ITC news and archive

IAF and ITMF, in collaboration with the ITC, unveil SCI at OECD Forum

An initiative to accelerate reduction of audit and standard fatigue During a side session organized by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) and the International Apparel Federation (IAF) at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector held online from February 1st to February 5th, the two organizations...

Business

Reliance Industries acquires ITC’s brand John Players

Reliance Industries has acquired ITC’s brand John Players. This includes the brand and distribution rights through 750 stores, including 65 exclusive franchise outlets. The acquisition will help Reliance Industries bolster its own-brand apparel business, which will be an important element of its upcoming e-commerce business. It will strengthen...

Retail

ITC jumps onto online world for lifestyle business growth

ITC Group has jumped onto the online marketplace bandwagon to push its lifestyle retail business especially its apparel brand John Players, which it plans to expand into newer categories. The group is planning to introduce the brand in categories such as footwear, eyewear, backpacks and bags which will be sold through the online marketplace. The...

Retail

Wills Lifestyle to open 20 stores every year

ITC-owned Wills Lifestyle, which completes 15 years of its journey this year, plans to open 20 stores every year for the next three years. As of now, there are 109 Wills Lifestyle stores across 50 Indian cities. The collection is also available across all leading departmental stores, MBOs and all leading online fashion platforms. The company...

Apparel

ITC extends Deveshwar’s tenure

Y C Deveshwar, who was due to retire next year, will continue as ITC chairman for another five years. Deveshwar has steered ITC for the past 15 years, during which he has helped grow its mainstay cigarettes business, expanded its presence in the hospitality sector and spearheaded its entry into a host of new areas such as FMCG, foods, and...

Apparel

Lockout at ITC’s Nepal unit

ITC makers of the brand Wills Lifestyle has declared an indefinite lockout at its garments factory in Nepal. The unit used to produce its John Players and Springwood brands of menswear for export to India, Bangladesh and other countries. The move was taken after factory workers went on the warpath and sparked violence. The state-of-the-art...

Apparel

Deveshwar to step down from ITC

ITC’s chairman YC Deveshwar will move into a non-executive role sometime in the next five years and that will allow a successor to step in. Deveshwar, an IIT graduate, joined ITC in 1968. He was appointed as a director on the company’s board in 1984 and has served as the chairman since January 1996. Between 1991 and 1994, he led Air India as...

Apparel

Wills Lifestyle on expansion spree

ITC is planning to expand its retail brands — John Players and Wills Lifestyle — extensively. The company plans to double the Wills Lifestyle network to 100 stores in the next 18 months. It will be done through a mix of new stores in the existing markets and expanding their footprint in Tier-II markets through the franchising model. John Players...

Fashion

Ranbir Kapoor and John Players forge a new partnership

John Players, the youth fashion brand for men from ITC, has embarked on a journey with Ranbir Kapoor. It announced the launch of its new ad campaign with a ramp show. Kapoor walked the ramp and presented the exquisitely designed John Players’ Spring Summer Collection 2010. The platform was also used to launch the new brand logo, which wears a...

Apparel

Lakme or Wills — who’s fairer?

Hindustan Unilever and ITC, which have largely competed in the FMCG business, are now engaged in market warfare in the Indian fashion industry with their brands Lakme and Wills Lifestyle. For Unilever, the Lakme Fashion Week has significantly helped in building brand equity over the years and has changed its brand image from a conservative...

Apparel

Ranbir is John Players brand ambassador

John Players, the trendy apparel brand for men from ITC has signed Hindi film star Ranbir Kapoor as its new brand ambassador. The aim is to connect with the youth across the country. The move will add a punch of freshness, dynamism and energy to the brand. According to Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business,...