• Product lines to include health supplements, sports goods, fitness equipment and lifestyle accessories
• Stakeholders in the joint venture are Sachin, Future Group, and Manipal Group

Mumbai, February 5, 2007: The joint venture between the Future Group and the Manipal Group which was set up recently has entered an agreement with Sachin Tendulkar under which Sachin would also be a stakeholder in the JV.

The JV intends to launch a variety of products in the health supplement, sports goods, fitness equipment and lifestyle accessories categories and would be marketed under the brand names S Drive and Sach. They would be retailed across the multiple Future Group formats like Big Bazaar, Central, Planet Sports, Manipal Cure & Care.

Speaking on the occasion of the signing, Sachin said, “Being a brand ambassador and endorsing a product is different; in this association I have given my name as these products will reflect my values. Future group and Manipal Group have an impeccable reputation and these are reflected in the way they do business. Moreover we share common core values of being a proud Indian”.

Mr Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group added, “India is the most under branded country in the world; of the total retail business only 8% is contributed by brands. Through this association with Sachin we believe these brands will gain mass acceptance. The brands that we will launch with Sachin are a result of lot of research and consumer insights. This is the first time that the Future Group is working with a sportsman; and it’s a great feeling because we share a lot of core values, including our Indianness.

The range of products are expected to be launched in the market in the next couple of months, in time for the World Cup.

Speaking on the occasion of this venture; Dr Ranjan Pai, Vice Chairman of the Manipal Group said that “ Manipal Group wanted to get into healthcare retailing and we got good partners in both Sachin - who is India’s best sportsman and Future Group- India’s largest retailer. Also Manipal Group values integrity; believes in executing with passion and dealing with people in human way. Both Sachin and Future Group share our values; so for us this venture was a perfect partnership.”

About Manipal Healthcare

Bangalore based Manipal Health Systems is the pinnacle of the dreams of the inimitable Dr. T M A Pai, a Gandhian and philanthropist, who served the country with a mission to provide quality education and medical facilities at affordable prices. He laid foundation of India’s first private medical college in 1953 at Manipal, and in a span of 50 years, his pioneering effort has emerged as Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) which comprises over 57 institutions today. Manipal Health Systems is the healthcare division of this pioneering institution.

The over 5000 bed Manipal Health Systems is by far the largest (in terms of bed strength and single ownership), deepest (in terms of rural reach) and most integrated (from rural welfare and corporate clinics to tertiary care hospitals) Hospital Management Group in Asia. Two of the health systems with hubs at Mangalore and Manipal serve entire west coast of India from Goa to Kerala while the flagship Bangalore health system serves patients from across south India.

Manipal Health Systems has three tertiary care hospital located at the hubs, 8 secondary care hospitals, 19 Primary Healthcare Centres, 7 rural welfare centres, Complimentary Clinics at Bangalore International Airport and Mangalore domestic airport and over 55 Community Development projects. Manipal Health Systems treated 1.2 million patients as Out Patients and 0.3 mn as In Patients in 2004-05.

About Future Group

Future Group is positioned to cater to the entire Indian consumption space. It operates through six verticals: Future Retail (encompassing all lines of retail business), Future Capital (financial products and services), Future Brands (all brands owned or managed by group companies), Future Space (management of retail real estate), Future Logistics (management of supply chain and distribution) and Future Media (development and management of retail media spaces).

The group's flagship enterprise, Pantaloon Retail, is India's leading retail company with presence in food, fashion and footwear, home solutions and consumer electronics, books and music, health, wellness and beauty, general merchandise, communication products, E-tailing and leisure and entertainment.

Future Group's vision is to, “deliver Everything, Everywhere, Every time to Every Indian Consumer in the most profitable manner.” One of the core values at Future Group is, ‘Indianness' and its corporate credo is – Rewrite Rules, Retain Values.

For further information please contact
Mr. Atul Takle
Head - Corporate Communications
Pantaloon Retail ( India ) Limited
Email: mediarelations@futuregroup.in
Website: www.pantaloonretail.in