Amante to foray into Southeast Asian markets

Having gained a strong foothold in the India, Amante, the premium lingerie brand, is now looking at foraying into Southeast Asian countries. A subsidiary of 1.4 billion dollars firm MAS Holding, Amatne was launched in 2007 having India and Sri Lanka as its core markets. The brand is competing with other established brands like Triumph, Bewitch and Enamor to name a few. Throwing light on the developmental aspects of his brand, Vivek Mehta, Chief Executive Officer, Amante says “Amante is planning the launch a new line of innerwear by March this year.”

Retail expansion includes Southeast Asian market

In India, Amante is available in 600 MBOs and 25 large format stores. The brand is now planning to take up the number of MBOs to 2,000 in the next 2 years. It is also focusing on strengthening its base in large formats across the country. “We are aggressively pursuing expansion and have earmarked states such as Orissa, Bihar and Kerala for this purpose. Since our aim is to achieve equal growth everywhere, we are not targeting any specific set of cities or region. Northeastern region is also on our radar to increase footprint,” Mehta opines.

Though, the firm sees immense potential in online retail, it generates only 10 percent of business. Currently, in e-commerce, the brand is available on every major portal Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra and Snapdeal. The firm is optimistic about the future of online retail, especially when it comes to lingerie. “We see tremendous growth in online vertical as women are fully exploiting the mode. This is the reason we are going to launch our online portal soon,” Mehta informs.

Amante feels the women are now more open to the idea of purchasing lingerie and this is driving growth in the segment. “What is encouraging is that lingerie is not a secret purchase anymore and this is a big booster to the segment. There is a massive change in the mindset of Indian women. They have become more demanding, aware and look for the best in whatever they want for themselves,” he points out.

Amante, a leader in fits and sizes

The problem of perfect fits and sizes in lingerie exists not only in India but in global markets also. Still, the brand believes, making wrong choices is common. “Amante is a thought-leader in this direction and taking the matter seriously by exposing the drawbacks of wearing out-of-shape lingerie through sensitization programs at different levels. We are holding seminars, sessions at store level and educating women in this regard. The impact is visible as you can now find more women informed than they were ever before,” claims Mehta.