CHENNAI: Chennai has two reasons for celebration. After a two-year ban, the Chennai Super Kings came back to the IPL tournament and won the trophy. The second — Seven by MS Dhoni, a fitness and active lifestyle brand, opened its first physical store in the city in Nungambakkam. The store was inaugurated by CSK champions Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Murali Vijay. Although easy to miss, a splash of bling yellow and Dhoni’s picture outside the store helps to catch our attention.
“This is our second metro city after Bengaluru. We’re mostly active in tier 2 and tier 3 cities like Kota and Jamshedpur. Our goal is to cater to all parts of the country and areas with mass sportsmen. The pricing is also minimal when compared to our competitive sports brand to make it affordable to all the strata,” shares the spokesperson of the brand. Seven, which was the official merchandise partner for the CSK team 2018, is co-owned and endorsed by MS Dhoni.
The brand started its journey in February 2016 with its first outlet in Ranchi. This is the seventh and largest outlet in India. Spread across two floors and an area of 1,600 sq ft, what makes it special is that MS Dhoni’s experience centre in the store is solely dedicated to ‘Captain Cool.’ Adding nostalgia to every Dhoni fan, the store has portraits of the CSK captain on all the walls. With a cricket field like set-up, the experience zone has treasures like Dhoni’s jersey, the ICC champion trophy, batting leg guard pads, goal-keeping gloves, bat and shoes.
The walls have a concrete urban finish, a neutral grey palette and the whole set-up is mildly lit with tungsten bulbs.
The store houses a wide array of accessories in various fitness categories. Everything from shoes to shirts is designed in-house in Delhi. Jerseys, tees, shorts and track pants for both men and women — choose your pick. Among the highlights are their graphic tees with funky Tamil pop culture and cinema slogans catering to the likes of the millennials. Footwear includes running shoes for women and cricket shoes, one of their latest additions, and a few printed flip-flops for men. Their yellow jerseys are the hot-sellers here. The running Vulcan shoes are the favourite. The double-layered cushion padding inside the shoe keeps the feet safe without compromising on the safety aspect.
The store plans to introduce outdoor and lifestyle sportswear along with sports gears and accessories soon. “We plan to reach 100 exclusive stores by 2018. We’re also present on other channels like Myntra, Flipkart and more,” says the spokesperson.
Funky five slogans on tees
Thirumbi vandhuten nu sollu
King of stumpings
Back to lion’s den
Chennai Super kings ku periya whistle adinga
Dhoni returns
Tees from `699.
On Nungambakkam High Road.