Celio’s strong linen range, a hit in India

French menswear brand Celio available in around 70 countries through over 1,000 stores is looking at increasing its India presence. Recording an annual growth of around 35-40 percent as a brand and its own stores witnessing a growth of 18 percent last year, Celio now aims to expand retail presence in the country. “Celio is a men’s only brand. It stands for effortless style and our products are urban, smart and elegant. We have one of the widest collections of linen in our range. Our strong lines in India are linens and smart shirts with a leaner silhouette,” explains Rajiv Nair, CEO, Celio.

Expanding brand’s retail horizon

Celio has 41 company-owned standalone stores and 128 shop-in-shops located in departmental stores like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Central and Pantaloons. The brand also enjoys a presence on all major online marketplaces like Myntra, Jabong, Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. Talking about the share of revenue driven by various retail formats, Nair says, “Our share from standalone stores is highest at 47 percent. We have a few MBOs, but we want to focus on this more in the future. We do not have our own online presence. I believe that online is not an alternative but is a seamless extension to the offline channels. Learning and management of this change is a crucial challenge. We have a retail business spanning about 100,000 sq. ft. in over 38 cities. We are looking at new markets across Northeast, Delhi-NCR, UP, Andhra and Kerala. We will also consider franchise stores.”

Also on its radar is the digital space, the brand has an active presence across social media and has a strong loyalty program which is digital (mobile orientated strategy). It contributes 35 percent of its repeat business. “Changing lifestyles and awareness of global trends and penetration of fashion through the internet media are the biggest enablers toward brands like ours. As youth across the country have access to the same media, awareness has grown. India continues to be a price conscious market and honestly prices have been steady over the last three years with the advent of ecommerce, which has been driving down prices. High price products still struggle to find a big market in India,” Nair opines.

Strong linen range a major attraction

Celio is a complete wardrobe brand for men and thus its portfolio includes formals, casuals, jeans and accessories. “However, in India, we largely focus on smart casuals, weekend casuals and jeans,” informs Nair, adding, “Our specialties are linen, polos, rugged weekend cargos and Bermudas as well as denims. We also sell a range of smart shirts that are great for office wear.”

Celio’s range of linen includes shirts in solids, checks and prints, trousers and casual linen jackets. The focus of the line in early summer is indigos. It has denim shirts, indigo printed tees, indigo polos and some innovations like knit jeans. “India has equal demand for formals and casuals as shirt is the core of Indian male wardrobe. Changing lifestyle with higher avenues to go out on weekends and after work is enabling Indian men to experiment with smart casuals and semi formals. Fabrics like linen enable men to move seamlessly from work to after work,” sums up Nair.