Inspired by Salman's 'Being Human', Julian Assange to launch line of clothing in India

Relying on India's enthusiasm for brands and online shopping, 43-year-old Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is all set to launch his range of clothing and accessories in the country.

According to a report in The Times of India, Assange is hopeful that this move will be successful on account of him being a symbol of rebellion.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is all set to launch his range of clothing and accessories in India. AP

Much like Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara's line of clothing being popular in India, Assange too hopes he will strike a chord in the heart of the Indians.

Talking about the popularity of brands in India, Gaurav Marya,  the company which is working for the entry of brand Wikileaks into the country, told Times of India, "Look at 'Being Human' by Salman Khan. Slowly but surely, it has ballooned into a Rs 100-crore business without any major investment in marketing and advertising. Similarly, during the general elections, Namo merchandise created a huge stir."

The report added that Wikileaks would distribute T-shirts and sweatshirts with taglines like 'Leaks exposing injustice' and 'Enemy of the state'.

Lacoste to expand footprint through the franchise route

French brand, Lacoste, has decided to aggressively expand its India footprint through the franchise route. The company is looking to increase its store count to 90, adding 20-25 franchise stores in cities like Surat, Kochi, Lucknow and Jalandhar. Lacoste’s product portfolio includes: clothing, footwear, leather goods, perfumes, eyewear and watches.

A symbol of relaxed elegance, Lacoste was created in 1933 by famous tennis champion René Lacoste. Lacoste India is a strategic alliance between Lacoste and Sports and Leisure Apparel (SLA). SLA has the exclusive rights to manufacture Lacoste branded garments in India and distribute/market in India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It also has exclusive rights to distribute/market Lacoste branded footwear in the India and Maldives.

Established in 1993, the company considers India, an important market for growth. It is focusing on emerging markets of the world including China, Brazil and India. Currently, it enjoys presence through 45 points of sale pan India, covering 15 Indian cities, including one at Maldives.

Lipsy inks franchise pact with BMI to enter India

Trendy young British fashion brand Lipsy on Tuesday announced that it has entered into an exclusive franchise agreement with Brand Marketing India (BMI) to market and distribute its products in India. Lipsy, which was acquired by Next Plc in 2008, is one of the UK’s popular fashion brands. 

Known for its trend clothing and massive celebrity following, Lipsy is already selling internationally through recently opened franchise stores in the Middle East and CIS regions. 

Emma Dobson, head of International Lipsy, said: “This is a key milestone in our international expansion and underscores the international appeal of our brand. We are delighted to be working with the team at BMI and look forward to introducing Lipsy to their customers.” 

BMI, the company responsible for the successful launch and development of the Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear and French Connection businesses in India, intends to open over 50 Lipsy stores over the next five years, thereby, effectively positioning the business to capitalize on the significant growth potential of the Indian market. 

Commenting on the collaboration, Vijay Murjani, managing director of BMI, said, "The combination of glamorous fashion, affordability and a great retail experience has ensured the brand has been an overwhelming success with both celebrities and young trendsetters across the UK.” 

"We are confident that the young Indian consumers will embrace the brand in the same way." 

Indus-League mulls franchise model to expand in smaller cities

In a difficult retail environment when sales are subdued and retailers are battling pricing pressures, Future Ventures India Ltd-controlled Indus-League Clothing Ltd is using the franchise route to expand in smaller cities and keep entry-level prices intact. Indus-League sells apparel and accessories and owns brands such as Scullers, Indigo Nation, John Miller, Jealous 21, Urban Yoga, Daniel Hechter and has recently entered into a licensing agreement for Manchester United. 

“In smaller markets in tier II and III cities, we were finding it a little difficult to run our own stores owing to manpower and other logistical issues, and so we decided to open 10 franchise outlets more as a pilot project to see how they do. We gave them six months this year, and now we have decided to open another 10 by this Diwali. The franchise format would also speed up stores in these markets. While we are not opening any flagship stores there, we will use a combination of two-three brands in each store,” said Rachna Aggarwal, chief executive, Indus- League. 

The response to Manchester United stores and the merchandise has been extremely positive and we have been surprised by the kind of fan following the brand has, particularly among youngsters, Aggarwal added. 

“We have already opened seven Man U stores and will open another five stores in the next three months. The merchandise will also be available in Planet Sports stores and shop-in-shop formats. Though as of now Man U stores are mostly coming up in metros, we are opening one store in the new World Trade Centre in Jaipur,” said Aggarwal. 

Last year, the company opened around 16-18 flagship stores and is planning to open the same number of stores this year. Among this, 40-50 per cent will be in high streets and the rest in shopping malls. 

Monte Carlo to expand retail footprint; seeks franchisees

Monte Carlo, the premium garment brand from the stable of Oswal Woollen Mills (OWM), has announced plans to expand its retail footprint across India. Monte Carlo currently manages 130 EBOS and is also available in around 1,000 MBOs, now plans to open 40 more EBOs, to take the EBO count strength to 170 by the end of fiscal 2011-12. Monte Carlo which has been growing at a stupendous growth rate of 50 per cent plans to increase the store count through a mix of company owned and franchise outlets.

Swapan Dutta, president – retail, OWM, said, “Seeing the performance of the existing stores and the kind of growth we have witnessed over the last four years, has given us the confidence to go for expansion.

“Despite a period of general recession all around, we have been clocking very good growth. We have set up stores in the southern part of country where our sales are not as strong as in north. We will now move towards Hyderabad. We have a flagship store in Kolkata. We have already signed around 12 properties all across,” he further added.

Nautica opens 3rd store in Delhi via franchise route

Apr 05, 2011

Nautica, the premium apparel and accessories brand for men, has opened an exclusive franchise showroom in Delhi. This is the brand’s third store in the country. The other two are located at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon and Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj. Located at Pacific Mall, Rajouri Garden, the 893 sq ft store is currently showcasing Nautica's latest Spring 2011 collection.

Nautica is brought into India by Planet Retail Holdings Pvt Ltd. Some of the other premium international brands brought into India, by Planet Retail include Accessorize, Guess, Next, Debenhams and the latest to join the bandwagon is the homegrown brand Lavie – a handbags brand for fashion-conscious women.

Van Heusen to target smaller cities

Having invested around Rs 35 crore so far in opening exclusive stores, they will now invest Rs 4-5 crore each year to open the new outlets under a franchise model.

With aims to transform itself into a complete lifestyle brand, non-apparels will also be sold under the international Van Heusen brand, which was launched in India in 1990.

A whole gamut of products including men's ties, belts, footwear, eyewear, watches and luggage will soon be available under the premium brand name. They will also enter the women's shoes and bags segment.

"We expect a good demand for these products as we can offer a complete shopping experience to our customers. In the next three years, the non-apparel business should contribute around 8-10 per cent to our total sales," Ramachandran said.

Source : Indian express.com

Indian Terrain to list on March 11; plans expansion via franchising

Mar 10, 2011

Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd, which markets the eponymous brand of apparel, subsequent to its demerger from its parent company, Celebrity Fashions Ltd, will be listed on the BSE and NSE this Friday, March 11. Meanwhile, the company is also planning to expand its retail operations via franchise model.

The demerger of Indian Terrain from Celebrity took effect on April 1, 2010, and now that the process of shareholder approval and legal formalities are over, it is ready to be listed.

V Rajgopal, chairman of the company, said investors were keen to invest in a good brand story and Indian Terrain, a 10-year-old brand, has the potential to emerge among the top lifestyle and ‘sportswear' brands in the country. “We are, perhaps, the only sportswear brand in the men's apparel space to have a strong and committed supply chain linkage because of the parent company, Celebrity,” he explained. Sportswear as a category is not actual sports clothing, but office and casual wear which is defined by the fabric, the cuts and the washes the garments go through, he added.

The last four quarters have seen strong growth in sales for Indian Terrain, he said. The current year would witness a growth of a little over 50 per cent, he added. The company expects to end this FY with net revenues of Rs 120 crore, with a PAT of Rs 8.5 crore, up from Rs 80.15 crore in revenues the previous year. On an annualised basis for FY 2011, the EPS works out to Rs 15. Shareholders of Celebrity were given two shares of Indian Terrain for seven shares of Celebrity.

Rajgopal said the strong performance of its knitwear range helped its revenue growth.

Soon Indian Terrain, which has roped in Bollywood star Abhay Deol as its brand ambassador, expects to launch other accessories such as bags, belts, socks, and a premium denim range. For the next FY, he expects the company to target sales of Rs 150 crore and an EBITDA of 10 per cent.

Amitabh Suri, who will be the COO of Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd, said the company would open 30 more stores in the coming year, majority of them on a franchise basis.

At present, it has 71 exclusive brand outlets. Besides a presence in major multi-brand chains such as Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Central, and recently Westside, it has a shop-in-shop in Singapore's well-known Mustafa mall.