The Essar Group is set to revolutionise the telecom retail market with the introduction of "The MobileStore", India's first national chain of multi-brand and multi-service outlets in the telecom retail space. The Essar Telecom Retail Stores are a one stop mobile solution shop which will offer Telecom Products like Handsets & Accessories, Mobile Connections & Recharges; and other Entertainment products like MP3 players, Gaming Devices, DTH, Cameras and Services like Value Added Services, Handset Repairs, Handset Exchange and Bill Collection. The stores will be company owned and company run and the outlets will be located to maximise convenience within neighbourhoods. The objective will be to be top of mind in the Indian consumer's mind for anything to do with a mobile phone or a service.

Essar Telecom Retail plans to set up over 2500 stores in the next 3 years across 600 cities, thus covering virtually every major town in every state across India. Over Seventy stores have already been launched and are serving customers across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. Another 100 stores are scheduled to come within the next 6-8 weeks. The chain would be almost 600 stores strong, spanning the top 100 cities and towns, within the next 6 months.

Essar Telecom Retail, India's first national chain of multi-brand and multi-service telecom outlets under the brand name "The MobileStore" has now tied up with the Virgin Group for a brand licensing, technical and consultancy services agreement. Under this agreement Virgin will provide their expertise in the areas of branding, marketing, customer care, store operations and staff training.

Under this arrangement "The MobileStore", will now be Powered by the Essar brand heritage along with the backing of the Virgin brand which stands for good quality, brilliant customer service, innovation, fun and good value.

"Essar is a key player in the ever burgeoning retail markets in India. Virgin on the other hand is one of the most respected service brands in the world. Together we will gain in strength and bring to the customer a new and world class experience at "The MobileStore" through this partnership" - Said Mr Ravi Ruia .

The key strength of "The MobileStore" is the trained and knowledgable staff, helping customers to select the right telecom product or service to match their needs. Virgin will share its international expertise to further enhance performance across store operations, processes and systems.

"Customer service has always been at the very core of Virgin" said Richard Branson, "and it continues to be central to our business strategy. We're very proud to be associated with "The MobileStore" and believe together we have an opportunity to fundamentally change the face of mobile retailing in India".

About Essar:
The Essar Group is one of India's largest conglomerates with a balanced portfolio of assets spanning the manufacturing and services sectors; Steel, Energy, Power, Communication, Shipping & Logistics, and Construction. The group has an asset base of over USD 6 billion (Rs. 27,000 crores). It employs 20,000 people in 50 locations world-wide.

About Virgin:
Virgin is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow very successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony, to travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays and retailing. Virgin has created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people, in 29 countries. Revenues around the world in 2006 exceeded £10 billion (approx. US$20 billion).