Hugo Boss looking for new Indian partner

A host of global luxury brands in India are breaking off old partnerships in a bid to seek better revenues and bigger profitability. International brands such as Billionaire, Hugo Boss, ST Dupont and Brioni are some of the big names. German brand, Hugo Boss ended a 29-year-old partnership with Dubai-based BinHendi Enterprises and tied up with Genesis Luxury. Italian label Billionaire has gone with BinHendi instead of Infinite Luxury Brands. The reason behind Hugo Boss’ moving out is its plan to expand rapidly, a move that BinHendi couldn’t support. The new partnership will come into effect from January 31 next year.

International luxury brands usually enter into partnership with Indian companies for a period of 3-5 years, after which if the arrangement doesn’t suit them, they prefer to opt out and move to another company. Saloni Nangia, President, Technopak Advisors, says that luxury brands evaluate ‘whether the Indian partner is able to grow and expand the brand as required during the period’. Sanjay Kapoor, Managing Director, Genesis Luxury, admits that a few brands have moved to his group from their initial partners, ‘some of these are via marketing and distribution arrangements with Genesis or as joint ventures’.

Some others like the French luxury brand ST Dupont, reportedly unhappy with its partner Jot Impex, is looking for a new tie-up. Similarly, Brioni, too, is looking for a new partner. Both these French brands had opened stores in Mumbai and later shut them.