Arrow aims to push up store count to 160 by March 2013

Arrow the popular label from Arvind Brands best known for its American style and white shirts is aggressively spreading its retail presence in India. Their strategy is to add new stores and play up their brand presence to woo young men and women

by introducing array of new styles. Elaborating on the strategy for the brand, Rishi Vasudev, Head-Arrow, Arvind Brands says, “We are looking at the possibilities of opening two outlets a month. Hence, by March 2013, we will have about 160 outlets. We will continue to make the brand more aspirational and capture a bigger market share. We want to be the aspirational brand for young professionals. We have launched Arrow New York, where we have zero calorie work wear. These are young formals, where everything is slim fit. We will continue to push and strengthen this.”

Launched in India in 1994, Arrow’s complete collection of men and women’s wear includes: Arrow Formals which has a ‘Presidents Collection’ and a premium range of suits, shirts and trousers; Arrow Sport, a leisure and weekend wear, to complete the American sports lifestyle; Arrow New York, an international line of slim formals for the youth, that is minimalistic, modern and trendy; Arrow Woman, formal, casual and evening wear ensembles for the urban woman. To complete the look of the professional, Arrow also offers shoes, bags and accessories.

“By 2020, we will be the brand of choice for professionals from office to weekend wear. We want Arrow to be a clear market leader in our target group. We want it to straddle various product groups and occasion needs,” opines Rishi Vasudev. The range is available in 400 MBOs and 150 EBOs and large formats like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Central, Globus and Westside.” In the Middle East the brand has five stores, and is opening two stores in South Africa by the year end. The brand is already present in department stores in South Africa. They also have a license for Nepal and Bangladesh.

Incepted in 1851, Arrow had a single-minded agenda – to dress gentlemen. At that time, America was at the height of fashion consciousness. Arrow became the solution they were seeking. For more than 160 years, Arrow has been a successful innovator. In the mid-19th century when stiff, formal suits were the order of the day, Arrow came up with detachable collars and created over 400 styles.

Arrow’s white shirt range not only out-styled every other brand, it also outsold them. By the mid-1920s, Arrow was manufacturing more than 4 million collars each week. Arrow’s rich past is a reflection of American fashion over the course of nearly two centuries. What started off as a one-room workshop in Troy, New York, in time it became an international corporation with distribution in more than 90 countries.