel segmenthas over 45 players. The deal between Mahindra Retail and Destination Maternity will further increase the competition in the market.

Destination Maternity has stores all over the United States and is also planning an entry in the markets of the Middle-East, all through retail franchise.

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Article Tags: activity toys, chief executive officer, destination maternity, expecting mothers, franchise store, indian markets, krell, mahindra group, maternity wear, mellisa, motherhood maternity, nursery furniture, payner gregor, pea in the pod, retail chain, rsquo, safety products, span style, style font, toddler products



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