About Us

Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, where people gravitate to be informed, to be entertained, even enlightened. The name embodies the vision of Crossword as a place and space for people who seek information, knowledge or just the pleasure of reading. Crossword stocks the widest range of Books Movies- Music- Toys- Stationery- Magazines and CD ROMs.

With its large childrens section and its focus on making the store a friendly, safe, fun-filled place, Crossword attracts many families who normally dont think of visiting bookstores. Services like Dial-a-book, Fax-a-book and Email-a-book enable customers to shop from their homes; and when they come to the store, the unobtrusively helpful staffs assist them in finding the right book, the right CD or the right gift for the right occasion. Facilities like the Crossword Gift Vouchers, the friendly Return, Exchange & Refunds policy, the Cafes within the stores and the unique store experience make it easy and enjoyable for customers to shop at Crossword. Over 2.5 lacs loyal customers are rewarded through the Crossword Book Rewards Program with points, discounts, exclusive discounts & offers and more. eWords, a monthly e-newsletter with reviews of new books, news about in store events and bestseller lists, is currently mailed to these Members.

Among the numerous writers who have visited the store are Sir V S Naipaul, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Chandra, Vikram Seth, Kiran Nagarkar, Kiran Desai, Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Shobhaa De, Charles Handy, Ricardo Semler and Jack Canfield. Crossword bookstores also promote the reading habit among children with a weekly activity every Sunday morning across various stores. Promotional events include Pictionary contests, quizzes, slide shows and the annual affair with Santa and his elves. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull came for a signing, so did Macho Man Randy Savage, the WWF champion. Crossword also launched the Crossword Book Award in 1998 to recognise and reward the best of Indian writing.

Since its inception in 15th October 1992, Crossword has received wide recognition for its achievements; articles on retailing in India invariably feature Crossword. It has been featured in Advertising Age International, USA, as one of the Marketing Superstars for 1994. The Bookseller, UK, has also described it as being on the cutting edge of retailing in India.

Crossword was ranked the 6th most admired retailer in India by Business world for the year 2006; it was the only book retailer in the top 10. Crossword won the Reid & Taylor Award for Best Retailer of the year Leisure & Specialty at the India Retail Summit 2005 & 2007& 2009. Crossword won the Retailer of the Year Award - Leisure (Books, Music and Gifts Category) at the Images Retail Awards 2005 & 2007 & 2010. Crossword received the Federation of Indian Publishers Award for excellence in Publishing for the year 2004 on 18th June 2005 at the hands of Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development. Crossword, with Sixty three stores, across Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bengalooru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune & Vadodara is Indias fastest growing chain of bookstores.

Crossword Franchisees
In India, shopping for books has always been thought of as a book-lovers hobby. The traditional bookstores, with their dreary, dusty and browser-unfriendly atmosphere, have discouraged all but the serious book-buyers.

Crossword, positioned as a lifestyle bookstore, has been able to change this by designing large, spacious, well laid out stores, with bright cheerful interiors that encourage people to stay and browse. Simple innovations such as methodical classifications, clear signage, a dedicated enquiry /orders desk, electronic POS and inventory control systems and attractive displays make looking for books a much more pleasurable experience. A welcoming caf, reading tables and chairs and toilets within the store, (some of the innovations pioneered by Crossword in India) help to ensure that customers are able to browse in comfort for several hours without having to leave. Products and Services Crossword also addresses a wider audience than existing stores with its unique product mix. There is of course, the widest range of books for the young and old alike, along with magazines, CD-ROMs, music, stationery and toys. With its large childrens section and its focus on making the store a friendly, safe, fun-filled place, Crossword attracts many families who normally dont think of visiting bookstores. Services like Dial-a-book, Fax-a-book and Email-a-book enable customers to shop from their homes; and when they come to the store, the unobtrusively helpful staffs assist them in finding the right book, the right CD or the right gift for the right occasion. Facilities like the Crossword Gift Vouchers, the friendly Return, Exchange & Refunds policy, the Cafes within the stores and the unique store experience make it easy and enjoyable for customers to shop at Crossword. Over 2.75 lacs loyal customers are rewarded through the Crossword Book Rewards Program with points, discounts, promotional offers and more. eWords, a monthly e-newsletter with reviews of new books, news about in store events and bestseller lists, is currently mailed to these Members. Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, where people gravitate to be informed, to be entertained, even enlightened. There are regular readings, discussions and debates on varied subjects from literature and art to child sexual abuse, war and peace, business and management, travel, parenting and health. Among the numerous writers who have visited the store are Sir V S Naipaul, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Chandra, Vikram Seth, Kiran Nagarkar, Kiran Desai, Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Shobhaa De, Charles Handy, Ricardo Semler and Jack Canfield. Crossword bookstores also promote the reading habit among children with a weekly activity every Sunday morning across various stores. Crossword launched the Crossword Book Award in 1998 to recognise and reward the best of Indian writing. This is currently into its 10th year with prize money of 3 lakhs for each category. Recognition for Crossword Bookstores Since its inception in 15th October 1992, Crossword has received wide recognition for its achievements; articles on retailing in India invariably feature Crossword. It has been featured in Advertising Age International, USA, as one of the Marketing Superstars for 1994. The Bookseller, UK, has also described it as being on the cutting edge of retailing in India. Crossword was ranked the 6th most admired retailer in India by Business world for the year 2006; it was the only book retailer in the top 10.

Crossword won the Reid & Taylor Award for Best Retailer of the year Leisure & Specialty at the India Retail Summit 2005 & 2007 & 2009.

Crossword won the Retailer of the Year Award - Leisure (Books, Music and Gifts Category) at the Images Retail Awards 2005 & 2007 & 2010.

Crossword received the Federation of Indian Publishers Award for excellence in Publishing for the year 2004 on 18th June

2005 at the hands of Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development. The Promoter Crossword Bookstores Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary Company of Shoppers Stop Ltd Indias leading department store chain. The Holding Company inter-alia also acts as a Master Franchisee of the Company. The Crossword Chain: Crossword, with Sixty six stores, across Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Pune, Vadodara, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Nashik, Nagpur, Jaipur, Amritsar, Aurangabad & Bhopal as on today is Indias fastest growing chain of bookstores.

Raheja group may exit Crossword

Swati Garg, Raghavendra Kamath & Arijit Barman / Kolkata & Mumbai June 6, 2011, 0:36 IST

NEWS AND FACTS

651* 30* Chandru Raheja 1.90 70 Mumbai Shopper's Stop, Crossword Real estate

Eleven years after buying Crossword Bookstores, the K Raheja Group the promoter of Shoppers Stop is reviewing the future of the book retailing chain. According to three people in the know, it is exploring various options, including alliances and joint ventures, and may even exit the business altogether. The group is being advised by investment bank Avendus.

Formerly a division, Crossword Bookstores is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shoppers Stop, Indias leading department store chain. The holding company also acts as the master franchisee. What started in Mumbai in 1992 as a chain of stores by serial entrepreneurs R Sriram and K Anita whose focus was to encourage readers to drop by, browse and buy books has now grown far bigger.

STORY SO FAR
1992: R Sriram and K Anita launch a bookstore chain in Mumbai after stints in Landmark (1988) & launching Walden in Hyderabad (1990) * India Book House becomes initial investor 2000: Srirams arrange buyout of Crossword by Shoppers Stop for Rs 25 crore, continue as CEO & MD * ICICI Ventures picks up 49% in Crossword 2005: Shoppers completes Crossword acquisition, buys out ICICI Ventures 2006: Sriram steps down, floats consulting company 2010: From a division, Crossword Bookstores becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shoppers Stop 2011: Avendus appointed to explore sale, alliance options
It is today one of the countrys few profitable book and music chains. It has 72 stores, both company-owned and franchisees, most of these in west and south India. Crossword, according to sources, clocked Rs 150 crore revenue in 2010-11 and earnings before interest depreciation, tax and amortisation of Rs 5 crore in a landscape where online players such as Amazon and Kindle are as much a threat as other brick-and-mortar chains such as the Tatas Landmark and the Deccan Chronicle Groups Odyssey. Shoppers Stop did not respond to Business Standards queries. B S Nagesh, vice-chairman and non-executive director, did not want to comment on operational issues as he was no longer manning the companys day-to-day business. Mails to the companys spokesperson did not get any response. The companys managing director, Govind Shrikhande, and chief financial officer, C B Navalkar, were travelling overseas and could not be contacted despite several attempts. Industry watchers and informed sources said most big retailers and peers would be keen to examine any opportunity to buy Crossword. While the Tatas are the only mutli-brand big retailer with standalone bookstores, companies such as Reliance Retail, Future Group, Aditya Birla Retail and RPGs Spencer could be potential suitors. Sources said Crossword promoters expected one-two time sales as a fair valuation but added that any deal might be some time away.

Shoppers Stop Q4 net at Rs 7.7 cr

Press Trust of India / New Delhi April 29, 2011, 19:01 IST

Retail chain Shoppers Stop today reported consolidated net profit of Rs 7.71 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31. The firm, which runs specialty stores like 'Mothercare', 'Crossword' and large format outlets like 'HyperCity', had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 12.57 crore in the same quarter in the previous fiscal.

Shoppers Stop said the results were not comparable on account of termination of the franchisee agreement with Crossword Bookstores (CBL), its wholly-owned subsidiary. "The operations of 'Crossword' have been handed over to CBL with effect from October 1, 2010 at book values. (Increase)/ Decrease in inventories includes transfer of inventory to CBL aggregating to Rs 2,325.06 lakhs as on October 1,2010," the company said in a statement The total consolidated income for the period under review was Rs 620.94 crore, while the same stood at Rs 388.84 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. For the fiscal ended March 31, 2011, the company's consolidated net profit stood at Rs 43.19 crore. It had posted a net profit of Rs 35.88 crore in the previous fiscal. During the period, the firm had a total consolidated income of Rs 2,234.90 crore, while it had Rs 1,452.05 crore in the year ago period. "We have witnessed a strong and stable environment over the past year with strong growth in like-to-like sales of 17% for the year," Shoppers Stop Customer Care Associate and Managing Director Govind Shrikhande said. On a standalone basis, the company's net profit for the quarter ended March 31, was Rs 19.92 crore as against Rs 16.43 crore in the same period a year ago. "We are expanding steadily in metros as well as tier II cities, which is witnessing consumption boom and has given us access to growing number of customers," he said. Shoppers Stop scrips closed the day at Rs 350 per share on the BSE, up 4.38% from the previous close.

Shoppers' Stop to complete Crossword acquisition by June

Sindhu J. Bhattacharya New Delhi , May 29. 2005-07. SHOPPERS' Stop plans to complete the acquisition of 100 per cent stake in bookstore chain Crossword by June 30. With 51 per cent existing stake in Crossword, the Raheja Group company plans to buy out the remaining 49 per cent held by ICICI Ventures. However, the cost of this acquisition is still to be finalised. The MD and CEO of Shoppers' Stop, Mr B.S. Nagesh, toldBusiness Line "ICICI Ventures bought into Crossword five years ago and is now looking for an exit option. This company holds a 6-7 per cent stake in Shoppers' Stop as well. We have agreed to buy out the 49 per cent equity ICICI Ventures holds in Crossword on or before June 30. This acquisition will enable us to add more value to Crossword's operations. However, we have not yet decided on the price for this deal". He said when Shoppers' Stop had bought 51 per cent equity in Crossword five years ago, it had paid close to Rs 14 crore for acquiring the `Crossword' brand and another Rs 10 crore for the 51 per cent stake, making the total acquisition cost at that time around Rs 25 crore.

Meanwhile, Crossword is eyeing over 80 per cent growth in sales this fiscal. The bookstore chain is targeting to close 2005-06 at Rs 110 crore. On the anvil is expansion into several new cities, with Rs 75 crore investment lined up over the next five years. The CEO and MD of Crossword, Mr R. Sriram, said "we are present in nine cities with 26 stores at present. Through a combination of franchisee stores and our own, we plan to substantially expand our retail presence. We have earmarked Rs 75 crore investment over the next five years in expansion within the country". The company has just opened its first store in Gurgaon, and is planning to set up more outlets in Delhi soon.