Pepe Jeans plans to open 50 stores in India this year

Global denim brand Pepe Jeans has released plans to open 50 fully owned stores in India by the end of this year, taking its global store count to 270.

The company has already been present in India for a number of years, manufacturing “nearly a million pieces every year…taking forward the prime minister’s Make in India initiative” said Kavindra Mishra, MD and CEO of Pepe Jeans India in an interview with PTI. The brand is currently sold in India through 1,500 points of sale, and wishes to take advantage of the Indian policies allowing single-brand retailers to sell through their own stores.

Pepe Jeans has already expanded its product categories in India, launching a children’s line last year which Mishra hopes “to manufacture up to a million pieces for” this year. The brand is also aiming to enter the innerwear market through an undisclosed joint venture that would see a separate company generated, Mishra added, disclosing no further details.

The brand also aims to push its omni-channel strategy in India, as only 5 percent of its sales come in through its e-commerce. As marketing spend for Pepe Jeans in India has gone up 50 per cent, the brand is set to roll out its omni-channel strategy by 2018. Mishra expressed that he thinks "online is a great method for discovery.”

He also argued against the rise of online discounting and aims to defend Pepe Jeans pricing system online. “It is not meant for discounting. People have abused discounting model. It is the brand's responsibility that the consumer does not feel cheated whether he shops in a departmental store or online. I believe in maintaining price parity”.

Photo: Pepe Jeans' Regent Street store, courtesy of Pepe Jeans.