German toy retailer Simba Dickie Group wants to become a larger player in the Indian market.

Simba says it plans to operate 100 stores by the end of 2014 – up from 18 currently.

“The domestic toy market is still under-penetrated. A large part of it is still unorganised and we are looking at a larger play here. In a limited time we have gained significant presence and we will scale it up further,” said Simba Toys India business head Shree Narayan Sabharwal.

Domestic toy market is currently pegged at Rs600 crore and is said to be growing up to 20 per cent rate.

And Sabharwal expects the growth rate to continue in the coming years.

Simba, which entered India in 2010, plans to end this year with 45 stores across the country.