The University
of Oxford may not have made up its mind to set up a campus in India, but it may
soon be selling fashion clothing in the country in a tie-up with Aditya Birla
Group company Madura Garments. Oxford Ltd, a wholly owned arm of the British
university that runs a £50 million-plus retail sales branded merchandise
business across the world, is in advanced talks with Madura Garments for a brand franchising deal for apparel.
Chris Evan, MD at Oxford Ltd,
said it plans to sell fashion apparel, accessories, education-related products
including school bags and stationery, home interior and lifestyle products,
luggage and even furniture in India by spring of 2015.
"We have already signed a
very important deal with an apparel and accessories partner," he told ET.
Oxford has already appointed Vadodara-based Swadesh Essfil as educational toys
licensee and , Evan said.
Evan said Oxford plans to occupy
a premium to mid-tier pricing structure in the country and its products will be
available in both offline and online platforms. "We will be developing
various categories further with our licensees to create a decent retail
visibility in India, and will also be seeking to develop the home, interior and
lifestyle category with the right partnerships," he said.
"We are looking for
different franchisee partners for individual categories." Other categories
Oxford will potentially explore in the country for brand licences include
luxury ceramics, kitchen-ware and home decor, luggage and vintage furniture,
Evan said.
The brand licensing market in
India is still small, estimated at just $1 billion, less than 1% of the
$200-billion global market.
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