Asics to open three more stores in India by this year end

The fourth-largest global sportswear brand Asics, which recently opened the doors to its second store in Mumbai, plans to launch three new outlets in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad by the end of this year.

While the Bangalore store will be inaugurated this month, the company aims to add another 10-14 stores in 2016. After strengthening the store network in the top 10-12 cities, the company will venture into Tier II markets. The company-owned stores will follow the current lot of franchisee-run stores.

The company distributing its products across over 150 countries is also looking at manufacturing its apparel range in India apart from opening its mono-brand stores in the country. It has opened an office in Gurgaon. Earlier, Asics India had a distribution partnership with Reliance Retail to retail its products through Reliance Footprint stores, which expired in March 2015.

Asics founded in 1949, is globally known for its high-performance sports shoes especially for running exercise. Keeping the fitness consciousness on the rise in India, the company is keen to leverage on its popularity among professional marathon runners. It recently sponsored the Mumbai Marathon event and also runs campaigns around marathon events in New York, Paris, and Tokyo.