Smag ready to step into kids’ wear and open more EBOs

Winter wear manufacturer Smag has set its sights on kidswear which they hope to launch soon. Kidswear is a huge market and they would like to be a part of it. At the same time, they will be expanding more in MBOs and EBOs. The brand, which offers value for its money, has been selling winter wear since 1995. It offers lightweight T-shirts in cotton, cotton Lycra and other fancy fabrics, sweatshirts in light fabrics, sweaters in acro-wool and cotton. They also make pullovers and jackets. Smag also has plans to introduce more lightweight winter wear in the near future. This year their winter wear collection is in earthy tones with some bright colours thrown in.

Value for money brand

Smag is known for being a brand which offers value for customer’s money. The designs are similar to those being offered by international brands. The emphasis is on quality and smart pricing. As Vikas Kharbanda, Director, Smag, says, “We believe in volumes and make sure quality isn’t comprised. Smag’s pricing is not low, rather it is smart. The most important thing is to understand your customers.” That they sure do as is clear from their strategy of attracting the youth, which today has a lot of spending power. The target customer is in the age group 16-40 years.

Reaching out to customers through Cottlin

Smag launched Cottlin in 2008, exclusively as EBOs to differentiate between MBOs and EBOs. These stores help the brand to grow. As of now there are 15 Cottlin stores in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. But they plan to expand in the near future. However, Smag as a brand is present through distributors all over India except Kerala, which they hope to tap next year. The maximum growth for the brand has come from states such as Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and the Northeast states. Plans are now on to open around 15 EBOs through the distribution channel across India. Smag products are also available online through a few websites.

Smag has been manufacturing garments for bigger brands such as Amazon, Madura and so on. The largest selling item in their inventory is jacket, followed by pullovers, sweatshirts and sweaters. Kharbanda believes that retail is entirely dependent on seasons. Also, over the years, customer behaviour has changed. “Customers today are well informed. When they step out to shop, they know exactly what they want. There are brands like Duke and Monte Carlo which have a different set of clientele. A customer will go to a brand that attracts them. The branded segment, however, is not more than 10 per cent. The rest is unbranded or unorganised market,” he says.