Danish brand Ecco enters India with store in Gurugram

Ecco, the Danish footwear brand has opened an exclusive brand outlet in Gurugram. This is the footwear brand’s first outlet in India. The plan is to open 20 stores in the country in three years. Ecco also plans to launch a dedicated Indian e-commerce store in the first quarter of next year. The brand has so far retailed only through multi-brand outlets in India. Ecco targets the premium segment. Hence the decision to start with a small footprint to focus first on brand building so that the Indian consumer understands the brand’s narrative as to why the premium price it charges is justified.

Ecco, launched in 1963, owns its entire value chain including manufacturing and wholesale units. The brand had planned to set up a production unit in India before it first entered the market in 2005 but then decided to bring in shoes from its China manufacturing centre. Its specialisation is in combining fine craftsmanship with cutting edge technology to produce footwear, which has wide versatility to serve a range of occasions. Even formal shoes are embedded with features such as anatomical comfort, softness, cushioning, rebound that are associated with sneakers. Outsoles are injected into the leather shoe mould ensuring a stronger bond between the sole and the upper that makes the shoe softer and flexible.