Pooja Creations Era eyes domestic and international retail expansion

Taking the MBO route, Pooja Creations Era, the kids ethnic wear brand for girls, is considering further expansion to establish presence. The brand’s range is available with around 700 MBOs on a pan India level. Launched in 2005, the company first began as a retailer and then moved into manufacturing.

“We are looking at an expansion plan. There is a lot of franchise interest around us but since the brand is new, we want to first explore the segment,” informs Nikhil Furia, on the company’s plans.

Retail expansion on cards

The company recently launched its brand in the UK under the brand name ‘Ashiana’. Commenting on their plans, Furia says, “We are doing well in the UK. Now we also have a presence in Canada and plan to go slow and steady. Even in overseas destinations, we are supplying through MBOs and some niche designers in the UK, who have been selling online. We are already with 15 stores there.”

Meanwhile, the company tried to retail through large format stores but found margins too less. Moreover, the feel the organized retail is yet to focus on ethnic wear segment. “They are too much into basics. I do not see them focusing on ethnics. Also ethnic wear depends upon regional tastes and the margins are less. We want to have brand presence in a way we feel justified. We have started placing products with some retail chain like Me and Moms and others with an average space of 30,000 to 40,000 sq. ft. area, like RKMV and Kashish in Hyderabad which has more than 35 stores,” asserts Furia.

The company has no plans of EBOs yet. “We participated in Google’s shopping fest and are also collaborated with few online stores and expanding online base. We are also planning to come up with our own mobile app. We have tie ups with Alibaba and Indiamart, through which we connect with a lot of people,” Furia explains.

Ethnic wear for girls on the roll

Era is an Indian ethnic wear brand for girls in the upper middle class. The collection is completely dedicated to nature, because nature, Furia feels is the best inspiration because as it provides exotic combinations.

Earlier, the brand only had products in the super premium segment but nine months back, it launched kurta -leggings in the value segment. “The concept has already become a rage and contributes 30 percent to our sales. So this could be one area, where we will concentrate. The collection includes lehangas , gowns and anarkalis . We will expand the kurta segment further into Tier II, III cities,” avers Furia.

The company has been witnessing over 25 percent growth year on year. Furia feels that if the creations are good, one can maintain the growth in bad times too.